tales of woe - 454 inboard

[anglosax]

First of all let me say thankyou to all who have replied to previous posts and shared their expertise with a newbie , whos fast becoming something
else. The story so far....:facepalm:
Mercruiser 7.4l 1989 vintage had distinct knock from one cylinder on startup after 6 months layup. Removing the plug lead to that cylinder made the knock go away. Especially loud knock at low revs under load. Removing the rocker revealed a bad case of stuck valves and bent pushrods. Removing the exhaust manifold and head revealed major rust down into that cylinder. Everyones diagnosis was major rebuild or longblock replacement.
Internet search showed longblock prices around $5k from recognised dealers- is this about the correct price and what should I be asking the supplier regarding componants and rebuild proceedure?- What warranty is normal ? Is this 1989 engine a gen 4 or 5 and does it matter for replacement purposes?
I have been offered a locally rebuilt 454 gen 4 longblock for around $2500 - is this too good to be true - I know somepeoples idea of a rebuild is a coat of paint . The seller assures me of new everything internally but I have no way to check - aside from a compression check - whats a good PSI for this engine ? Is there any other test I can carry out to see if Im buying a dud ?
Thanks again for any advice :redface:

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: tales of woe - 454 inboard

I have been offered a locally rebuilt 454 gen 4 longblock for around $2500 - is this too good to be true - I know somepeoples idea of a rebuild is a coat of paint .

Have a look here: http://www.usengine.us/mercruiser.html

They'll "long-block" your engine for about $2800 plus/minus. (plus shipping)


If you didn't want to have USENGINE or other similar nation wide seller do it,

I would probably take that engine to a local reputable machine shop before I would just buy "rebuilt" engine from someone that may or may not be willing OR able to give you a reliable guarantee.


If that price IS from a local machine shop, they should be willing to give you some sort of written warranty....

 

[filafella]

Re: tales of woe - 454 inboard

I would advise against USEngines. I have a 454 that I bought from them that is fully of shody workmanship. Long story short, I'm having a local shop that I trust redo my newly rebuilt motor to ensure that it's at least done right this time.

 

[1980Coronado]

Re: tales of woe - 454 inboard

Talk to these guys....I've found them to have good pricing, excellent customer service, and a wealth of knowledge. Call and talk to Vince....they only show new GM engines, but they may be able to help you with a long block.

http://www.skidim.com/products.asp?dept=1013

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: tales of woe - 454 inboard

I would advise against USEngines. I have a 454 that I bought from them that is fully of shody workmanship. Long story short, I'm having a local shop that I trust redo my newly rebuilt motor to ensure that it's at least done right this time.

I really have not heard of a LOT of people having trouble with USENGINE. 1 or 2 claims of "shoddy workmanship" doesn't make ALL their rebuilds bad and that could describe any engine builder. Did you give them the chance to make it good?

(btw, I installed one of their engines only 2 years ago and the owner is still happy with it)

Your being all the way up in Anacortes would make it pretty hard for them to do any sort of remedy unless you pulled the engine and brought it back or dragged your boat all the way down here.......

I live literally "down the road" from Kent. "Stuff" happens. I know that isn't an excuse but they sell hundreds of rebuilds to automotive and marine customers. They can't all be bad or they wouldn't still be around if all their engines came back for warranty claims.....


I hope your "redo" goes well. I know it can even be a crap-shoot even buying a new crate motor......

regards,


Rick

 

[filafella]

Re: tales of woe - 454 inboard

I too couldn't find many recent negative reviews on US Engines, so I decided to go with them. They seemed like nice guys and were pretty helpful. Unfortunately my new engine had a knock from the begining, and I thought it had a bad bearing. I had my local machine shop tear down and inspect the engine for me. Well, the bearings were fine, but there were score marks on some of the crank journals from machining debris that wasn't cleaned out of the block properly. Also, even though the engine had been run less than an hour total one of the wrist pins had almost completely walked it's way out of a rod. My machine shop is also telling me piston clearances are slightly out of tolerance. Now I must say that this might just be a fluke and maybe I just got a bad engine. But I just think that there were too many issues with this motor that should've been caught during the rebuild process and that gives me the impression that the builder rushed this engine. It seems though that every rebuilder has at least a few complaints against them <--- that's me being reasonable

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: tales of woe - 454 inboard

Yeah. Many machine shops "dog" their competition........especially if they cannot match the prices and warranty.

Also, even though the engine had been run less than an hour total one of the wrist pins had almost completely walked it's way out of a rod.

I haven't had a look at a stock 454 piston/rod combination recently, are there snap-rings or keepers?


I just wonder what US would've done if you had took your engine to their doorstep and let them look at it.

I know they have a policy of allowing people to take their engine to someone (else) if there's a problem. If I lived on the east coast I wouldn't want to have to pull the engine and send it across the country for warranty "work"!!

But if that were the case, I would probably use a local rebuilder anyway. Shipping can eat up any decent savings......




To the original poster,


ENSURE that you replace your risers AND manifolds......the problem you're describing is frequently the result of leaking riser gaskets.


I would not use anything but NEW risers and manifolds on a new engine. (unless your risers and manifolds were recently replaced.)

The seller assures me of new everything internally but I have no way to check - aside from a compression check - whats a good PSI for this engine ? Is there any other test I can carry out to see if Im buying a dud ?

If it's a long-block (and the seller is NOT a machine shop) ask him if he's willing to allow a local machine shop inspect it (you pay)