Re: new to i/o boats????
I personally would recommend against getting one.
They are no longer used because of their problems.
It's strictly a Mercruiser designed engine with aluminum block and a 460 Ford cast iron head. That alone is a red flag.
Then there are cooling issues. Some had 3" heat exchangers that didn't work well. The 4" worked ok.
Then there is the cam seal for the circ pump that allows antifreeze into the oil. That's not good.
They also had basically an outboard charging system with a water cooled regulator, plus a rotor and stator setup on the front of the engine for charging. Parts were expensive and now No Longer Available (NLA) from Merc.
You can get a conversion kit from Merc and aftermarket to install an alternatorl.
Some of the exhaust pipes from the engine to the transom shield are also NLA and may require some expensive fabrications if needed. Sorry, don't remember the model years involved in that.
But when they work they are powerful and put out a lot of HP for a 4 cyliinder engine.
These are commonly called 470's by those familiar with them. 1989 was also the last year they were made.
