Looking for some imfo on the B200 red block

[bababoom]

Hi all bit of a newbie so hope ive posted this in the right section.
I have a B200 red block fitted in a boat i have from i think around 1981.

The engine is dead seized up so im looking for a replacement if anyone has one?
I have been looking on ebay and theres a couple of there all fuel injected.
My engine is carb fed so im guess the blocks are all the same and how much work is involved in getting a FI engine running on my original carb set up?



Cheers all Steve

[Laird Scooby]

Welcome aboard Steve! The good news is the blocks on B200/B230 engines are all the same so from that respect any Red Block engine is going to be more or less a "spanner job" to swap.

If you're going to the trouble of dropping in a replacement engine, you might like to consider a B230 as it will give you a lot more torque than the B200.

As for the fuel injection, if it's electronic injection (L-Jet, LH2.x Jetronic) then it would be a lot of work adding the fuel ECU and the loom.

If it's the mechanical injection (K-Jetronic) then it's pretty much stand-alone although you may need to uprate the fuel pump to a higher pressure/flow unit.

However, you can retro-fit a carb to an engine that was previously fuel injected. Unbolt the inlet manifold from your existing engine and fit it on the new engine. If you're going for the higher capacity, this will still give you more torque and a bit more power.

The choice is yours really! Make sure when you fit the replacement engine, any marinisation measures that have been fitted to the old engine are transferred to the new one.

Hope that's useful for you!

[bababoom]

That's just what I wanted to here.
Don't really want the hassle of fitting fi.
And wasn't sure on the eletrics side of it.
Is the 230 lump a bigger cc engine?
If it is I would expect the carb would need to be re jeted to run right.

[Paul240480]

The 230 will be 2.3Ltr as opposed to your 200 which is 2Ltr

[bob12]

I am not surprised the engine is seized! Unless the original engine, which I assume to be a car engine from what you don't say, was extensively modified for marine use you are totally wasting your time seeking another ex a car.

Just think what happens to the oil when the 'boat' pitches and rolls in the water! I have quite a bit of experience in mega marine engine, and also put-put Peters engines.

Get a 'used' Volvo Penta engine if you really need a replacement.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by bob12

I am not surprised the engine is seized! Unless the original engine, which I assume to be a car engine from what you don't say, was extensively modified for marine use you are totally wasting your time seeking another ex a car.

Just think what happens to the oil when the 'boat' pitches and rolls in the water! I have quite a bit of experience in mega marine engine, and also put-put Peters engines.

Get a 'used' Volvo Penta engine if you really need a replacement.

Some of the Volvo Penta engines carried the same designation Bob so although marinised they were pretty much the same engine.
Been a long time since i played with marinised car engines in watercraft, last one was a split hull dredger with twin Volvo-Pentas in Southampton Water. The limit switches had failed so the hydraulics continued to open the boat up and it looked like a castrated catamaran! In doing so it had pinched the control cables from cabin to engines causing major fuse-blowing and a small pyrotechnic display/fire.

Got it all fixed with new cables, fuses etc and the engines even started first time.

[aardvarkash10]

Originally Posted by bob12

Just think what happens to the oil when the 'boat' pitches and rolls in the water! I have quite a bit of experience in mega marine engine, and also put-put Peters engines.

aaaah, about the same as when a car goes into a tight, fast corner.

I'm not sure what you mean by extensive modification, but a long series of highly successful recreational craft here in NZ have been built around relocated car engines - hamilton jet drives especially that I have been involved with, with anything from an 1800cc Nissan to a 7l Chev, by way of 3l Ford V6 and Holden 6 and 8 cylinder units. Carbed, FI, super- and turbo charged and in some cases, both (there is often no alternative to horsepower!)

In terms of the core engine (block, head and associated components) little or nothing is required for a basic, lower stress application. Cooling, fueling, spark and electrical moreso obviously...

Large commercial or military marine engines are for sure different for excellent reasons.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by aardvarkash10

aaaah, about the same as when a car goes into a tight, fast corner.

I'm not sure what you mean by extensive modification

At one point in time it was fairly common (from what i've seen anyway) to dry-sump and snorkel the engine to maintain oil pressure in choppy waters and for various mods to the electrical system to minimise electrolytic corrosion according to the beliefs around at the time.

Most of these were from a time when +ve earth cars were also common so there's a fair chance a lot of them have been superseded by baffled sumps and alternators with built-in rectifiers/regulators.

That's what i've seen on small boats, not seen many larger boats although i've been on many ships, generally i didn't get the chance to go into the engine rooms and if i did it was either in passing or for a specific fault and no time for "sight-seeing" before the ship had to sail. Talk about working to a deadline!

[aardvarkash10]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

At one point in time it was fairly common (from what i've seen anyway) to dry-sump and snorkel the engine to maintain oil pressure in choppy waters and for various mods to the electrical system to minimise electrolytic corrosion according to the beliefs around at the time.

yup - thats the length and strength of it Dave. Dry sumping is a necessary for performance jet boats, not so much for recreational stuff. And by performance, I mean this

[Prufrock]

If anyone is seeking a little extra power from either a 2.0 litre or 2.3 litre carburetored engine I have a pair (on a manifold - came off a B230). I was going to use them on my 245DL but that car is still not on the road.

Jon.