greg800le

I'm thinking of moving to a 29' Formula with twin 6.2s. I have a 2000 27' with a 454 mag with 1300 hrs. I mostly cruise 3500 - 3800 rpm, with occasional WOT runs. The 454 mag has been bullet proof. I did a complete rebuild at 900 hrs and the bottom end was in excellent condition, it was the top end and rings that were tired according to the builder. The 454 has a forged crank , rods and pistons. I've read the 6.2 has a forged crank only. My question is, how will the 6.2s compare in reliability & life expectancy to my old 454 mag?

greg800le

Also, these are 2008 6.2s I'm asking about, in case earlier versions had issues.

Bondo

Ayuh,.... The 6.2l is a bored, 'n stroked SBC, that's as reliable as the SBC's have been since 'bout 1956,...

Expensive Date

Pretty good, few little quirks with sensors but I had no major problems when I had them.

greg800le

My reason for posting here is because I am prepared to buy the boat, but my mechanic (authorized Merc dealer) advises against it saying I'll be disappointed with the power delivery and serviceable life (relative to the old 454). He said Merc has seen many warranty claims, and as a result he provides free extended warranty on any boat he sells with the 6.2 (his rationale is he gets his money back from Merc when the boat come back for warranty & he has a happy customer at least from a cost perspective). He said the 350 mag is a better choice for reliability. Can anyone tell me how many trouble free hours they have gotten from their 6.2s?

4mulafastech

Just turned 323 hours boating yesterday on my 2006 6.2's and they are running as good as new. I have replaced IAC valves and a T-stat, but that is it. Early on when I bought my Formula I was talking with Mercury Service and they said 1500 hours can be expected from a well maintained 6.2. Of course you have to consider the source, but I have no reason to doubt that statement just yet.

I definitely do not baby these engines either with extended runs at 4500+ rpm and a lot of time over 5000 rpm. I do meticulously maintain them. They have been turn key reliable and run extremely smooth (no vibration). Changed the plugs once so far.

The 292 is pretty efficient with this combo as well. My SmartCraft SC5000 says 1.8-2.0 mpg turning 3400-3800 rpm which is 42-50 mph.

COOPS

iTrader: (2)

I just bought a 292 with twin 6.2's

I researched these extensively and no issues. The only issue is they are not big blocks. They don't make the low end torque that a big block does.

I love the way they sip gas and can still pull low 70's when needed. And the bravos will last forever behind them.

Good luck. I was looking at the same setup as you with the fountain but we didn't like the layout vs the formula.

dereknkathy

there is a 16 page thread 6.2 vs big block. march to may this year. but there is another guy on here, i think he is havasu or loto. did his own conversion, didn't even change cams. says they are powerful and bulletproof. and great on fuel. loves them. i don't remember his thread.

Wes Burmark

The dealer where I bought mine (Pier 57) said at least 850 hours before a freshen. Sounds about like your experience with the 454. I have twins in my Fountain. I went from an earlier non-stepped boat with 350s and am VERY happy with the 6.2s. My only suggestion with the 6.2s is to have an oil temp gauge and an oil cooler (both standard on the Fountain). There have been many opinions of what is an acceptable range of oil temperatures on this forum. It is my opinion the the 6.2 will run too high an oil temp w/o a cooler. My favorite information (sorry I can't remember who to give credit too) came from the person who posted this graph.

http://www.beautifulmauicondo.com/bo...temp_chart.jpg

(Not sure why the graph is not showing but if you click on the link it appears.)

Feel free to PM me if you would like more information on my experience with the 6.2s (210 hours so far).

SB

iTrader: (1)

Here: