2002 Mercruiser 4.3 MPI

[BobConner]

I am looking at a 2002 Lund Tyee 1950 that is equipped with a 4.3MPI 220hp inboard. It also has a 15 horse 4-stroke Yamaha kicker. Boat is in cherry condition. I have never owen an inboard and wonder what everyone's thought on these motors is. I have owned numerous outboards and know they are easy to maintain, but I am wondering about the inboard. anything special I would have to do. I hear good things about them but have concerns about needing to drain the water all the time? Please let me know your comments. Boat will be used in Colorado.

[PJM]

Bob Conner

The 4.3 motor is bullet proof and has been used for a long time. I/O require more maintenance as far as winterizing but other then that it's like you car engine. Also have the bellows checked on the motor to see if there are any holes in it...........

[perchjerker]

I had one on my last boat. A great motor. I did not have a Merc, I had the Volvo Penta but it had the same engine

You can add a quick drain type system on the motor so you can drain it of water in a few minutes.

Thats what I did.

kits are available for this

[Lundexp]

The last lund I had was a 18ft tyee with the 4.3L merc. It did require slightly more maintenance but is basically like the car engines. It ran good, smooth and had alot of power and was fast. The real drawbacks are that it makes the rear so much heavier it's hard to get up on plane at low speeds and maintain the plane without gunning it. The inboard also is a space hog in the rear it's hard to fish with more than 2 people in it with gear and still move around. The ride also was horrible in the chops where my explorer would just sail across. It was my first inboard and I will never get one again on a fishing boat they are better suited for pleasure boats where space isn't that big of a issue. While the engines are great and fast, it just took up too much space for me while fishing. Needless to say, that boat only lasted one season and I got my explorer the year after and never looked back.

[perchjerker]

its all in how they are laid out. My Sportfish had nearly as much room as the outboard version, and with no splashwell I could sit tight on top of the motor on a pedetal seat if i wanted

Gotta agree with you on the weight issue. But if its propped right it works just fine.

I had mine for 8 years and loved it

[Dacotah Eye]

its all in how they are laid out. My Sportfish had nearly as much room as the outboard version, and with no splashwell I could sit tight on top of the motor on a pedetal seat if i wanted

Gotta agree with you on the weight issue. But if its propped right it works just fine.

I had mine for 8 years and loved itI ran a 4.3 liter Mercruiser for thirteen years and it was trouble free. The reason that I went back to an outboard was that I retired and wanted to have the option of fishing later in the fall and earlier in the spring. My wife is still teed off at me. She liked the security of having more freeboard at the stern.

[BobConner]

OK I am going to look at this boat again. What should I look for on the engine? Any specifics when looking this over before deciding to purchase?????

[Lundexp]

I may have been hasty with my last post. My boat was a 87 and the front was real light where the real problem lied. I know the newer tyees are built better so it should hold up better. First off, get in the boat and walk around and see if the layout and space fits you, even with the added gear it would hold. Evaluate it as you would any other boat. The 4.3 is a great engine easy to use, just took up too much space for me but may work great for you. Miss the speed it had though. Look the engine over as you would any car engine, it is basically the same as the GM 4.3L.

[Lundexp]

Did you look at it again, what did you decide?

[bigtimber1972]

An '02 Merc. 4.3 has 5 pit****s for quick draining of the block and manifolds. This is from the factory. I have one. They are easy to get to. They have blue winged screws, two on each side and one in front.

[af4sos]

Bought an '02 lund 1950 w/ a 305 in '07 and it works great, the motor had the quick drain on it when I bought it, seems to work fine. I had it out 2 weeks ago with 33 deg. water and didn't even hesitate about it. I like the 2 extra jump seats in the back, and we seem to have enough room. I also like the transom set up because you don't get any waves over it and when the fishing is slow the kids use it for a diving platform. I do think the ride is a little rough and it is a little slow to get up on plain like someone else said.

I would buy another one and plan on keeping this one for quite awhile.

Winterizing is a kinda a pain, I really don't like changing the oil, I have a suction hand pump that screws into the dip stick tube and drains into a 5 gal bucket, what a mess. Wish there were an easier way and I'm sure there is.

The motor has plenty of power and when I'm at full speed I can hear what the person next to me is saying. I suppose the O/B 4 strokes are like this though.

[yarcraft91]

A comment on draining the oil.

My first boat was a stern drive and I thought oil changes were a real nuisance. Apparently, so did the previous owner, because the bilge was coated in dirty oil.

I found a system with a valve that replaced the oil drain plug and a rubber hose that could be run out through the transom drain plug hole into a pan. Oil changes were much easier and cleaner after that. Since that was over 20 years ago, I can't help with part numbers.

Drain petc0cks on block and exhaust manifold made it simple to deal with early spring/late fall fishing trips.

[perchjerker]

get rid of that pump and bucket.

I used a Topsider vaccum pump, everything is self contained and there is no mess. They also have similar electric oil change systems that work the same.

No mess with that.