2.5 Efi 260 Vs 280

[WILLIAM101]

I Have A 2.5 Efi 260 And Would Like To Know When A 280 Is Talked About, What Exactly Is The 280 Engine. (what Is The Difference Between The Two?) Thanks Mike

[The Big Al]

Well this is all I know

Lower RPM, Motorola electronics, 7800 in stk form.

More of a Consumer outboard than a Race outboard.

They say take 260 electrics and install on 280 and you have something.

[scfireman]

The only difference I know of is the 280 obviously is rated with more Hp from the factory( In reality I dont know how much more if any that is makes over a 260) and it has a alternator installed on it from Merc. I think( and may be wrong) the porting is different between the two.

[YELLOWSS]

i don't know all the diffrences either, but here are the main ones i know.
different electronics, charging system, different ports.
the 260 idles smoother for long periods of time, but a pcu can change that.
not sure about the cylinders nic or steel. 260 r nic. 280 not sure

roy

[The Big Al]

Both engines are NIC bores.

Al

[Little Jon]

Horse power, electrics, one has a generator :P (280) Some people turned the 280 into a 280 with 260 Electronics for an extra 2 mph gain.. (I think) OF course both will need to be Top pinned for a longer life Something tells me that you need to charge the battery of the 280 everytime or every other time you go out. 260 every once and a while.. i would say maybe every 4th time.. ( Depending on idle zones ) That's my 2 cents..

[Prof. O/B]

The 260 HP has more advanced port-timing than does the 280. The real power from the 280 comes from a far-more improved exhaust cavity than the 260 had. The 280 is a dandy little engine, good bottom-end torque because of the lower port timing, which also by the way increases the duration of the power-stroke. The increase in the duration of the power stroke is also helpful in turning larger wheels on top-end, provided it is in the parameters in which the motor was designed to run.........Prof. O/B

[1BadAction]

charge the battery of a stock 280? never. the alternator is 60 amps.

as far as "electrics" (its not the electrics, its the fuel curve) they are newer style, way more advanced, alot less crap to break, more reliable, and good for 8500 with the limiter removed and a big wheel. if you can turn a 32 on your boat at 8500rpm and want more, then by all means switch them out, if not, its not worth the headache.

[Techno]

I thought the 280 switch boxes couldn't keep up at higher rpms, the reason for 'switching out the electronics'
True or false?

[1BadAction]

the 280 doesn't have switchboxes. the ECU controls when and how long the coils fire.

the Motorola ECU goes rich above 8200 acting like a soft rev limiter (opposed to the "hard" limiter it has stock), its locked from mercury and not modifiable. the fuel curve issue is why someone drag racing can spin a small prop 9400, but the big props wont swing past 82-8500. therefore people with modded motors switch out the ecu and electronics with stuff from a drag or 260 so they can tune the fuel curve. PM Tony Brucato, he'll tell you all you want to know about these engine systems.

[bigbore]

i've been told,i was told the low to mid 90's it was definitly better to work with the 260's,the newer 280's were better though.

[carhartt981]

the blocks are completely different between the 280 and the 260

[Chummy]

the later 280's had top pinned pistons and the rubbercoated 5 petal reed setup. The electronics were the same from the beginning to the end.

[bahamatrama]

I have heard that the early 280 ECUs can be changed, (total fuel curve not just the offset) but the later one could not. I am not sure when the change was.

[WillySteve]

Well, it's been long enough now that someone should know the diff for sure!!!