How many hours can you expect out of an engine

[tie_one_on]

A question for you seasoned boaters. Is there an average expected hour of life for a fresh water only motor. Please don't tell me about a single incident where a motor blow up after 15 minutes of run time or you know a boat that had 10,000 hours. I'm looking for estimates of an average maintained motor and its life expectancy in hours with freash water use. The boat by the way is a 1988 28 ft. Baha Cruisier with twin 302 Fords with about 780 hours each. No salt water here.

 

[Bondo]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

A Perfectly Maintained engine Should have No Problem pulling 2500hrs, or More.............<br /><br />A Compression,+ Leak-down Test is 1 way to See the engines overall Condition........

 

[tie_one_on]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

Thanks Bondo, that's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[wvit100]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

It depends on a lot of things. An engine that is run every day like a car will last a lot longer than one that is only run 25 hours a year though. Sitting for long periods of time can be hard on an engine with rust and moisture.

 

[Mahoney]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

wvit100 seems to have nailed it. I too was conscerned about this, and while doing a lot of research, it is evident in most cases, especially with diesles and how many hours you can rack up on those. Many of the motors you find that have very high hours and still run great are run at low to mid range RPMs for extended periods at a time and do not sit.<br /><br />Just like in a car, if you start it up once every 2 weeks and race it(nevermind what adding running with raw water through the block), you can expect this to not last nearly as long as the same engine driven on the highway everyday.

 

[trog100]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

"not last nearly as long as the same engine driven on the highway everyday."<br /><br />this one is not strictly true.. it will last longer just not clock up as many miles/hours before it wears out as an engine thats run all day long..<br /><br />there is a time factor involved just like there is with changeing oil for example.. every x number of miles or every year irrespective of miles..<br /><br /><br />i recon a ten year old car with 50,000 miles on the clock would have as at least as much engine wear as a two year old car with over 100,000 miles on the clock..<br /><br />praps a factor of 3 would be involved i recon.. an engine run all day long might clock up 3 or 4 times as many hours/miles than one used in a more normal fashion.. but from a simple time point of view it aint gonna last as long.. he he<br /><br />i dont think how hard the thing is worked comes into it much either.. in a sense engines seem to wear out just sitting there between runs.. constant speed running probably wears em out less than regular rpm changing..<br /><br />at least a 1000 hours and praps as much as 3000 hours.. giver or take twenty years or so.. he he <br /><br /><br />trog100

 

[Mahoney]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

Thats basically what I was trying to convey, a motor with 2500 hours on it, run every day at low to moderate rpm, would(all things being considered) be in better shape than one with 2500 hours run hard only once every 2 weeks or a month.(all maintainance followed on both engines.)<br /><br />Of course it will take much less time to rack up those 2500 hours on the one run everyday, but we were talking about engine hours and not engine age.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

Change your oil more then once a season will help a motor last almost forever. <br />Bondo is right on with the 2500 hr if maintained properly.

 

[outboardguy]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

I worked on a patrol boat with a 5.0 mercruiser that racked up 4500 hours before the heads had to be rebuilt.

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

Up here in the fresh water with 4-5 month boating season we tend to see marine engine's that have been broken but not worn out, 2500 hrs sounds about right for a well maintained engine, if you know the history of them 302's and their 780 hrs and the engines are currently in good condition, then there should be at least that many more hours left in them, because thats not alot of hours for 17 year old engines.

 

[Cool It]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

How about in salt water????<br /><br />COOL IT !!!

 

[rodbolt]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

I just pulled a set of 454 mercrusiers with 2200 hours on them. both have decent compression and run well. both have full cooling and the owner has been meticulous with preventative maint rather than corrective to include risers and water pumps and oil/trans cooler replacements before they failed. he just wanted new engines. I hope to set the first 8.1 in today to start the mount/stringer mods required for chanhing from 72 series velvet drives to ZF down angle drives. but I have other crab motors with over 8000 hours that still chug along. but only ones that are freshwater cooled and get regular riser,manifold and seawater pump maint.<br /> my poor old 87 3/4 ton 4wd chevy truck had 118K on the clock when it was given to me. it now has just over 300K on the clock. I have changed the oil maybe 3 times, I did change the trans oil once. it still uses about 1 qt every 1000 miles or so. had I known it was going to last this long I would have taken care of it I guess.

 

[trog100]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

"had I known it was going to last this long I would have taken care of it I guess."<br /><br />that one i like.. he he he<br /><br />trog100

 

[AaronG]

Re: How many hours can you expect out of an engine

Here in NJ, Boats like mine with raw water cooling in salt water last around 1000 hours. Thats a lot less than freshwater, but its still quite a few seasons.