1974 9.9 Evinrude - Repair or Replace?

[hammersmn]

Sorry if I step on any toes here. I used the search function, and was unable to narrow down any specific recommendations for my situation. <br /><br />How things look from here:<br />I've got a 1974 9.9hp Evinrude (model 10424G). It's in fairly good cosmetic shape, and I bought it attached to a 14 foot Lund last year for super reasonable price. Last summer, I had absolutely NO issues with the motor at all (I'll discount the times I had to pull on it 10-15 times to start - the poor thing is 32 years old).<br /><br />Problem #1:<br />I don't know exactly how to explain this, but I'll give it my best shot. I'm about 30% successful starting this motor in the first 10 tries. Odd thing about the starting sequence is that on the successful tries, the motor turns over VERY easy and fires right up. On the unsuccessful starts, it pulls a lot harder and feels like something is binding/dragging. It will RARELY start for the first time while the prop is under water. I've increase my starting odds by firing it up for 2 seconds on land before I drop it in the water, then it seems to pull right over (about 50% of time).<br /><br />Problem #2: <br />When cruising along at full throttle, for no apparent reason, I'll lose power, almost 60%. There is no rhyme or reason to this - it could happen 10 seconds away from the dock, 10 minutes away from the dock, or 30 minutes away from the dock. It will NOT restart after I've stopped the motor for at least 30 minutes. <br /><br />Problem #3:<br />I have no mechanical ability at all. I've got the service manual, I've read all of the online instruction guides, but my mechanical ability is limited to being able to properly mix 50:1 gas to oil, and nothing beyond that. I wouldn't know a carburator from a hole in the ground.<br /><br />NADA book value for this motor is between $50-80 (I have no other basis to determine if this is correct or not), and I don't want to dump a bunch of money into this if it isn't going to help in the long run.<br /><br />I don't have a clue what my next step is - do I bring it to a REPAIR shop and hopefully resolve my problems with a minimum of cost (less than $100), or do I shelve that idea, and go without a motor (and this fishing season) until I can raise the cash to REPLACE this poor thing?<br /><br />I'm looking for two things:<br />1. A super easy answer (ex "you sure you have the fuel line attached?") OR<br />2. An honest opinion as to whether or not I should REPAIR or REPLACE this poor thing.<br /><br />I appreciate your help in advance. I look forward to seeing your responses.<br /><br />Tracy

 

[OBJ]

Re: 1974 9.9 Evinrude - Repair or Replace?

Welcome Tracy!<br /><br />I'll throw in my $.02 worth and I'm sure some of the other guys will do the same.<br /><br />First....don't be afraid of the engine. The 9.9 is really easy to work on and a great running engine once it's in shape. You've got a good start by having the service manual....which I hope is the OEM manual. I might also add that on the forum main menu is an FAQ section. If you look in there, there is a terrific article about 9.9/15's with a lot of helpful information. It would give you a lot of help and it's easy reading....not a lot of technical jargon.<br /><br />Your problem could be one or more problems and there may be no super easy answer.<br /><br />Your engine needs three things....compression, spark and fuel. Take a compression test...this should be covered in the service manual. Then move on to the spark test....this is covered real good in the FAQ section. Then the fuel system.....which likely is most of your problem. A good carb overhaul wouldn't hurt. <br /><br />Cooling....does the engine ever feel so hot that it would burn you really quick? If so, you may need to change out the water pump impeller.<br /><br />Don't lose hope with all this stuff I'm throwing at you. Lotta' guys come aboard with no hope and end up with a fine running engine.<br /><br />The key is reading the manual and any info you can get, like in the FAQ's, on the engien. Learn what each system does and how they interact. It's really not rocket science....and if I can do it, anyone can do it.....<br /><br />

 

[Kev]

Re: 1974 9.9 Evinrude - Repair or Replace?

(woops, I typed slow and it looks like OBJ beat me to it!)<br /><br />Tracy,<br /><br />A good running 9.9, even a 1974, will fetch a LOT more than $50-80. The parts alone are easily worth twice that if the lower unit is in good shape. That said, any repair shop will charge you a couple hundred bucks just for a carb rebuild and tune-up, maybe more. (and that may not fix your problems)<br /><br />So your only good option if you like the motor is to learn to do minor maintenance and adjustments yourself, or find a friend who'll help you for a case of beer. You say you've got the service manual, so with that you should have some idea of how to do things. Asking for tips here is a good start. There are lots of friendly and helpful people here.<br /><br />Look here if you haven't already seen these guides as they are excellent:<br /><br /> http://forums.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=000034 <br /><br />A motor in proper tune, even a very old one, should start within 5 pulls maximum, usually 1-3. Maybe if you describe your exact starting procedure in detail someone can give you some pointers. I have an 1980 9.9 and once you know the tricks it is easy to start.<br /><br />Your starting problem could have a wide variety of causes. You can check here for an excellent FAQ written by JB. You want to make sure you have gas, spark, and compression, among other things.<br /><br /> http://forums.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=000001 <br /><br />Your losing power and dying problem sounds like a bad coil. Very very common. If you can use your manual and take off the flywheel, do a visual inspection of the coils. They should not look dry, cracked, or especially not "exploded." When a coil is bad it can work for a while, but as it heats up the spark "breaks over" and shorts or stops. Loss of spark can cause you to run on one cylinder ("lose power") or the motor to die. When the coil cools, the motor may start and run again.<br /><br />Check out all those articles, inspect your motor, and report back with more info. I'm sure we can help you get that motor running strong. It's a good one!<br /><br />There is nothing more satifying than a purring old outboard that you maintain yourself!<br /><br />Happy Boating!<br />Kev

 

[hammersmn]

Re: 1974 9.9 Evinrude - Repair or Replace?

Thank you for your replies, but maybe I didn't make one point very clear:<br />My mechanical ability is limited, as in, I've had the cover off and said, "Yep, that's a motor".<br /><br />"I think".<br /><br />I've got the service manual for this, and it might as well be written in a foreign language. In fact, it is. I've read the online posts, and unfortunately, I'm only understanding about 10% of it. This all is a result of poking fun of "shop heads" 20 years ago in high school. I'm regretting it now.<br /><br />As in: I understand from what I've read, the coils could be bad. Remove the flywheel? Poke fun at me if you need to, but not only would I need specific directions as to how to do that, I would need to know WHAT the flywheel was!<br /><br />My basic knowledge:<br />Shift lever.<br />Throttle.<br />Starting rope.<br /><br />Beyond that, I'm no help to myself or anyone else.<br />I would love to have the knowledge to be able to do this myself, but in the big picture, I think I'd have to start taking small engine repair classes just to have a chance.<br /><br />Anyone in Minnesota want to take on a project for a couple of cases of beer?

 

[Solittle]

Re: 1974 9.9 Evinrude - Repair or Replace?

I have a 75 9.9 and it sounds to me that the biggest problem with the engine is that it's owner has a mental block on reading and following the manual. If you really don't have a mind set for trying to do it yourself find a friend who loves to tinker. These are easy engines to work on, parts are readily available and relatively cheap.

 

[hammersmn]

Re: 1974 9.9 Evinrude - Repair or Replace?

I appreciate the help. Thanks everyone.