How many hours do you guys have on your stock 496 ho's? Whether you drive em like you stole em or you baby them. I sold a boat I bought brand new in 02 and had 197 hours on it with no problems(and I ran it hard). Now that these motors have been in boats 8 years we should be able to get some longevity ?s answered.

Answer, the GM/Mercury, Volvo, Crusader and others 8.1L/496 mairne freshwater cooled engine is one of the longest longevity, most reliable marine performance engine ever offered for the high performance marine industry. Raylar has received and rebuilt several of these engines from commercial operators that were into their first TBO at 2000-2400 hours of continous commercial operation. They obviously last longer when properly serviced, stored, operated and used as continously as possible. Even without continous service, with good service, operation and storage they will go many hours and we know of many Raylar equipped 496's that are over the 700-800 hour threshold without any major service or rebuild.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

I got 640 hrs on 496 mags , never any
problems. They are in a 03 33 outlaw,
the boat runs 70 mph on a gps. I change
oils every 30 hrs, the only other thing is
change oil coolers at 700-800 hrs for peace
of mind.

I have 370 hrs on my 496ho's. They still run great and no problems. I'm ready for Spring to put somemore hours on them.

I sold my 33 Outlaw with 634 hours on 496 Mags, never any major problems with them. I lost a water pump bearing and had an wiring short that reduced the voltage to my sensors that took more time than money to find. Had a guy on my dock find it and we were out boating the same day.

those are some pretty solid numbers...thanks for the replies.

I have an '04 model with around 200 hours. I've replaced the MAP sensor and the IAC. No other issues.

Mine was a 2001, used Merc Racing filters and Merc oil.