Hrs before rings

**FMP** · 03-03-2015, 12:52 PM

Merc V6 250-350+ hp.
So the block is bored and finished to beautiful site, the rings are fit , all is the way it should be. It's fed the right oil with the right gas. With typical high rpm use how many hrs till it needs rings. I was told by 200hr the snap is gone. All things good no heat issues, or what ever.

Yamaha on the other hand.....

**tux974** · 03-03-2015, 01:58 PM

250-350+

....You need some more info as to what exactly that beauty is before you can be giving proper or any info would be my guess!
Yamaha on the other hand..... I'm liking this guy......

Hope you have a knowledgeable shop doing the work for you.....

**patchesII** · 03-03-2015, 07:43 PM

With high rpm you'll never see 200 hrs. That's on the extreme high end for a recreational motor that spends quite a bit of time at lower rpm and idling. To give you the other extreme, I pull my motor apart after about 4-5 hrs and replace the rings. Those are the extremes. Like Tux said, you'll have to give more info to see where you fall in the middle

**capteliminator** · 03-03-2015, 08:30 PM

I have a 260 I built with fresh nic and new gold rings. I spent about 8 hours going somewhat easy on it. I have 18 hour on it now. I hope it goes 150 hours before rebuild but I will leak it down at 100 hour mark. lots of cruising rpm's with about 8k max rpm.

**Stoker1** · 03-03-2015, 08:37 PM

my first thought was 'troll'

Show some pics of this monster please.

**PARKER RABE** · 03-03-2015, 08:48 PM

I never made it past 60

**eli** · 03-03-2015, 11:20 PM

farthest I ever went was 117 hours on set of rings it was like turning a light switch off
i did leakdown at 75 hr and again at 100 compared notes and knew the end was near .

**Flatlander** · 03-04-2015, 07:56 AM

What are you guys using for hour meters?

**LOSTINJ** · 03-04-2015, 08:37 AM

are we talking about a 2.5 or a 3 litre ? What is max rpm ?

**tux974** · 03-04-2015, 09:14 AM

Hour meters are good to follow time but it will only give you a hint/notice to check further....leak down tells the better story.

**Flatlander** · 03-04-2015, 09:56 AM

From my experience with a 260 that doesn't get run real hard.... a lot of cruising and short blasts at 7500 (small lakes) will last roughly 100-150 hours. I am in the process of rebuilding it right now because the leak down was approaching 9% on a couple of cylinders. The rings were worn, but not terribly bad, the cylinders were still in excellent shape. I am estimating the time because I don't have an hour meter.

**gary slagle** · 03-04-2015, 06:16 PM

45 hours on my last re nic- build & counting.... s l o w l y !!! put a $35.motominder digital hour meter on the powerhead at re build almost 5 years ago, so i know how much use it gets (not very much lol)when gold-tin plated rings wear they get sharp & can peal the nic. off the cylinders.i don't run too hard , hoping to get 150 hours ,at the rate i use this rig it will be several more years till re ringing is needed if all goes well.