Just curious if there is any rhyme or reason why you paint your engine a particular color -- do you always do it to match with your graphics -- or do you pick a color that allows you to identify problems easier(ie oil leak)??

Custom. I just did mine in a candy with some polished highlights. The color is based off another color that is repeated elsewhere on the boat. I don't like it when people will polish components and then bolt them on. I instead prefer to just polish certain pieces that I want to call attention to.

As to using a color to cause attention to a problem...because I keep my engine spotless, any stray fluids will show up immediatly.

Mine have alway been black up until now. Decided to go with yellow because oil leaks are so hard to find on black. Man, its gonna be easy to find them now. This yellow shows every dirt speck. I've heard mercruiser used black to help radiate heat away from the engine via convection. I don't doubt that this may have some benefit, but an oily bilge I cannot stand... so yellow won out. Oh yeah, and they look cool as chit now too!

BT

I went with yellow and black on the last motor.. This new motor will be mostly yellow. ... to match the color of the boat...

Black! All of the accessories are stock and black. I have black in the boat so it matches. Blue thunder has a point on the oil leaks, but it won't be long before light colors like yellow look dirty from belt dust and stuff. Black is easy and a no BS color.

There are no rules! paint it what ever color YOU like! Mines purple and orange

See attached:

My engine Buddy (crazyhorse) says its bad luck to paint a marine engine anything but black! So I've left them black...dont want to tempt the gods!!!But I like Red....

I agree Black is good luck!

I like black too but I have a slight oil leak thats driving me crazy trying to find. Now if they would just make the oil bright red I'd be okay.