Well going to check out a boat this week its a 2003 Cobalt 262 with a 8.1 i believe thats 375hp if I'm right, seller tell me it has 600 hours its mated to a Bravo 3. Do you think this is to many hours? i know the motor can be scaned. My average boating is about 25-30 hours a year. Yes if i proceed with anything i will get a survey. Any opinions good or bad i would like to here them.

Thanks

Mark

I dont think so. I had a friend here in Seattle that had a 263 with the 496, finally sold it with 1000 hours on the motor. Boat still went over 60 all day long, pretty sure 950 of those hours were above 4800 RPM, he WAS NOT nice to that boat. Good luck.

In more of a runabout/cruiser boat I wouldn’t be overly concerned with 600hrs. If that year of the motor is smartcraft capable I’d get it scanned to learn about what kind of rpms it was run at most. If it’s been cared for and not beat at 25-30hrs a year I’d bet you could get another 10yrs worth of hours on it. IMO the overal condition of a boat or anything for that matter tells a lot about how it’s been cared for.

First a Cobalt is one of the best. We have a 2000 226 7.4mpi and bravo 3. The boat quality is over the top. The boat is 18!years old and I have not tightened one screw or bolt. Regarding the hours on the engine. I personally would have a mechanic do a leak down and good going over. A scan is a must. I’ve been told that engine hours are just a number if the engine has been properly maintained. I tend to believe that. Wish you all the best and if the deal go thru welcome to the Cobalt cult

3pointstar

605hrs on my 2004 HO and still going strong.

Just my own personal experience is they pop at 200-300 hrs or they run forever.

Chris

My buddy has an 04 Formula 330 SS with over 900 hrs on his. No tangible issues

for the most part like any other marine engine, how well was it maintained and that means on time maintenance, proper winterizations, proper fuel system maintenance and proper cooling. One bad over overheat and longevity is shot.

With that said and with my experience they can have some issues here and there regardless. Gen 1 intake manifold gaskets. gen 1 ignition coils, air actuators, heat exchanger can develop leaks and in more places than one. Rich engine idle, Scared water pump housing, IAC issues but thats more so from the huge lack of maintenance. Spark plug wires need to be check especially the boots. Water pressure sensor can be a problem, exhaust manifold temp sensor can be a problem. The PCM (496 apps) can have a higher rate of failure than other black side production apps. Some of those failures are caused by maintenance issues, voltage issues and so on. Cool fuel Gen 3 issues can be common. fuel injectors need to be flow tested and clean more so (496 apps ) especially if it has the Gen 3 cool fuel.