PDA

View Full Version : Life of a Mercruiser 500HP before rebuild?



jbrauer
09-13-2001, 09:48 AM
How many hours can I normally expect a Mercuiser 500HP to run before a rebuild or other major internal work should be expected?

Hustler
09-13-2001, 09:50 AM
If properly mantained theres no resone that it should'nt run for at least 10 years.
Hustler

BLOWNDRAGBOAT
09-15-2001, 10:09 AM
It all depends on the user. If you run your boat tapped out all the time it's not gonna last a long time. Just look at the offshore F2 class. These boats are ALL running stock 500hp engines and I think all they can change is the exhaust and change the fuel curve and timing as far as engines go. Of course they can do just about anything to outdrives and props. Anyway, these guys get a few races out of these engines maybe even the whole season if they are lucky, but most of them sell the motors after a rebuild and install new ones for the next racing season. My point being that if you aren't racing the boat,running wide open all the time,NOT running in saltwater without a good flush EVERYTIME then you should be able to run it for a long,long time. I just sold a 1990 38ft Scarab that had a set of 454 magnums with lightning headers being the only modification. I NEVER gone into the engine's. With the exception of regular oil changes (synthetic) and new sparkplugs at the start of every boating season, I ran the boat every weekend. Sometimes VERY hard. I never so much as had a hickup. Now I did tear up some outdrives but that was my fault. I got 11 years of service from those motors and the 500hp is a BETTER engine than what I had.

BLOWNDRAGBOAT
09-15-2001, 10:11 AM
Oh ya..I forgot 1 thing. If your running it in a jetboat than thats a bit of a different story. What kind of boat are you running? Jet or outboard? It makes a differance.

superdave013
09-17-2001, 07:06 AM
Like BlowDragBoat said. It's up to the user. I'm an RPM junky so it might not last me as long as some one else. I don't know what's inside a 500HP but I can tell you in my younger days I have tortured relatively stock big blocks for years and then sold the engine still running.

jbrauer
09-17-2001, 09:09 AM
Originally posted by jbrauer:
How many hours can I normally expect a Mercuiser 500HP to run before a rebuild or other major internal work should be expected?
Thanks for all of your insights. I've got about 250 hours on two 500's in a cat and was just wondering what I could reasonably expect in the future.

Boater Bill
09-17-2001, 05:45 PM
Hey BLOWNDRAGBOAT, what type of engine life do you "see" in jet boats of any given flavor. Elaborate please as I seem to be hard on motors.