mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

[jncben]

i am new user for a mercruiser this season and have only had experiance with outboards before, current boat is a Bayliner 2052 with a four cylinder 130bhp engine coupled to an alpha gen11 leg, no problems with the engine as such runs well but does seem a bit low on power what are the most popular and cost effective mods to carry out on this engine to gain more power, i know swoping to the v6 engine would be good but cost is an issue, whats the max power i can get from the 4 cylinder engine, in the region of 150bhp would be good, your combined help would be most appreciated.

 

[Bondo]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

the engine as such runs well but does seem a bit low on power what are the most popular and cost effective mods to carry out on this engine to gain more power,

Ayuh,........ There's Only 1 answer.........

Trade up to a boat with a Bigger Motor..................


Btw,...........

Welcome Aboard to the forums here at iboats.com.........................................

 

[jncben]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

I know thats the answer but this boat is perfect for me its a one owner with very very low hours and in mint condition and does what i want it to appart from lacking a little speed hence the ask for tunning the existing engine,which is the most cost effective method for me as i am based in the UK and boats are'nt cheap here ! my boat has a value of ?10k about $22 000 dollars so a few hundred dollars on parts is the way i need to go.

 

[Bondo]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Ayuh,........

In that case,....... Be Happy with what you Have......

There are No easy ways to Hot Rod the 3.0l motors............. Period..........

 

[jncben]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

I was looking for help and advise, not a cheap fix, but I got you !

 

[Don S]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

No, you got the real facts about 3.0L engines. It just happened to not be what you wanted to hear.
The advise was correct, you just don't know it............. Yet!

 

[1730V]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Bond-o and Don S are correct. That engine is highly stressed at the HP rating it has.

Unfortuneately many boat makers installed it in boats that were too big for it. The reason was pricing.

 

[dcg9381]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

If that thing is worth 22k, I really need to get into the export business. I wonder how many Bayliners I can fit into a crate?

That motor is 3.0L, at 130hp, how do you consider that highly stressed?
If I had a 383 v8 (~6L) and it put down 260hp, no one would say it's highly stressed... I don't know how many main bearings it has - the 4cyl that I've worked on typically are setup better than most v8s.

Anyway - these guys are right - there isn't an easy list of things to do.
However, my father made the mistake of buying a 3.0L 4winns about 10 years ago with the 3.0L - not a mistake because of the motor, but as it turned out it had a cracked block (not winterized) and leaked a very small amount of water.
He had me replace it - I remember there were various HP versions of that motor, with the differences largely being the on the intake manifold - so I'd look into that.. We're talking +10-15hp, so it's not a big difference at all...

 

[jncben]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Thanks for that, it seems there are various inlet manfolds and also some tuned exhaust available, as a new user to this site and to a mercruiser engine /outdrive its a shame that some people have such a negative atitude to simple questions i am only looking for an extra 15/20 hp which should be achiviable for a modest out lay.....also its hard to belive a 3.0l four cylinder engine only puting out 130hp is highly stressed.....god nows how my 200bhp four cylinder 2.0 litre turbo saab manages each day !!
Needless to say i havent found this site very helpfull for this question but we all live in hope!

 

[ziggy]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Needless to say i havent found this site very helpfull for this question but we all live in hope!

stick around jncben. you will find this board VERY helpfull. lots of folks here that really know boats. thank goodness they're willing to share their expertise....at least 2 of them responded to yer thread.
just as a point of referance. i was told by one of them, when i got my first boat, that my boat was almost dead. it had to many problems and perhaps i should look for another boat too. well. in the end. and it only took 1 year, they were right. i have a full restore boat on my hands now.....

as for yer tubro saab. that's a car. not a boat. it probably don't see wot for extended periods...so there's not a real comparison there.....

sorry i have no info on yer engine for an upgrade. the way i see it is some engines lend themselves to upgrades others don't. i'm in the same boat as you, pun intended. my 165hp L6 is one of them engines too. there just ain't no mod's to do to it to make it better.....so tune up what ya got and make it as good as it can be and be happy you have a boat......not everyone has the luxury........

 

[tommays]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

The 3.0 motor is NOT car based it was built for water pumps and other stationary uses


So without the auto market there is no one making parts like intakes and other go fast parts that are easy to get for the car based V-6 and V-8 motors

The head is NOT crossflow so it lives with the common intake/exaust manifold which really limits any easy bolt on parts


Tommays

 

[Bondo]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

also its hard to belive a 3.0l four cylinder engine only puting out 130hp is highly stressed.....god nows how my 200bhp four cylinder 2.0 litre turbo saab manages each day !!

Ayuh,........... That's an Apples,+ Oranges example,.... In the Extreme........

The 3.0l was devoloped to be an Industrial powerplant,....... Nearly 50 Years ago.......

