Mercury unveils new sterndrive engine

[LuckyLady]

Mercury unveils new sterndrive engine

Designed to power everything from runabouts to express cruisers to houseboats, Mercury Marine's new 4.3-liter MPI ECT (Multi-Port Injection, Emissions Control Technology) completes its fleet of catalyzed sterndrive engines, the company said.


"MerCruiser is committed to the gasoline market by providing ... engines that not only meet emissions requirements, but deliver the best boating experience," MerCruiser brand director Facundo Onni said in a statement.

The 4.3 MPI ECT is the seventh catalyzed engine in the MerCruiser sterndrive lineup, which is composed of engines from 135 to 430 hp. They are the 3.0 MPI ECT, 5.0 MPI ECT, 350 MAG ECT, 377 MAG ECT, 8.2 MAG ECT and 8.2 MAG H.O. ECT.

The 4.3 MPI ECT, which Mercury builds with a GM base engine, is compatible with Alpha and Bravo drives. It runs quieter and is more fuel-efficient than its predecessor, according to Mercury. In Mercury tests, the engine, which has a maximum rpm of 4,400 to 4,800, was 5 to 10 percent better in fuel efficiency at cruising speeds and 5 percent quieter in noise measurements, according to the company.

The 780-pound engine is easier to service, with improved access to the oil fill, a threaded dipstick, a remote oil filter and color-coded service points, Mercury said.

The 4.3 MPI ECT is available with MerCruiser's SeaCore corrosion protection and SmartCraft integrated technology. Models with SeaCore carry a four-year warranty. Those that do not are backed with a two-year warranty.

[Agitated88]

Question...what is the negative "stigma" associated with I/O's...? I don't have much experience with them, but, I see numerous threads about boats being re-done and the I/O is removed and replaced with either and OB or IB. Is the issue with the drive train, performance, servicing, lost cockpit space?? Every weekend, you'll find a few hundred yahoo's running all around the lake with their lake boats 80% IO's...running the living h e l l out of them...throw them on the trailer and repeat every weekend, just gas up and repeat. No where near the maintenance most on this site would perform on their boats, yet, they seem to keep on trucking. So, I guess my question, for the guy who fishes a few times a month in say a 18'-<30' cc...why aren't there more "fishing" boats equiped with I/O's, like the recreational boats are?? Maybe, I'm just totally off base and there are a lot more out there, and I'm just not noticing...either way, any and all comments appreciated.

[Questsportfishing]

Bellows .. the drive and exhaust bellows were separating and the boats would sink... the weight to horsepower and the fact that unless you did it yourself or bought a electronic ignition system you were really sucking down a bunch of fuel, the starters were always in water, the inboard explosions were not fun, the risers were always getting rusted up and clogged ruining heads... wow the list could go a long way on OLD stuff the new stuff just does not have the trust or following yet...

[Curmudgeon]

Nice engine, but will it run on E-15 ...

[jawz12]

Question...what is the negative "stigma" associated with I/O's...? I don't have much experience with them, but, I see numerous threads about boats being re-done and the I/O is removed and replaced with either and OB or IB. Is the issue with the drive train, performance, servicing, lost cockpit space?? Every weekend, you'll find a few hundred yahoo's running all around the lake with their lake boats 80% IO's...running the living h e l l out of them...throw them on the trailer and repeat every weekend, just gas up and repeat. No where near the maintenance most on this site would perform on their boats, yet, they seem to keep on trucking. So, I guess my question, for the guy who fishes a few times a month in say a 18'-<30' cc...why aren't there more "fishing" boats equiped with I/O's, like the recreational boats are?? Maybe, I'm just totally off base and there are a lot more out there, and I'm just not noticing...either way, any and all comments appreciated.

if you've got a sterndrive-it needs to be pulled and serviced-every year !! stern drives get a bad rap-mostly because owners fail to perform normal maintance...PULL THE DRIVE !!! lube the splines on the input shaft with "spline lube" lube the u-joints and the gimbal bearing...most of the newer drives have sealed u-joints.check the bellows-if they're more than 5yrs old,replace them...water pumps-the merc alpha drives have a water pump in the lower unit,the bravo drives do not,same deal with the volvo's...water pump replacements,on the alpha drives is the same as outboards...






let's clear up a few things:

this example is based upon mercruiser stern drives-used in saltwater

first: the exhaust bellow will not sink the boat-if the bellow is torn,the exhaust will sound loud-it's exiting @ the swivel assembly,not through the prop...

