mercruiser 5.0L MPI 260hp

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hg2016

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Hi all,
I'm looking for some feedback. Looking at a 1999 Searay 260 sundancer LOA with bathing platform is 8.53m/28ft. Is the engine man enough for this boat? I've heard some good stories about this engine but usually in a slightly smaller boat. Any advice would be well received
.Mercruiser 5.0l MPI 260hp petrol engine (240 hours)
V8 motor with sea water cooling
Maximum speed 30+ knots approx
Cruising speed 22 knots approx
Engine and Outdrive serviced annually
Mercruiser Bravo II sterndrive
Power trim and tilt
Power steering
Trim tabs
Regards
HG.
 
If the engine description is accurate then it is likely not the original engine as the 5.0 mpi 260 was not available in the Sea ray 260 till 2002 and it was matched to a Bravo III drive.
If it is the original Bravo II drive (quite likely) then it would originaly have had the 5.0 efi 240 as standard or the 5.7 250 carb model.

I would have thought that 260hp would be fine in that boat but best that someone with same or similar size/ weight/ power combo confirms.
 
Hi dpb,
taking note of what you said, the pictures from this boat show a single swivel helm seat. I didn't think they changed that area from the bench seat until 2000. Perhaps I'm wrong but all the pics I've seen from 1999 and before have all had bench seats at the helm. Or am I just thinking of the 240 sundancer.
 
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I had a Searay 260 Sundancer with a 5.0efi and BravoII for 6 years. Great boat but would only touch 30knots if clean and lightly loaded.
The engine has wet risers so check the exhaust manifolds and risers carefully and look for evidence of when they were last changed.
The BravoII is bombproof, the BravoIII has corrosion issues.
The helm seat was always a single seat but the design of it changed in 2000 (along with other changes)
Ie...
1999
4802529_20140902102904573_4_XLARGE.jpg


2000
6208775_20170418190132630_1_XLARGE.jpg
 
Hi adey,
thanks very much for that info and the pics. Can you or anyone else explain what 'risers' are please. I'm very much a novice to the boating game.
Kind Regards
HG
 
The risers and manifolds are the parts either side of the engine (V engines). In car terms they are the exhaust system. In a lot of Sportsboats they are raw water cooled which means they take the sea water and use it to cool the engine. As sea water goes through them they are prone to rust and have to be checked and replaced on a reasonably regular basis. The issue being that if they rust through then one or all of the following could occur:

1. Rust through internally - engine gets salt water in it and seizes
2. Rust through internally - cooling does not work and engine overheats
3. Rust through externally - water enters the boat

So a major point for inspection!

Here are mine on a Mercruiser V8 5.7L 350MAG engine


engine.jpg


Note: Some boats have closed water systems like a car which carries its water around with it, however they still have a heat exchanger which has sea water running through it.
 
Thanks mlines,
Nice engine that looks very well looked after too. How often would you change the risers on such an engine and is it something you would do yourself.
I heard a whisper that you can change them to fresh water cooling on a closed water system. Is this something that would be beneficial, if its possible, or not worth the hassle.
Many Thanks
HG
 
How often do you change the manifolds and risers is the same question as how long is a piece of string I am afraid. It all depends on the use. Both this and our previous boat are trailered boats so they do not sit in the water all the time. Ours also (until this year) did 50:50 between salt water and fresh water so were effectively cleaned out when run in fresh water. We also flush the engine on muffs at every opportunity.

They need looking at least every two years, get your engineer (or yourself) to unbolt a few parts and look inside (or even poke a remote camera in). They will be able to say what is needed.

Our first boat was a 2006 year boat and the manifolds/risers did not need changing during its life up to when we sold it in 2013 (7 years old)

Our second is a 2008 year boat that was well looked after by the previous owner but the first owner was an unknown. Therefore we had the manifold/risers replaced last year (2015) which again is 7 years.

As I say both boats are not stored in water and are run in both salt and fresh. If its kept on a salt water mooring they would be changed regularly.

