496 MAG HO Whipple/ProCharger ?
 

I need some advise from anyone who has Whipple or Pro Charged a 496 MAG HO.
1. What kind of results did you get, pros and cons?
2. What did it cost to have done?
3. What drive changes or mods were made?
4. Any recomendations in the North East for a good shop to do
the installation
5. Is one charger better suited than the other for this motor?

Thanks your input!

I don't think that Whipple has their kit out yet and I have not heard of anyone running a 496HO procharger kit, have only seen the picture in the ad.

Negative, No unit commerically available, Dustin?. Procharger's have been out for about a year.

Whipple
 

I recommend that you go with the Whipple (for many reasons), but I highly suggest that you wait until they have their "kit" available.

You may want to contact Whipple, and tell them that you want to volunteer your boat for testing.

Good Luck! :D

496 no blow
 

I wrote to tyler crockett, it was printed in may or june Hot Boat
He said this motor has some weak links, Pistons, etc. He is
working on a package that will work. I would wait, I don't buy
all the blower ok on stock motor hype. I blew up a lt1 vette
with a vortech. The motor is now put together right. Just my .02

I read the reply of Tyler's and thought that he said the HO motor was good to go as far as blower boost, but it was the straight 496 that he didn't recommend boost with. Maybe I read it wrong, but I was under the impression that the 496 HO had forged pistons instead of cast.

That is the same debate I read on another board. Are the components the same or different between the 496 and 496 HO? One poster checked the Merc website and said the parts are almost identical. I have also heard that it's OK to boost the 496 HO but not the 496. Fact or Fiction !

Here are the facts:

496 MAG
Type: 90° 8.1L Standard V8
Displacement: 496cid (8128 cc)
Compression Ratio: 9.1:1
Valve Configuration: Pushrod Actuated Overhead Canted Valves (2 valves per cylinder)
Manufactured: Tonawanda, New York
Valve Lifters: Hydraulic Roller
Bore x Stroke: 4.25 x 4.37 in (107.95 x 111.00mm)
Main Bearing Caps: 4-Bolt Cast Iron
Balance Method: Internal
Intake Manifold: Factory Installed PFI Manifold
Firing Order: 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Oil Pan Capacity: 8 qt
Fuel Type: Gasoline (unleaded)
Fuel System: Port Fuel Injection
Engine Rotation: Clockwise (facing front)
Paint Protection: Component Painted
Shipping Weight: 734 lb (333 kg)
Horsepower: 375 hp @ 4600 rpm
Torque: 490lb-ft @ 3200 rpm
Sparkplugs: Platinum tipped (1.5 mm gap)
Emissions Controls: Internal PCV orifice System
Actual power levels may vary depending on OEM calibration and application.
Materials:
Block: Cast Iron
Cylinder Head: Cast Iron (with exhaust valve seat inserts)
Intake Manifold: One-Piece Coated Cast Aluminum
Main Bearing Caps: Cast Nodular Iron
Crankshaft: Cast Nodular Iron
Camshaft: Steel
Connecting Rods: Forged Steel 1141 SAE (shot-peened and magnafluxed, with 9-mm diameter connecting rod bolts)
Pistons: Hypereutectic Cast Aluminum



496 MAG HO
Type: 8.1L V8
Displacement: 496cid (8128 cc)
Compression Ratio: 9.1:1
Valve Configuration: Pushrod Actuated Overhead Canted Valves (2 valves per cylinder)
Manufactured: Tonawanda, New York
Valve Lifters: Hydraulic Roller
Bore x Stroke: 4.25 x 4.37 in (107.95 x 111.00mm)
Main Bearing Caps: 4-Bolt Cast Iron
Balance Method: Internal
Intake Manifold: Factory Installed PFI Manifold
Firing Order: 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Oil Pan Capacity: 8 qt
Fuel Type: Gasoline (unleaded)
Fuel System: Port Fuel Injection
Engine Rotation: Clockwise (facing front)
Paint Protection: Component Painted
Shipping Weight: 740.75 lb (336 kg)
Horsepower: 420 hp @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 505lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Sparkplugs: Platinum tipped (1.5 mm gap)
Emissions Controls: Internal PCV orifice System
Actual power levels may vary depending on OEM calibration and application.
Materials:
Block: Cast Iron
Cylinder Head: Cast Iron (with exhaust valve seat inserts)
Intake Manifold: One-Piece Coated Cast Aluminum
Main Bearing Caps: Cast Nodular Iron
Crankshaft: Cast Nodular Iron
Camshaft: Steel
Connecting Rods: Forged Steel 1141 SAE (shot-peened and magnafluxed, with 9-mm diameter connecting rod bolts)
Pistons: Hypereutectic Cast Aluminum

Please notice, And I've posted this in the tech section a while ago...

The cranks are now the same! Both are cast. This model year and last they were cast and forged for the 375hp and 425hp, respectively.

