1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

[BF]

Hi... considering buying this boat if the price is right, but I only have scanty info from the seller... I know it is a mercruiser, but don't know what engine. I do have the VIN, is there a way to tell what motor/drive is in it from the VIN?

I looked at the fourwinns web page, and couldn't find any help there.

A 140 hp 4cyl MIGHT be OK, but I'd much prefer a 6 cyl in that boat. Anyone know what the "standard" mercruiser engine was on that model?

Thanks

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

The engine and drive both have serial numbers....
Thats the only way to tell exactly what is is...Guessing a 3.0 Merc.
There are no standard engine and drives...its whatever the dealer ordered when it was new.
A 3.0 was a low budget boat...Most are good motors but not very powerful.

 

[BF]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

thanks, kinda what I figured too. My dad had a 17.5' glastron with a 120 hp mercruiser... was about equivalent to having an 80 hp outboard on the boat. Useable, but sluggish out of the hole, and topped out ~36 mph... economical cruise at ~30 mph, but not a lot of fun factor.... that's why I'd prefer a v6...

 

[chiefalen]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

Na you need a 250-300 outboard in a 15 foot boat.

To fish in a bay 20 mph is fast enough.

3-5 gallons a hour, good enough for me.

 

[Don S]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

If you contact 4winns, and give them the HIN (Hull Identification Number) they can give you what came in the boat originally. Including Merc SN's and model numbers.
You can also find the Merc numbers yourself using the pics below.

 

[BF]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

If you contact 4winns, and give them the HIN (Hull Identification Number) they can give you what came in the boat originally. Including Merc SN's and model numbers.

This was good advice. I sent an email with the HIN to fourwinns late yesterday it was answered this morning. They did give a disclaimer that there is a chance that their records are incorrect, but according to their records it was shipped with a 4 cyl 170 hp mercruiser. As Don said, they supplied what they had on file for serial numbers for both the engine and outdrive. Good customer service!

So... I've done some searching and see that the 170 hp mercruiser powertrain of this era appears to not to be the most desirable option... I'll do some more reading and probably post a separate question.

Thx!

 

[chiefalen]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

Ain't you the lucky one. You have posted and found out not to buy that boat.

Don't take it even if he wants to give it to you.

 

[Don S]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

There are a lot of people that swear by those engine, and a lot that swear at them. First of all a list of the problems.
1. Open deck design of the aluminum block with iron head mean a sure leaking head gasket after an overheat.
2. The 470 block is no long made, hasn't been for years.
3. The charging system was a joke. You can get kits to upgrade to an Alternator, forget repair parts for the original system, some of it is NLA and all of it is way expensive.
4. Coolant into the engine oil thru a poorly designed system with the cam and the circulation pump. The cam gets a groove in it and leaks no matter how new the seal is. Only real fix is a new cam, but some sucess with speede-sleeves.
5. Some of the older designs had a 3" heat exchanger and were prone to overheating. See reason #1

On the plus side.
The engine has a lot of torque, for a 4 cylinder engine.

 

[BF]

Re: 1985 fourwinns horizon 190 - motor info from VIN?

ya, thanks for paraphrasing what I found after doing quite a bit of searching/reading...

It's enough for me to pass on the boat. I prefer to start with a drivetrain that I'm happy about, even if it ends up needing some work. I think 4.3 would be my first choice for an I/O, but I might go with a 3.0 if it was in a smaller boat. Or who knows, maybe I'll come across another outboard boat in the 17/18' range with 100+ on the back... nothin' against those.

thanks for posting