Over the years, Keith Eickert Performance Products has seen marine engines improve an astonishing amount.

Given the metallurgy used in today's blocks, the way the cylinders are micro-finished, a gasoline V-8 that has been on a dynamometer doesn't even need a break-in period.

Still, when any engine is abused, probably sooner than later the owner will find himself mumbling to that hunk of expensive iron, the instrument panel, the boat or a cockpit full of guests, as he gets ready to pull out his wallet.

Look at it from an engine builder's point of view.

• As a practical matter, a gasoline engine has to operate reliably on 87-octane gasoline; we can't build a 92-octane engine as a practical matter.
• To do this, we run less spark advance and less compression, and we compromise on horsepower and performance to protect the customer. We don't want anyone coming back with a problem.
• Our best advice is that an engine will take care of you, like you take care of it.
• But if you break it, that's your privilege. You paid for it!

TIGHTEN THAT BELT

There's probably nothing worse in the world than being miles offshore and having a V-belt break.

1: you probably don't have a spare on board.

2: if you do, you might not have the tools to install it.

Regularly eyeball both sides of the belts for fraying and breaks and shiny running surfaces which indicate looseness and slipping.

Make sure your pulleys are in good shape. Rusty pulleys eat up belts.

Take off the belt and clean the pulley.

Maybe take the pulley off and have it powder-coated, or consider purchasing an aluminum pulley that can't rust.

TAKE EXHAUSTIVE LOOKS

Most people know to check their exhaust system for external leaks by eyeballing the risers and elbows. This type of leak can discharge dangerous exhaust gases into the engine compartment or cockpit.

Danger of a different kind is water that has worked its way past the riser into the cylinder bores, which virtually guarantees catastrophic engine failure.

Under most circumstances, water in the combustion chamber will break or bend a connecting rod or crankshaft.

• One of the things you can do to help yourself in that area is to bump the starter over a complete revolution before the engine starts.
• If you've got water in the cylinders, the crank isn't going to turn it over just by bumping it with the starter motor."

HELP IT BREATHE

Speed mavens don't much like air filters mounted to the carburetor or engine air induction system. Even the smallest restriction will cause an engine's power output to be less than optimum.

On a powerboat, though, the air filter does more than scrub air. Called a flame arrestor, it's job is to quench a backfire flame.

All motorboat engines except outboards and diesels must have a U.S./CDN Coast Guard-approved flame arrestor attached to the air intake with a flame-tight connection.

• Just like the air filter on your car, the flame arrestor on a boat should be periodically cleaned.
• Many of them are stainless steel and can be removed and washed. Since most engines now have breather hoses running from the valve cover to the arrestor, there's probably not an engine in the world that has some blow-by.
• Eventually the arrestor gets contaminated. It's not as critical as with an automobile because there's no dust to deal with, but the unit needs to be cleaned.

FIND THE RIGHT FILTER

Poor fuel quality is a nightmare, making the fuel filter a focal point for preventative maintenance. Again, water contamination is the problem.

• Most boats have aluminum fuel tanks, and an aluminum tank will develop condensation overnight since air holds moisture.
• Water is not good for a carburetor; a fuel-injection system likes it even less. Standard fuel filters are not designed to remove water, so the best type is a high-flow coalescing fuel filter.
• Typically, a coalescing filter is constructed of three layers. The inner and outer layers act as built-in pre-filters to remove foreign particles. The middle layer is the coalescing section, usually made of tubular micro-glass fibers.
• During operation, fuel is forced through the coalescing media from the inside of the cartridge through the tubular wall to the outside, where the large and more buoyant droplets fall to the bottom of the housing.
• Coalescing separates the water from the fuel. The oily water emulsion accumulates until drained; particles remain trapped on the surface of the fibers.

GET GREAT GAUGES

Healthy cockpit instruments can prevent a repair job.

• A high water-temperature reading can indicate a lack of water supply, a leak in the block or manifold, or inadequate oil supply.
• If oil pressure doesn't come up to normal within a few seconds, you've got an opportunity save the engine by shutting it down. "Make sure that your gauges function properly.
• There are enough quality aftermarket gauges out there today that this should no longer be a problem for anyone.
• If you think a gauge isn't working right, don't let it go until you have a problem.

KEEP INTAKES CLEAN

Everyone pretty much knows the importance of flushing down the cooling system after exposure to saltwater, but most people forget about the internal parts of the engine.

• The minute the engine starts cooling, condensation is created, which leads to rusty cylinder walls. The valve seats and piston rings eventually fail. Rust is the biggest reason that most engines have to be rebuilt.
• The Eickert cure: "It may be a pain in the neck, but take the flame arrestor off and, with the engine running, squirt a little lubricant or fogging oil down the carburetor or throttle body. When you see smoke coming out the exhaust, shut the engine off. This 'fog-down' coats the valves and rings, and keeps the cylinder walls from rusting."

KEEP YOUR COOL

Many supercharged engines are equipped with intercoolers.

The unit should be periodically tested with a leak-down tester to make sure it doesn't have any cracks.

"Our advice is that it should be done no less than every 20 hours. When an intercooler cracks you're in big trouble. That water is going directly into the cylinders."

MAKE GOOD CHANGES

Changing oil is important because oil gets contaminated by fuel or moisture

• Oil in the engine lubrication system performs four functions: sealing, cleaning, cooling and lubricating. "we suggest changing oil every 20 to 30 hours.
• Change the oil when the engine is hot, so that the sludge and metal chips are in suspension and drain out with the oil."

Chemists say that synthetics are normally much stronger than mineral oils because the molecules are locked together in a stronger chemical bond. The advantages include durability and stability at high temperatures.

• We believe in synthetic oil, but don't buy the notion that you need to change to synthetic. The interval depends on how much you use your boat.

And don't forget: When you change your oil, change the oil filter.

DON'T START RUNNING DRY

Cold starts can be very destructive.

As far as we're concerned, a Pre-Luber should be required on any performance engine. It should be standard on any factory engine because dry starts are one of the quickest ways to ruin an engine.

Dry starts can occur in very cold weather, very hot climates, following routine oil changes, after prolonged idle time and even after an engine sits for as little as 30 seconds.

Wear occurs in the first few minutes while the fast-idling engine waits for the oil to get to the bearings and other critical parts."

• A Pre-Luber lubricates and pressurizes the engine with lubricant before cranking. Essentially an electric-driven specialty pump, it bathes surfaces in oil before the engine starts.
• Certain components, notably crankshaft bearings, don't get oiled properly until the engine turns over a few times.
• When the engine is shut off, a Pre-Luber also post-lubricates vital parts for up to about five minutes, which helps to uniformly cool the engine.

WARM IT UP

What's absolutely the most destructive thing you could do to your engine on a typical day?

• Running the boat hard at more than moderate rpm before the oil is heated is the worst. You don't get in your car when it's cold and put the pedal to the floor.
• If your engine spins a bearing, that bearing didn't spin because it was put together wrong. It probably failed because you mistreated the engine when the oil was cold.
• Well-designed performance engines, and most new production marine engines, now have a thermostatically-controlled oiling system. It routes the oil around the oil cooler until the engine reaches operating temperature, heating up the oil more quickly at start-up.
• If your engine doesn't have one installed, an aftermarket system is worth the price.