V6 Mercury rod bearings

[nelson edens]

What is the difference in PRO Marine 514 and 514R. Both are metal caged bearings.

The 514 is $15.86 and the 514R is $35.93.

Which one would you use in 8500 rpm and below?

thanks, Nelson

[Fisher77]

The 514R says hi performance. Best thing would be to call Will, or Ricky. They can answer your question about them.

[outasite]

Nelson,not sure about this but I bought the Rs for my 280.They were exactly the same as the stock Merc ones,color,cage,ect. Leading me to think that they mite be reboxed Merc OE Hi perf ones. Just a guess though. I think the pro 514 is a good quality aftermarket,I have never had an issue with the 514 and would like to hear if guys are turning them big numbers!!!

[nelson edens]

Pro Marine references the same OEM part numbers for both. I have always used the 514R in Hi RPM (9000+) motors. I just wondered if they were the same.

[outasite]

I have bought some hi perf gaskets from Pro that had Merc stickers,and were then put in a Pro Marine bag.Pro also has there gasket for the same app,at a little over half the price of the Merc ones.I would bet there are a lot of 514 bearings out there that regularly see over 9K---Lets if anyone will own up to doing it!!

[rjdubiel]

Wondering if this ever got an answer on the ProMarine 514 and 514R? Prices are up! 514 - $27.30 and 514R - $62.58. I am getting parts ready for my 280 and was going to just reuse my lower connecting rod bearings but new wouldn't be a bad idea as I don't plan to take it apart for the next 100 hours!

[nelson edens]

I think the only difference is the R's will make your wallet lighter.

I have used the 514's in several motors that turned 10,000+ and never had a bearing failure. JMHO

[rjdubiel]

I think the only difference is the R's will make your wallet lighter.

I have used the 514's in several motors that turned 10,000+ and never had a bearing failure. JMHO

Thank you. From the looks of it I have standard 514's in my 280 as they have the radius on the bearing cage unlike the 514R that has more of an edge on the outer cage.

[25two.stroke]

They are a different bearing and mercury made them different too. The 280 had one originally that looked like the 514R that had a more square edge, and the 260s had one more rounded. Merc still lists two different part numbers for the bearings just like pro marine has the R and not. However, they are the exact same dimensions and people use both to 10,000 with success. SO...two different bearings, one more than two times the price of the other but they are all interchangeable. Chris Carson explained it to me why merc had to make a new part number for essentially the same part, but I have no idea why Pro Marine would.

[Chaz]

The cheaper one is their house brand. The more expensive bearing is from the mother ship. I'm not their purchasing agent, but my moneys on they both buy from the same vendor ..
And yes, Pro is a Mercury dealer.