mercruiser 3L 135 hp

[ewenm]

are these motors ok?? ive had varying reports to this question, ive heard they are noisey, vibrate , have exhaust manifold issues etc

and every one says vet a V either 6 or 8

what do you think, is the VP version better than the Merc or doesnt it matter, i know the VP uses a Holley carby.

im looking at 2005 or later

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

In my experience they are smooth motors and I have worked on both Merc and VP

I would not shy away from either one

 

[drrpm]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

Its a reliable engine and they have been made for many years. Most people say go for the V6 or V8 if you are interested in watersports because the 4 cylinder engine is not very powerful. My personnal preference would be to avoid a carbureter and get a fuel injected version.

 

[ewenm]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

is efi available on the 4 cylinder motors??, we only want a 17 / 18 footer, bow-rider and mostly my wife and i, occasionally another couple

all slim people, maybe tow a grandchild in a tube, all protected water and lakes, i like the 2005 and later Mariah sx18

there are lots of this style of boat around and most are 4 cylinder,

ive sold our 32 foot sports cruiser, and am looking for a boat on a trailer that i can have at home.

i,m sick of the costs associated with the bigger boat, and the little use it got, i think a smaller boat will get equal or greater use, in our case,

and ideally a 4 cylinder would suit our needs, with two up if i can get 40/45 mph out of it i would be happy

if it would work better with a 4 blade prop im happy to experiment

i just dont want to buy into trouble.

sorry for the ramble

 

[JimS123]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

are these motors ok?? ive had varying reports to this question, ive heard they are noisey, vibrate , have exhaust manifold issues etc

and every one says vet a V either 6 or 8

what do you think, is the VP version better than the Merc or doesnt it matter, i know the VP uses a Holley carby.

im looking at 2005 or later

Like they say, believe half of what you hear and 25% of what they say. Don't know who "they" is....LOL.

There are more GMC 4 bangers around than all of the others. Been in production since, I think, 1962. That in itself should answer your question.

Mine was bought new, broken in right and properly maintained. My son has a V6 on a comparable boat and I don't see much difference in noise or vibration. I DO perceive a smoother running engine with a V8 though. Manifold issues are the same, except that the 4 banger only has one so the fix is cheaper.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

Sounds like the 3.0 would be good for your needs.
Mine's 38 years old and still runs well.

 

[QC]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

There are not a lot that reach 45 MPH, but 40 is very reasonable. I ran the snot out of mine, bought her new in '84. Brother in law ran her last week. Head's never been off.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

4 cylinder motors vibrate a bit more than V motors. They do that in cars, boats and any other application. It is the nature of the beast. A 135HP motor will be fine on an 18 footer, but marginal on a larger craft, on the average. My 18' SeaRay with a 205HP 4.3LXV6 could make about 42MPH, going downhill with the wind. A 3.0 L motor will struggle to hit 40, on the average 18 footer.

 

[TyeeMan]

Re: mercruiser 3L 135 hp

I had a Lund Tyee (tin boat) 1750 with 3.0L Mercruiser drive. All in all a great little motor, super easy to service, easy on fuel, but yeah when I got her wound out it seemed a little harsh, , the engine sound, not exhaust. But that was in tin boat, maybe a glass boat might absorb some of that sound/vibration. I could put 4 adults in it, she took a little longer getting up on plane but after that it was fine.
Top speed via GPS was 38 mph with me in the boat at max WOT. 4 people andn top speed would drop off a couple mph.

Now I have a Lund Tyee 1850 wth a 4.3L V-4, Volvo duoprop drive. Whooooaaaaa dady what difference!! The volvo drive (this is the older styly duo prop) is heads above the Merc drive. Smoooooth shift and the duo prop is killer. The V-6 has a 4-barrel holley on it, 185 hp. Full trimmed with the wife and I and I'm just south of 50mph. About 43-44 mph with 3 kids and 3 adults WOT and 4-barrel wide open, , , I love that sound!!!! Gives me goose bumps! By the way, , fuel consumption suffers a bit with a 4-barrel wide open.
But I would have to say the V-6 is over all a bit smoother.