If you change to closed water then you still have an heat exchanger which will have a salt water side to it which could still corrode.
 
Leaving aside the risque answers....

They fit onto a sterndrive to let you run water through the cooling system of a boat when it is on dry land. If you are trailer boating you can flush the salt water out, some slipways have a fresh water hose available.

You should never run an engine without water flowing through it as it destroys the impeller in the water system
6-20802.jpg
 
Hi HG
Great boat and engine combo, I'd say.
As mentioned, I would suspect if your boat is a 99' model, then it has been re engined at some point. Generally the mpi models didn't see the light of day (in this size) until late 2002/2003. It's not uncommon to see boats of this age and older with mpi replacements, usually done through insurance after frost damage or perhaps neglect. It's bread and butter stuff for the dealers. Probably all to the benefit of yourself though, as long as it matches the drive set up. They are so much more economical than the older equivelant.
With regards to the riser question....if you are in salt water, it's probably best to replace every 3/4 years if you are being totally safe....probably longer in reality. It's a good idea to flush with fresh water at the end of the season before winter dry storage. This means the salt doesn't get so much of a chance to react with the air (when winterised).
Another top tip is to replace the distributor cap and rotor...or crap cap, as they are more commonly known, every 2 years. These are known to be weak.
Spark plugs are extortionate, but only really need to be changed every 3/4 years in my experience. Perhaps even less frequently.
 
As QBhoy says, a pretty sound set-up.

The manifold and risers are worth pulling to check them, gaskets aren't that expensive.

Dizzy cap and rotor is a good call, so too is a new set of plugs. Make sure they are the right ones, not some knock-off cheapies.

Oh, and lashings of fresh, lovely oil. Frequently. The 5.0 works hard.
 
They range between £8-21 each...depending where you get them and what variant... X8 of course.
From memory, if you search eBay for them by part number (not in boat section) you'd get them at their cheapest.
Keypart have cross matched them and have non oem for £8 each, but not sure I would go for that.
Ngk IRT..something, something are the best in my book. They can be found for about £13-18 or cheaper if you search.
AC delco 993 are also offered slightly cheaper.
Have a look and you will get the idea. As mentioned, they don't need changed too often (because they are so clean burning engines) so worth the expense.
Allan
 
Tidy reply. Thankyou.
I still haven't purchased a boat yet. I'm currently up to my neck in the Diesel v Petrol debate. I've just looked at a couple of sealine s23's (2004) each with a single kad32 diesel. Nice boats. Petrol availability seems to be an issue with most people that I have talked to followed by stories of safety and fires. tough to know what to do.
Thanks to all so far.
 
If you can get a Sealine S23 for the same price....100% I'd be having the Sealine.
Good luck...
 
QBhoy said:
If you can get a Sealine S23 for the same price....100% I'd be having the Sealine.
Good luck...
Click to expand...

The sealine is a bit more pricey £32k and the other was £33k both were in great condition. They are both under offer now so I've missed them. But to be honest they were over my current budget. But I did like them and I'm thinking of hanging back and saving some more £ and hope another one pops up for sale in the next few months.
 
QBhoy said:
They range between £8-21 each...depending where you get them and what variant... X8 of course.
From memory, if you search eBay for them by part number (not in boat section) you'd get them at their cheapest.
Keypart have cross matched them and have non oem for £8 each, but not sure I would go for that.
Ngk IRT..something, something are the best in my book. They can be found for about £13-18 or cheaper if you search.
AC delco 993 are also offered slightly cheaper.
Have a look and you will get the idea. As mentioned, they don't need changed too often (because they are so clean burning engines) so worth the expense.
Allan
Click to expand...

You don't have to use the iridium plugs NGK ITR4A15 you can still run on NGK BPR6EFS you just have to change them every service, or instead of the Iridium plugs use the AC 43-993 Platinum plug. Plug gap is critical for the Iridium plug they come 1.5mm which is the gap specified by the manufacturer
 
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