See full version: Buyers Guide to Volvo vs. Mercruiser vs. Ilmor Sterndrive Boat Motors
The power behind your boat is one of the most important things to consider when you’re contemplating a new boat purchase. Get an engine that falls short, and you are sure to be left disappointed. Modern sterndrive motors have been around for almost 60 years — and are defined by the innovative, yet different builds of Ilmor, Volvo and Mercury.
When it comes to drive systems, your decision depends on what’s compatible with the engine you’ve chosen. Mercury has four drive systems — the Alpha One, Bravo One, Bravo Two and Bravo Three. We’ve included some insight into each of these drive systems below:
Here’s what you need to know:
What differentiates each marine engine company are their accessories (and color in the case of Volvo Penta and Crusader). Often the exhaust setups, distribtors, and carburetors are different, but the base engine itself, like the units we supply, are all the same. more
Marine Engines 4 Less supplies new "base" marine engines provided to us by GM Marine, a division of GM Powertrain. The GM Marine base engines that we supply are the EXACT same base engine provided to Mercruiser, Volvo Penta, Crusader, Pleasurecraft Marine, Chris Craft Marine, Indmar, etc.
We only sell marine engines and have been doing so for over 30 years. Genuine marine units are marinized by GM marine and include a marine oil pan, valve covers, timing cover, harmonic balancer and all marine internal components. here
How do I know this is a MARINE engine?
In 2001 General Motors displaced the 7.4L Base (310 Hp, 330 Hp), 454 Mag (385 Hp, 392 Hp), and 502 (415 Hp) engines to make way for the newer 496 Cu-In (8.1L) engine platform. This product shift was mainly done in support of the pickup truck market, realizing that the marine industry “piggy back’s” product from the GM’s automotive truck product line. The 454/502 engines were being produced from GM’s manufacturing plant located in Tonawanda NY. Once the 8.1L engines were introduced for long term production the tooling and assembly line processing for the 454/502’s was converted over to support the 8.1L engines. To support the existing 454/502 markets GM mandated that their supply network pick up the assembly of the older 454/502 engines. Therefore these new longblocks are still available (see links below) but the pricing increased since they are now being manufactured in much lower volumes than before. more
Whether customers are shopping for a new Mercruiser Marine Longblock Engines or Mercruiser Marine Bobtail Engines we are consistently faced with the questions of whether the 7.4L/454/502 Marine Engine can be replaced with the newer style 496 Cu-In (8.1L) big block V8 engine. For the sake of this article the terminology 8.1L and 496 are used interchangeably. Here’s a little background and direction that will hopefully help you with your repower project.
INSTALLATION DRAWINGS FOR DIMENSIONAL REFERENCE (Open in Separate Windows) here
The marine industry and GM did a relatively good job of keeping as much common componetry and sizing bewteen the engines as possible (realizing that making this a completely new layout would greatly effect their own truck markets as well as the overall boating industry). With this in mind, the main things to consider when replacing a 454/502 engine with the 8.1L are:
The power and reliability that makes a fun day on the water unforgettable.
Mercury MerCruiser is world-renowned for creating innovations that provide boaters the best experiences on the water. From our pioneering sterndrive propulsion introduced at the Chicago Boat Show more than a half-century ago to today’s joystick controls that give boaters the confidence and ability to pilot the boat of their dreams even under extreme conditions, Mercury MerCruiser is the undisputed leader in marine power and technology. more
Electronic controls that make boating simpler than ever. Engine-monitoring systems that eliminate worries. Emissions Control Technology that makes you feel good about running cleaner with less environmental impact. Mercury MerCruiser leads the industry in innovations that make boating better. For you and the world around you.