Fuel economy of 88 v20 w mercruiser 165

[smokeonthewater]

new impeller n oil for the drive. Pull drive, grease ujoints, inspect gimbal bearings, adjust engine alignment (requires alignment tool $25 on ebay) replace bellows before using boat and consider trim senders at the same time if they are bad. and a new lower shift cable is often a good idea

[spareparts]

what they all said!

[dan4836]

I have an "82" with the 470. After re-doing the head gasket and every part of the cooling system (boat sat for 11 years) the engine is running perfect.

What I found about the 470 - Some people don't like them and some people love them. I found these engines were put in a lot of boats throughout the 80's and early 90's and many people neglected the general maintenance needed.

The 470 is a great match for the V20 but will not be as fast as the outboards in the 150 plus range. Fuel economy should be at least 3MPG at optimal cruising speed. I did not do any test on fuel consumption yet, but I am hoping to burn 5 GPH at 20 knots. I think it will come in closer to 6GPH but we will see.

I am turning a 14 X 17 aluminum prop. In a light boat, I am getting 4800 RPMs - I might switch to a stainless Mirage in the same size.