Also, the Vortec HP3's used in apba racing applications currently, also use the same cast crank at about 525hp with no bottom end failures so far.

I guess they found it to be overkill on the stock motors. Blowing the motor however will be a different story.

JEEZ...They look pretty damn close to me !

Yep, after their second year of production it pretty much comes down to cam and programming.

BD,

I couldn't tell from your post but are the specs
you posted for the 2003 model year? You mentioned that this model year and last they had 496=Cast and 496HO=forged cranks. Were you referring to the 2001 and 2002 model years? I am very close to closing on an early 2002 boat with a 496HO and want to make sure which crank it has. Thanks.

The HO version has always had the forged and is good to go on the procharger...

While we are on the subject of the 496 HO ....What has been your expierience with break in on these motors. I am told they are set up by Merc to run way rich during break in ( 20-30 ) hrs and then the computer automaticly leans them out. We are getting a large amount of black soot on the transom and under the swim platform. I understand this happens on most of these but not all. What have you guys heard or seen? Thanks again for all of your replies.

Paul...it'll clean up after 15 hours or so. I still get soot after 90 hours. It's not bad though. I hear Whipple is coming up with a reprogrammed chip that will lean it out a bit, along with some other mods.

Indy,
Thanks for the input.

I also cannot get a straight answer on the rev limiter. Are they computer stepped against # of hrs run? It seem that up to 10 hrs or so the motors only top out at 4500 to 4600 RPM. They are factory set if I am not mistaken to 5150 RPM. Does the computer raise the limit automaticly after a predetermined number of running hours?

Paul...How did the run go?? We were in Montauk and the seas seemed calm, it was a little cloudy out but seemed a good day for a run.
I don't know about the rev limiter during initial break-in. I never ran mine up until I had 15+ hours on it. Steve Fisher

The run went very well. Water conditions were near perfect but the cloud cover and threat of rain hounded us all day. We received a number of e-mails from people who woke up looked outside and went back to bed. The post grill party was great. Fantastic food and lots of laughs. Later in the day a bunch of boats shot over to the Hamptons to hang out and party till early evening. Our next event will be to Essex Island Marina on the CT River. I expect you to run with us for that one! If anyone is interested in registering for that you can contact us at [email protected]. You can visit our website later this week to see some pics from Saturdays run. LIOPA.com Click on the SHelter Island Run Page.

:D Paul :D

ccarloss,

I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that...All I know is that some time ago when I would look up the specs, the cranks were different(cast=496 and forged 496HO). Obviously, that is not the case anymore...But it was a very recent change. Chances are that the changes may not have even hit the market yet.

The rev limiter should be a constant 5150 regardless of hours, however, for the first 10 or 20 hours, I forget which, the motor runs rich during break-in, thus not developing full potential until after break-in.

Needless to say after the 20 hrs it should spin to 5150. Have you heard of anyone who has had the computer limiter bumped up to 5400? I understand it can be done but nobody seems to have the correct equipment or tech knowledge yet.

Hey LIOPA,
it sounds like you may just have too much prop. Keep an eye on it and have your dealer swap you out props if your not getting 5000+ out of it.
If it's your prop, your power will be down significantly at 4500 rpm. You may gain 100 or so rpm after break in, but 400-500 would be a somewhat major expectation.
Also, just a thought, but raising the rev limiter to 5400 will just pull your motor out of the power band unless other mods are made also.
Later,
Dave
;)
Steve, email me offline on how your trip was!!

LIOPA --
I've got 64 hours on mine and the swim platform is still blackened after every run. Consensus is that I'm propped ok (26p Bravo 1) but will have to get in there and adjust the computer. I'm told the shops around here don't have the equipment yet -- I also don't want to be the first one they "experiment" on!!
Lee

Velocitease,

The scariest part is when you walk into a "Merc Aithorized Repair Facility" and you tell them you have a 496 -- then they look at eachother for a second, one scratches his head, while the other goes searching for the manual....

....When he returns, he's cutting the shrink wrap off the repair manual. :rolleyes: :o :D

Baja Daze --
Oh man, it was better than that! I took it in to check out the recall on the rocker arms and fix a minor oil leak (which they and the local Merc rep said they could do with no problem). I heard that they had to call someone in from outside their shop to get it back together! And when I picked it up, they told me that they really didn't want to see that engine again.... They definitely will not have to worry about that!

I'm interested in the Whipple/Pro Charger possibilities. If the authorized shops can't work on it, what good is a warranty??

Velocitease,
I also have a 496 HO and have been looking into different mods. Arizona Speed and Marine can modify the computer to add about 15 hp but I believe they can only do this to the motors that have the Delphi computers. In addition I have talk with a couple of people about the Pro Charger and have not heard very many good things. From what I understand the computer in the 496 is set up to go into safe/limp mode if there is more than 2 lbs. of manifold pressure, I have also heard that there is just one boat that is running the Whipple and computer mods.