Where as the Saab engine was devoloped Much later for a Much Different application.........

 

[Robj]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

jncben,

Just because you do not like someones response does not mean that they are negative. The question that you are asking has received the same answer many times in this forum. Some of the people who responded really know their boats, they are a few of the most knowledgeable people on this site. The hp gain that you are looking for is small and really won't make much difference. What are your rpms at WOT? Do you have trim tabs? Have you had your engine tuned recently? These are areas that may improve the performance of your boat, because unfortunately more power from that engine is not really an option.

You can put your SAAB engine in your boat to see how long it lasts. My guess is it would grenade within 100 hours. The duty-cycle of a boat engine is much higher that with a car. When you are running at WOT, that engine is putting out peak hp for extended periods, something which does not happen in a cars duty-cycle.

Have a great day,

Rob.

 

[jncben]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Well i'm finally getting some where, now i know my boat is powered by a cast iron 40 year old pump engine i can begin to see why no or very few tuning parts are available, as for the stress issue i fully understand the differance between an automotive application and a marine one the point was one of relative engine volume and its bhp i would expect a low reving large volume (3.0l) to produce more than the given bhp,i presume that its original design power output would have been in the region of 100bhp therefore at 130/135 its stressed if that is the correct word, i think tuned to the limit is what is meant. Now knowing the engines roots and its previous applications i can see why, as i said in my original post i am unacustomed to these engines and naturaly presumed it had some US automotive application where by tunning parts would be available
My option seems to set this engine up to give its maximum power in its current application and also go down the route of better matching the propeller to the boat for the use i put it to.
As for the guy who mentioned selling Bayliners in the UK from used US stock its a possability if they are CE marked let me know if you wish to follow it up.

 

[tommays]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

"http://www.gm.com/explore/technology/gmpowertrain/engines/specialized/marine/2008_2400_Marine.pdf"



This is the new high output 173 HP 2.4 EFI motor that is really NOT being used yet




Tommays

 

[jncben]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

jncben,

"Just because you do not like someones response does not mean that they are negative".
Its not the fact i dont like the response its the manner it which its posted if some one had taken the extra few seconds to explain that my engine was a forty year old design and from a industrial background i would have been able to understand the issues involved, perhaps reading the intial thread carefully was required.

 

[eddy pons]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

I think you are on the right track now,,,theres really not much you could do to that engine to get more power out fo it,,,concentrate on your Rpms, what is it currently running at WOP,and take it from there,,figure out what you enjoy running the boat at and come up with a plan,, my guess is you would have to go thru different props to find out witch best suits your application,,dont dismiss a stainless or four blade prop, each will give you some kind of gain,,good luck keep boating,,,,

 

[Jerico]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

My boat has the 3.0 too. The guys that responded are blunt and to the point, but their advice is invaluable. Since I've been on this board any time I've had a question they have taken the time to give me the answer I needed. Sometimes it wasn't the answer I wanted, but has always been awesome advice.

The 3.0 isn't fast, but is strong, durable, and mine gets great fuel economy. If you want to go fast, you need a different engine. For something that when maintained will be rock solid and not cost a fortune to run, I'm sticking with my 3.0.

 

[gabe1]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Ayuh,........... That's an Apples,+ Oranges example,.... In the Extreme........

The 3.0l was devoloped to be an Industrial powerplant,....... Nearly 50 Years ago.......

Where as the Saab engine was devoloped Much later for a Much Different application.........

Bondo
I would like to correct you
Full-scale production of the Saab 92 commenced in December 1949
That's 58 years to be precise but they were making airplane engines since 1938.
I have own a few Saab's to my newest 250 hp Saab Aero with only a 4 cy engine and a 25psi high output turbo , but of course I dont drive WOT
like I do with my 1988 3.0l mercruiser.

Gabe

 

[JCF350]

Re: mercruiser 4 cylinder 1996

Ayuh,........... That's an Apples,+ Oranges example,.... In the Extreme........

The 3.0l was devoloped to be an Industrial powerplant,....... Nearly 50 Years ago.......

Where as the Saab engine was devoloped Much later for a Much Different application.........

The 3 liter started out life as a 152 cubic inch (2.5 liter) and was later bored and stroked to the 183 inch motor.

The 152 was 120hp and 183 was 140hp.

In the mid 70's there was a big problem with the 140s because of the castings shifting during the pour. No problem for the 120hp but when the block was bored out for the 140hp a lot of times the cylinder wall was to thin, resulting in the cylinder wall cracking open into the water jacket. This happened so many times I lost count but I remember dealing with these at least 5 or 6 times every summer.

Agree on the Saab engine. Automotive engines are not designed to run at 3000-4000rpm at full load all day long. Ain't no coasting for a boat.