twin 4cly good or bad

[cmcbob]

looking at 84 century 27ft has twin merc 4cly in it 488 eng are they any good thanks bob

 

[Don S]

Re: twin 4cly good or bad

The 488 is a 470 with a Quadrajet 4bbl carb.

Do you know what a 470 is? It is not an automotive engine.
Aluminum block, designed by Mercruiser using an open deck design (strike 1) using a Ford 460 head.
Charging system was a rotor/stator type affair with a water cooled regulator (strike 2).
Most replace with an alternator kit, also expensive.
Overheats typically cause a need for a head gasket due to the open deck design,
Cam runs the engine circulation pump, so when the cam seal leaks, you get antifreeze in the crankcase with the oil Not Good. (strike 3)
Merc stopped using them in 1989 (23 years ago) and some major parts are NLA and getting hard to find except used (strike 4)

Other than that, a good running one has good torque, and fuel economy with a 2bbl. The Qjet, not so much if you open the secondaries.

 

[Bondo]

Re: twin 4cly good or bad

looking at 84 century 27ft has twin merc 4cly in it 488 eng are they any good thanks bob

Ayuh,.... Keep lookin',..... really....

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: twin 4cly good or bad

Ayuh,.... Keep lookin',..... really....

Yep!

 

[matt167]

Re: twin 4cly good or bad

It's too bad the deal with FRPP folded, where The 3.7L blocks were sold thru the FRPP catalog. They appeared in a 1985-1986 catalog. If it cought on, there would be a lot more parts available, but as it was, still had to go thru Mercruiser to get the crank, cam and other parts because FRPP was not fully invested in the project and was abandoned before it got too far. They are still somewhat popular engines for hotrods, when good one's are found, but that's apples and oranges.

This pic with the bare block shows the 'open deck' design. Taken from the FRPP catalog

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: twin 4cly good or bad

Ayuh,.... Keep lookin',..... really....

Twin 470's are also known as "Double Trouble"