Hello, and Ranger 361v motor preference

[soundguy]

Hello all,<br />I have recently found this forum and am excited to be here. What a wealth of info! <br />I am soon to purchase my first boat- an ~18' Ranger 361v circa 1990-1994. I have heard that the Johnson motors that Ranger used had problems with the oil delivery system. With that in mind, which motor was tried and true for this boat. So far, I've seen:<br /><br />-150/175 Johnson GT and fast strike<br />-150/175 Mercury and Black Max<br />-150 Mariner<br /><br />Your opinions are greatly appreciated.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Caine

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Hello, and Ranger 361v motor preference

May I be the first to welcome you to the forums, there are some great guys here.<br /><br />There should be a bunch of used engines available in your area, I would not like to try and find a good one as I think it would be a big PITA. Only way I would buy a used engine would be from someone I new, or from a reputable dealer that did a repower to a four stroke and they new the engine to be a good one. Make sure you watch them do a compession check and have them replace all the things they can before you buy it. Things like water pump, thermostat, fuel pump and fiters, etc. Also make sure you do an on the water test run before you take delivery and they will guarantee you the right prop. Also I wouldnt buy it without at least a 30 day warrantee. Failure to do "ANY" of these thing can spell disaster. My prefference would be a Merc but thats just me. If buying new I would try an E-tech. Power it for the Max its rated for.