As opposed to what and in regards to what? A gas engine is a gas engine, and I would take a diesel over a gas engine 10 times over. However in smaller boats they have their place, and crusader is a good engine for what it is, as is Mercruiser. The exhaust manifolds are freshwater cooled on a crusader, so they have an advantage there. But of the marinized 454's, crusader and mercruiser are your two main ones. Mercruisers tend to be more favored in the go fast boats and crusaders in the slower boats.
And what year? Older ones have standard ignition while others have electronic ignition. Had the smaller Crusader blocks in a Silverton for 17 years and other than regular maintenance they had over 1200 hours and still running strong when sold.
I had them in a 1984 Trojan F36 which was about 16,000 lbs. If they are taken care of, they last a long time. As I recall I burned about 26 GPH at 20kts. That said, there were several generations of the engine. I had heard there were problems with the Gen 5s but I had one and it was not an issue. I had a rebuilt Gen 2 and the Gen 5 was 15-20% more efficient on fuel. I also seem to recall that I replaced several electric fuel pumps which can go bad without warning. One piece of advice, depending on the boat, make sure that any issues associated with the switch to ethanol were addressed. The motors took the fuel ok but the dissolving fiberglass fuel tanks caused issues. Make sure you get a good survey.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 454. How do I find out what generation the engines are from?
That I'm not sure about. I believe I had the new engine paperwork for the 5. I may have gotten the information from my engine surveyor.
The 454's from gen4 had a mechanical fuel pump boss, while the gen5 did not. On the Merc's they used a combo drive with the fuel pump and raw water pump on a belt drive shaft.{I have these on my 36 ft SeaRay} I think the Crusaders just went to electric. Other than that, basically same engine until gen6 which is roller valve train and typically fuel injected. Crusader has a better exhaust system than Merc and I like the raw water pump on the crankshaft.
Ethanol Fuel in Alum tanks How about a vessel with alum tanks using this new ethanol crap. I understand this combination has resulted in problems with some Honda 225 outboards getting shut down by the debis from the alum tanks clogging up the fuel filters. Anyone running gas inboards engines fueled from alum tanks having serious problems with the ethanol based fuels?
I now use an additive with every tankful of ethanol laced fuel. It's positively corrupt that our government ever allowed this stuff. But then again ... corruption has become synonymous with U.S. Government so I am no longer surprised by the audacity of it all. I use the additive for the outboard fuel too. I'm sure there is a former politician producing the ethanol fuel and the additive too. A very good reason to throw your current incumbent out of office.
I had a Trojan F36 with 454s and aluminum tanks when ethanol was introduced. It scoured the tanks and caused me to change the secondary spin on filters several times that first year. It attracts water and dissolves any varnish build-up in the tanks. After that, it was a matter of draining the primary Racors regularly as it attracts water. Another government dabacle.
The main problem with big blocks is they are gas hogs. In this economy if you buy one, you won't be able to go far and if gas gets any higher you will never sell. Get diesels.
I run twin 7.4L Mercruisers (454's), fed from an aluminum tank. I have never had a problem with the Ethanol fuel, but I suppose it's because I burn the fuel as opposed to most dock queens who let their sit. I average over 100 hours per year, mostly short trips. I add two 250 mile trips in the mix each year and the engines run just fine. The other part is the maintenance. Every 100 hours, I replace oil/oil filter, fuel/water filter, raw water impeller. Every 200 hours gets plugs/cap/rotor. The big issue is checking the fuel lines for degredation. You'll notice little black pieces in the fuel filter if you're having ethanol problems. Of course, now our marina just switched to all non-ethanol fuel!
High-pressure Fuel Filter Problems (Ethanol? Aluminum?) ...I saw this posting when I was looking for potential problems with 225 Hondas ...more here: http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/technical-discussion/11083-fuel-filtering-cleaning-3.html
I'm looking at a 22 Donzi Classic with merc 454 and bravo drive. Seller says she cranks but does not fire. I'm suspecting that its a fuel problem caused by ethanol. Hopefully an easy fix. On land even being slightly more over premium gas, still like diesel. The range makes it worthwhile.
Could be several things from fuel-caused damage to the ECM to...... I'd have a qualified mechanic look at it or assume a motor that won't fire, won't ever fire for negotiation purposes. Otherwise why hasn't the owner gotten it fixed before selling?
