I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

[kjempe]

Okay, I've got a 1990 Evinrude V4 90hp VRO. The motor head was re-built about 5 years ago and the lower unit was rebuilt 3 years ago. Lot of money was spent on the motor, some by me, some by the other owner. Right now it needs a new starter. Here's the problem.

I had a repair guy come over the other day and run a compression test on it and all cylinders are running even but at a very low "50". He said it wasn't worth spending the money on a new starter so I paid him for his test and now here I sit wondering what to do. Some options I was thinking:

1. buy a used starter cheap on ebay, put it in myself, and use the motor until it dies. BUT... when should I expect the motor to die? Even with the low 50 to does start up when I gently tap the starter.

2. put in the cheap starter (or not) and sell it as is. I have no idea what I should sell it for

3. take it apart and sell the good parts on ebay or iboat.

Any advice would be great!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

take the starter to a starter/alternator shop, get cost to rebuild starter. then i would check compression myself. i do not think it would run, or be easy to start with only 50# of compression, also it is very rare for all 4 to be that low, and even. if it is 50# sell it, but be honest that it has low compression. you will get a lot more out of it, disassembled, selling individual parts.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

Did the guy check compression with all the plugs out,carbs open to full throttle and the engine warm.
I think his gauge is off for all of them to read that low.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

Sounds like a bad tester, to me. As TD said, it'd take a miracle for all four cylinders to wear evenly like that.

Was the repair guy turning the engine over with your bad starter? Roping it?

 

[JB]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

Not only do I think the compression test was wrong, I doubt that you need a new starter.

Please tell us how it was determined that the starter is bad and how the devil a compression test was run with a bad starter.

Also, you need to read this: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=250879

 

[Dhadley]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

Hold on -- if it "needs a starter" how'd he do an accurate compression test? Did he install a good staer and do the test, then remove it?

 

[borz170]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

From my experience, starters son't usually go bad to the point where you can't clean them and rebuild them. I have seen the magnets on the inside crack, but otherwise, I have taken starters apart, cleaned them successfully. I used carb cleaner to get all of the gum/dirt out, then, greased them with bearing grease (just a coat on the magnet/inside housing, spring housing, and a little on the starter guts (for a lack of better terms), then put them back together. I oiled the outside moving parts with 10 W 30 and made sure everything moved smoothly. This worked out fine for me for many years. Just don't pack the inside with grease, coat it to keep it spinning freely and corrosion inhibited.

I have taken light oil and sprayed it on squeeky or stuck starters(that could be moved by hand, just not with the ign) and had them run fine all season.

What are the symptoms of your starter?

 

[kjempe]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

First off, thank you to all who gave advice, this story ends well. Yes, the starter was bad but I found one on ebay that was used off another Evinrude. After buying the 600 page manual on CD in pdf format, I put it in myself and it starts the boat up great. I then went to Autozone and bought a compression tester and Seafoam and Deep Creep. I followed the instructions from this website to decarb and ran a compression test. I?m running 110-112 on all four cylinders. The more I thing about it I think that mechanic just wanted to try to sell me a new motor.

Lesson to everyone one out there ? own a manual for your motor, research with this website, do it yourself and save thousands.

I?m going fishing!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

Yup, sometimes the tech at the dealer will try to sell you a new outboard, instead of fixing yours. If that happens, find another dealer for your service needs.

I needed a couple of parts for my 1958 35hp Johnson, a prop cone (they call it a nut, even though it doesn't screw onto anything) and a crankshaft key for the flywheel, which I was about to remove. The guy at the first dealer told me those parts were no longer available (they are) and tried to sell me a new outboard. Now, there was no way I was in the market for a new outboard, so he was wasting his time.

So, I drove 15 miles up the road to another dealer. This time, the parts guy knew my engine model, and didn't even have to look up the parts numbers. He just went back and pulled the parts for me, and suggested that I get a couple of drive pins, too, just in case. He told me the correct torque for the flywheel nut, and finished by saying, "Those big twins are sure sweet old outboards."

Now, anyone asks me where to go to get a boat or motor, I tell them about the fine treatment at the second place and the lousy treatment at the first one.

Or, I did. The first dealer just folded up a month ago. I can't imagine why.

 

[nguoi_viet41]

Re: I don't know what to do with my motor! Help!

I then went to Autozone and bought a compression tester and Seafoam and Deep Creep. I followed the instructions from this website to decarb and ran a compression test. I?m running 110-112 on all four cylinders. The more I thing about it I think that mechanic just wanted to try to sell me a new motor.

Lesson to everyone one out there ? own a manual for your motor, research with this website, do it yourself and save thousands.

I?m going fishing!

may be Decarb using Seafoam it fix the compression low ???
did you test compression B4 Decarb and after Decarb?

anyway