second: drive shaft bellow-if this is torn,water will enter,and it will seep out of the "weep" hole on the transom assembly-it's not a 4" hole in the back of the boat-it will leak water into the boat,but,it's not like you broke off a through hull

third: shift cable bellow-if this bellow is torn,it will leak water into the boat...


alpha drives have water pumps in the lower unit,like an outboard,bravo drives do not,they have and engine mounted water pump-volvo drives do not have water pumps in them either..

bellows-these will require replacement,as part of normal maintance-5yrs.replace the bellows,the water transfer hose,and the lower shift cable-done...

engines:

engines require the same maintance your vehicles require-oil and filter changes,"tune ups"
some engines are fresh water cooled,some are raw water cooled-either way,the water pumps-these will require service too-just like an outboard-i always recomend every other year...don't confuse this with the engine circulation pump...
exhaust systems-manifolds and risers-these will require maintance too-replacement-every 5 years-raw water cooled parts.the water passages will become eroded away...exhaust systems are the weak link on these engines-manifolds and rises have a finite life-approx 5yrs.what occurs,is the water passages erode,allowing water to enter the engine via the exhaust valves.this,destroys the exhaust valves,and the result is an engine with low or no compression in the effected cylinders.if you're seeing "steam" from the "breather" hoses to the flame arrester,this is a good indication of water in the engine.if you're seeing water in the oil,it's too late...
fluishing will not extend the life of exhaust system parts...storing an engine "dry" will speed up the process..."dry" meaning-if you just drain the engine block and the manifolds-the engine should be ran on non-toxic antifreeze,this will fill both the engine and the manifolds-absense of air-no oxidation...

freshwater cooling and raw water cooling-in 20yrs,i've never seen an engine failure,directly related to that engine being raw water cooled.i've never seen an engine rusted out,or,clogged - ever...
freshwater cooled engines,these will run at a higher temp,and be a little more efficient,due to that fact...


if you're pushing a gas powered sterndrive or inboard boat-get in the habit of pulling the plugs and doing a compression test-reason being:first,it allows you to inspect the plugs for signs of water intrusion.look for rust stained,or snow white plugs-this is an indication of water intrusion.
second: it allows you to get an idea of the general health of the engine.

i like oil changes @ 40hrs,but,that's me-i change the fuel filters @ the same time...

starters-most sterndrive boats have a fatal flaw - the bilge pumps are mounted in the wrong position.when the boat begins to plane,the water in the bilge is forced to the transom-this water can and will splash all around.smartest thing to do is install a small bilge pump,under the engine,and as low as possible.this will avoid this problem.i use this pump-works perfect an its fully automatic...

whale super sub pump - it's 650gph and it's automatic...

another thing to do is,get in the habit of spraying the engine down with either CRC or lear reasearch-corrosion blok spray-these are the only products i'm aware of,that actually neutralize salt...just give the engine a little rinse once week...


my sea craft is stern drive powered - i practice what i preach...it has 347hrs in the 3 seasons i've ran it 347 trouble free hours...that rig's been everywhere from the lindenkohl canyon(90nm from 2cm bouy) to the poormans(74nm from 2cm bouy)...nothing wrong with stern drive power,if,it's maintaned properly...i carry a spare serpentine belt fuel filters,and a main,and a fuel pump relay-i also carry a spare prop and hub kit...
it's great on fuel-last trip i made was to the sea bass grounds 64nm off the beach-running back,to where we started our drift,and then running 66nm home-that was 12/31...the engine used 58g of fuel-it ran from 5am,to 330pm,without being shut down-that's pretty impressive.

nothing wrong with stern drive power-it just requires some upkeep...

here's that pump...

[Agitated88]

Wow...that was a mouthful Jawz...thanks for the information!! I kinda figured you'd have some good sound advice/information!!!

[jawz12]

Wow...that was a mouthful Jawz...thanks for the information!! I kinda figured you'd have some good sound advice/information!!!

ain't no big deal...


here's my rig...the pelican...

[Agitated88]

ain't no big deal...


here's my rig...the pelican...

I've seen some of your other post with her in it...sweet rig!!!

[Questsportfishing]

some others see it as $$$$& more $... and you take better care of most others stuff better than they do..
Knowledge is power by far..

[worldcat lemon]

composite outdrives and with 150 hours the exhaust bellows cracked, seized the gimble bearings which spun in the housing, ruined the u-joint assemblies and that was in a 2 year old boat. I had to have it fixed at a cost of $4k per side.

The outdrives are fine, but like Jawz said, you got to do regular inspections of the bellows and yearly maintenance.