daveintexas

Anyone have the lower 3.5psi procharger on their 496 HO? What is your experience? Did you have anyone reprogram your ECU? Safe for moderate usage?

blownhammer2000

iTrader: (1)

the 496 in stock form is a great and reliable engine but not a good candidate for supercharging of any sort without beefing up the internals, this is where the 496 gets a bad rap, there are alot of threads on this already and ray at raylar has quite a few posts on what to do when supercharging this engine, he is the one to listen to for advise

Raylar

Dave:

I don't believe any stock block 496 (8.1L) engine is a long term reliable engine package no mater what ECM re-programming has been done. If you must use the supercharger, I believe Dustin at Whipple has done a few special programs for Prochargers on 496's but he's not gonna give you any guaranties and unless you do actual A/F measurments in the boat under load the chance of getting right by mail is slim odds.
If you really want to properly supercharge your 496 and get some real power from boosts of 5-9lbs or so you need to go thru the block and get a set of good supercharger forged pistons and rods like those we sell as well as a better supercharger grind camshaft and cylinder head valve train upgrades to get a more reliable supercharged package.
The special programming will still be a must so don't GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT IT!
If I can be of help please give me a call and I will try and keep you out of trouble.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

checkeredpast

I have about 350 hours on my 3.5 pc with no trouble.I did not reprogram or make any other mods. Like any other engine it depends on how you treat it as to how many problems you have!

Raylar

Checkeredpast:

Glad to hear you have been one of the lucky ones. since you are in a group of probably less than 10% of the stock block 496 owners who have had such success with a Pro-Charger you are happily a good luck owner. Hope you stay in that category.
At those boost levels of under 4psi its easier and their over fueling FMU keeps it fat and in some cases out of trouble, especially when owners like you use conservative use and driving modes.
Wonder why Pro-Charge quit offering the 496 supercharging kit for the 496 about 3 or 4 years ago??

Hey, if your a performance boater with a Merc 496 and you always do well at the crap tables, then by all means keep playing the odds and stay in that hopeful elite group of successful supercharger users on stock block 496's.

When and if it stops working,call Raylar and we can help you with the parts or builds for a more reliable supercharged 496.

In the mean time enjoy your good fortune and boat fun and safe!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

checkeredpast

No disrespect ,but Pro charger still offers the 496 kit.

Raylar

Well,l then I stand corrected if that is now the case.. A few years back they had told some 496 owner inquirers that they stopped offering it under for the technical reason customers were told that they did not have the ability to reprogram the ECM and felt that was an issue with the newer 496's. Obviously they have changed their mind. Hope it all works out well for those who use it.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

daveintexas

Thanks for the input. Wont do anything for a while and am just doing rearch on future power inprovements. After what i have read and the peeps i've talked to it does seem to be a crap shoot on forced induction on a stock 496HO. Even the retailers i have talked to state to stay away from the 5psi models of any supercharger unless you upgrade the internals so i was just curious what the consensus might be for a smaller 3.5psi unit and reliability. I have 93 octance fuel available and dont rag my boat out. Just looking at the possibility of adding a little extra umph for occasional needs but mostly cruising at a desirable mph and rpm without holding the throttle down without major upgrades.

On another note, why would procharger and their retailers keep a product in production and sell it if it has such a bad rap in blowing up engines? Does anyone reprogram ECU's for procharger usuage? Just wondering. thanks

daveintexas

[QUOTE=Raylar;3599051]Checkeredpast:

Glad to hear you have been one of the lucky ones. since you are in a group of probably less than 10% of the stock block 496 owners who have had such success with a Pro-Charger you are happily a good luck owner. Hope you stay in that category.
At those boost levels of under 4psi its easier and their over fueling FMU keeps it fat and in some cases out of trouble, especially when owners like you use conservative use and driving modes.

Just asking, if he is in the lucky 10%, does that mean that 90% of all procharged 496s have had issues? That would be a pretty big black eye for that company as well as their retailers. It seems the product has been around for quite a while. I just got an email from CP Performace telling me all about prochargers special pricing for january and it included the 496.

thirdchildhood

iTrader: (6)

Sell the 496