New 500 EFIs being built by Potter Performance
#1
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sarasota FL
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I'm very excited to be having Ron Potter at Potter Performance building me a set of 500 EFI motors for my Fountain. Ron is great at documenting everything to do with his builds with pictures and videos so I thought I would put together a build thread as we go. First my boat is a 1996 32' Fountain Fever with a single step hull. When the motors were running right the boat ran a consistent 74 MPH. We just pull a set of 502 415 HP motors out of the boat.The motors had loss of power and a exhaust leak. When we first talked about this project we thought we were only going to put a set of stainless marine manifolds on and keep on keeping on. My motors had roughly 400 hours on them so I thought they were still in good shape.I took the boat to Potter and Ron was going to do compression test and a couple other test on them see what kind of shape the motors were really in. Couple hours later I got a call both motors had water on the cylinders and all threw the top half. At that point we decided to pull them out and take off the intake manifold and pull the heads to see how bad things really were. The exhaust ports on the heads were eat up so bad they were no longer rectangular. The intake's almost had a huge hole eat into both of them. Each motor still has water laying right on top of the piston's. The valves over each one of the cylinders that still had water laying on them was so rusty the rust was flaking off just by touching it. Short of the long my motors were junk!!! I'm going to put the pictures up that Ron took for me on what we found when he tore into the motors in a little bit. I like to follow some of the build threads so I thought I would try one my self just to see if I can make interesting as some of you guys can.
#3
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sarasota FL
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Once we pulled the motors out the fun began. I had to clean the bilge. Boy was it[ATTACH=CONFIG]516491[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]516492[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]516493[/ATTACH] nasty. I'll put a few pictures up of what that looked like too.
#4
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sarasota FL
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
After about 5 days of scrubbing and scraping and whole lot of busted knuckles this is what the bilge[ATTACH=CONFIG]516494[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]516495[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]516496[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]516497[/ATTACH] looks like right now. Much better.
#5
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sarasota FL
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I still have a ways to go before the bilge is satisfactory but we will get there.I have pictures of what we found when we pulled the intake's and heads off the motors. I will post those next as soon as I can get them out of my email.Check out Ron's web site. The guy is a genius with performance boats and marine engines.I was just reading the motors he builds under engines.This guy get's 1320 HP out of a marine engine on 93 octane pump gas. Check it out. http://www.potterperformance.com/ENGINES.html
#6
Registered
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Good luck with the project! Your boat should be in the ninties by the time you dial it in. I just dropped a set in my 29 last spring but was missing 2 cylinders for some reason. I actually took it to Real Fast Marine Reggie III to get them running right and get me dialed in Cant wait for spring![ATTACH=CONFIG]516499[/ATTACH] By the way thinkin about putting a set of prochargers on them but waiting to see where I am at when they are running right.
#8
Platinum Member
![](https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/images/icons/platinum_member_star.gif)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Lake St. Clair
Posts: 1,935
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
looks much better.. you may want to take a look at the condition of the port side stringer forward of your outer motor mount, that stain looks like wood rot
#9
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sarasota FL
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
You should call Ron and talk to him about what your thinking. I was raised as a third generation commercial fisherman and have been running and around boats since I was a baby for the most part. Ron is one of the most noligable people I have ever talked to about boats in general. Then motors? Man this cat is a step above anyone I have ever talked to about motors. Go to his website and check it out and you will see what I mean. He does all of his own machine work right on site. I really wanted a set of whippel motors but just could afford them this time around. I'm going to keep this thread going with pictures and video of the dyno tuning. I think you will get the idea.
#10
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sarasota FL
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
![Default](/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
The red mark you mean? Hopefully that's the one you see. If so that's were the battery box was bolted threw the stringer and it bled off the washer side. Not sure why they bolted those threw like that anyhow. The way they were bolted down they weren't moving even with out the threw bolt. Let me know if that's what you see please.