Mercruiser MCM 165 reputation

Greetings All,
We're now the proud owner of an '87 Four Winns Horizon 170 with an MCM 165 engine.

I got a German Shepard puppy, then only found out a year later about the dreadful shedding. I bought a 2000 Toyota Tundra, then later found out about its weak transmission and horrible brakes.

Naturally, I go on this forum and find out that the 470 is a piece of crap.

However, I finally figured out by surfing the web for a couple days that these are different engines. Can I breath a sigh of relief? Or did Mercury not fix the known shortcomings of the 470?

This boat is very clean and well maintained. We got it for $3600 with galvanized trailer, so I feel okay about the purchase.

Any thoughts?

Re: Mercruiser MCM 165 reputation

Naturally, I go on this forum and find out that the 470 is a piece of crap.

However, I finally figured out by surfing the web for a couple days that these are different engines. Can I breath a sigh of relief? Or did Mercury not fix the known shortcomings of the 470?

Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... Your 165hp Is in fact a 470,....
When Mercruiser figured out just how Bad their creation was,...
They Discontinued the motor....

Re: Mercruiser MCM 165 reputation

Can I breath a sigh of relief? Or did Mercury not fix the known shortcomings of the 470?

Click to expand...

They fixed it all right, they stopped building them after 1989. They still leak antifreeze into the crankcase thru the circ pump seal on the camshaft, they still blow a head gaskets when/if they overheat, Parts are still expensive, the OEM charging system is still crap, and parts are NLA, so you have to do an alternator conversion.

With care and preventive maintenance, they can stll be a good running motor.

Re: Mercruiser MCM 165 reputation

So, it's kind of like owning a Jeep?