525 Sc With 200 Hours. Good Or Bad?
 

I'M THINKING ABOUT BUYING A FORMULA POWERED BY MERC 525SC WITH 200 HOURS. WHAY DO YOU THINK OF THESE ENGINES? WHAT SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

Good motors if never overboosted. Came a little rich from the factory.

Run a compression check (or better yet, a leakdown). Look to see of you can tell if the heads have ever been off (broken paint on head bolts or repainted headbolts).

A stock 200 hour 525 should NOT have needed the heads off unless it blew a headgasket (lean mix, too much timing, low octane fuel, or too much boost).

Easy hopups are adding an intercooler and upping the boost to 6#.

I have a pair in my 93' Cig with Blower Shops 250 blower, 240/hrs and don't burn a drop of oil.