Looking to buy 92-99 400 Express could you get the 415hp 502 cu in from factory?

1

1ragtopcudanut

New Member
Jan 8, 2015
8
Lake Ozarks Mo.
Boat Info
1996 Formula 382 SR1
Engines
Teague 598cu in 700HP
Hi all ,
I'm new to this forum but have been doing a lot of reading on here in the past month and there is some great info here. I'm in the market for a Freshwater 92-99 400 express cruiser and I've come across a couple that claim to have the 415hp 502 cu in engines in them and I'm wondering if these people are miss informed or was this an option on these boats. One is a 1992 and one is a 1995..If these have 415hp wouldn't this be a huge performance gain over the 315hp 454 cu in..My next question , I've found 2 boats that I really like in my price range ( under $70,000 ) both are winterized and in the water but neither has any type of dock de-icer under them,should this be a concern? Any other info on what to look for or look out for would be greatly appreciated..
Thanks, Kevin
 
According to my "books", no, it was not officially offered. But that doesn't mean that a special order wasn't done. At this point, though, whether it was done at the factory or as a replacement is a moot point. Ask the sellers for verification - such as an engine serial number and check it online.
 
DO OVER..Yes that is the 92 I was referring to and he says these are factory engines which leads me to believe that he may be mistaken plus I think the black dash really makes these boats look much older..That's not the 95 that has the 502 but I did look at that boat but had some concerns when the broker took me to look at it last week and it was sitting in the dock uncovered, that made me question how the boat has been maintained plus the ugly teal interior..The other 95 with the 502 is listed with Marine Max and the salesman said they are original and they are Multi Port injected, I haven't seen this boat yet but find the MPI hard to believe
 
1ragtopcudanut said:
DO OVER..Yes that is the 92 I was referring to and he says these are factory engines which leads me to believe that he may be mistaken plus I think the black dash really makes these boats look much older..That's not the 95 that has the 502 but I did look at that boat but had some concerns when the broker took me to look at it last week and it was sitting in the dock uncovered, that made me question how the boat has been maintained plus the ugly teal interior..The other 95 with the 502 is listed with Marine Max and the salesman said they are original and they are Multi Port injected, I haven't seen this boat yet but find the MPI hard to believe
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Ive dealt with MarineMax at the lake in the past......good folks....Paul Shifferdecker specifically.
 
The 502's were an option depending upon which your your are considering. I had a 502 version in the slip next to me for a couple of years.

The 400EC is a great handling fairly narrow beam boat and that makes them quick with standard power. 502's are overkill and burn significantly more fuel. In boats this size and type, you don't run them at speeds where the difference between a 454 and a 502 makes any useful difference. Avoid the 502's if the 7.4 powered boat are nicer and better maintained.
 
Everything Frank said (as if he needs backup).
Several years ago my slip neighbor had a '92 400 with the 502's. all OEM, and always running on empty
 
my3sons said:
Everything Frank said (as if he needs backup).
Several years ago my slip neighbor had a '92 400 with the 502's. all OEM, and always running on empty
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Just looked at the "books" again... guess which book am I missing, that I didn't notice before? Yup - '92. I should of mentioned above that there are sometimes changes made throughout a model year that aren't represented in the books... and of course, sometimes info can be wrong. From '93 up, though, it's not officially mentioned in the books. But, again, there not all inclusive - usually pretty darn close, but not perfect.

Either way, Kevin, just make sure you do your due diligence in getting the boat surveyed. Whether it was in there from the factory, or not, is of little consequence - with a 16-23 year old boat (especially a gasser) it's not unheard of for engines to have been replaced - which is not a problem - just get them checked out.
 
As you can see I have a 1996 400EC with the 7.4L engine with fuel injection. I really like this boat for some of the reasons that Frank has mentioned. When I travel with my friend who has a 2008 380SD I walk away from him at the same RPM's. I usually run my boat at a lower RPM so we sort of stay together. Handling is a dream. I think it is a really good boat. But that is just me.

Ok now the one link advertises the boat with Velvet Drives. I thought that due to the design of the boat that they are straight drives. I could be wrong so Frank or Dennis or someone with that year boat please chime in.
 
What year did they start the Fuel Injection ? I looked at a 95 that the dealer assured me was FI and I checked and it was carbureted..
 
Joe, "Velvet" is actually a company and they produce both straight transmissions and transmissions in a V-Drive configuration.

Cuda - I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe it was probably in the late 90's, maybe '98. BUT, keep in mind that fuel injection could have been added by an owner somewhere along the lines. So if you come across an earlier one that DOES have it (although, as you said, it seems as this one doesn't), they 'might' be correct.

Cuda - forgot to add... and again, I'm not positive on this, but it COULD be that the earlier (pre-'98) engines were using THROTTLE BODY INJECTION (TBI). Are you familiar with type of injection?
 
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1ragtopcudanut said:
What year did they start the Fuel Injection ? I looked at a 95 that the dealer assured me was FI and I checked and it was carbureted..
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Generally '96 seemed like the change over year, but you would have to date the engines, not the boat to know. Almost all '95's (the boats) had carbs, '96 had both, almost all '97's had FI.
I'm sure manufacturers have some crossover due to inventory and model year designation.
Example, my '95 330 had carbureted 7.4"s that rolled out of the engne plant in '95. My current boat has engines that were built in 2003, even though my hull carries a 2004 name plate. It was built in later '03.
keep in mind the literature isn't always correct either. I've lost count of all the people who have said to me that my boat can't be an '04 because '04 was the year of the 420 DB. (sea ray doesn't show a 400 in the '04 lineup) What they don't realize is that '04 was the model year change over ----they made both.
 
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I've got a freshwater, one owner, shed kept, Cummins powered 400EC for sale. Beyond clean. Check McDanielyacht.
 
Big Cam - I think I know that boat. Good boat.

Dennis - Thanks for the info. My father in law's boat is a 1995 and it's carb. Mine 1996 and I think it is the TBI.
 
Velvet Drive is a brand name that was owned by Borg Warner during the period in question. As Dennis says, they produced both straight inboard and v-drive transmissions.
 
Searaybio270 said:
Dennis - Thanks for the info. My father in law's boat is a 1995 and it's carb. Mine 1996 and I think it is the TBI.
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TBI vs MPI... that's what I'm thinking 'might' be the confusion between Cuda and the seller, but of course he can answer that for sure. With MPI (which I believe is what started being used on the engines in that boat in the '98-ish era) you'll have an injector at each cylinder. With TBI you'll have injectors sitting atop the throttle body only - nothing at the cylinders. But you won't see them unless you remove the flame arrestor (the 'air filter' - although it is not an air filter). We sometimes refer to TBI as a 'glorified carb', but it's a good, simple system.
 
Thanks for the info .. I do know the differences between MPI TBI and carbureted. The 95 I looked at was definitely carbureted, so far that is the newest boat that I've looked at. I'm certainly not opposed to the carburetor just think that someone that is selling your boat for you should know these things when trying to sell a boat and if they don't know simply so I'm not sure..The more I look at these boats the more my wife and I are really starting to like them..

BIGCAM- Can you send me some info ( salt or fresh,hours,options ect. ) and a price on your boat Thanks, Kevin
 
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