Is it worth fixing?

[DeclansDaddy]

I picked up a new (to me) boat last week with no motor with hopes of putting a motor my father in law gave me on it. It's an '85 Johnson VRO 150. He told me the motor had been rebuilt and put on his boat and the transom cracked only after 2 trips out so he parked it. He said it was winterized professionally but this was all 7-8 years ago. I got the boat to my house and got the motor fired up. I bypassed the VRO and just premixed. I let the boat run for a while (not running good at all) and while it was still warm ran a compression test. I got between 55-70 psi. The boat keeps popping and I think I hear a knocking inside the motor. Kinda sounds like detonation because I hear the bang then there's a quiet moment in the exhaust. I'm making this my winter project so I have some time to deal with this but wondering your guys thoughts on should I just ditch the motor and look for a good running, good compression motor to put on the boat or rebuild what I have. It's a 1994 Seaswirl Striper 2150 center console and I didn't really like the idea of putting an 1985 motor on the back of it but I figured it was a cheap way to get out on the water. thanks in advance.

 

[Bosunsmate]

It may of just got a rotted head gasket.
You could pull the heads off and then check what the cylinder bore looks like.
CHeck that the pistons dont have any excessive travel (big arm bearings)
Flatten the heads on sandpaper and glass and then try compression again.
You should also remove the inlet bypass covers and check that all the rings are springy (ie not snapped)

If its not a bearing or something gone causing the knocking then you will have a good motor and very cheap too.

 

[boobie]

What's the lower unit oil look like ??

 

[DeclansDaddy]

Not sure what the lower unit oil looks like yet. Just to let you guys know I'm have no clue when it comes to outboards. I've only had 1 outboard before this and the piston rod end cap broke off and went through the crankcase. I remember before noticing the whole I put a screwdriver in the cylinders and the broke rod piston moved back so I decided to try that with these and didn't find any play in any of them so I guess that's good. I guess pulling this apart would be a learning experience for me. I'm not sure what the bypass covers are but I'll google it.

 

[emdsapmgr]

I'd be surprised if any engine would run at all after 7-8 years no use. Some of the running issues may well be that the carbs could use an overhaul. (the popping could be a lean sneeze-a carb problem in the idle passages) Those engines did not run a lot of compression. Who knows if there is any rust on the cyl walls. A couple of decarbs could clean the cylinders out and improve the compression. (Aerosol Bombardier Engine Tuner) Check for spark on all 6 plugwires when running. All of this without taking the powerhead apart. If the compression still does not come up and it still is running badly, you may want to pull the heads. Is this 150 the base model or a 150 GT model?

 

[Bosunsmate]

Not sure what the lower unit oil looks like yet. Just to let you guys know I'm have no clue when it comes to outboards. I've only had 1 outboard before this and the piston rod end cap broke off and went through the crankcase. I remember before noticing the whole I put a screwdriver in the cylinders and the broke rod piston moved back so I decided to try that with these and didn't find any play in any of them so I guess that's good. I guess pulling this apart would be a learning experience for me. I'm not sure what the bypass covers are but I'll google it.

Look that up
328004 — COVER, BYPASS
Theres a gasket under each one you will need to replace- $2
Yes doing that screwdriver test is checking the end play, so if thats ok then that removes one of the main reasons for knocking, i always put a rag on the end of the screwdriver when doing that

 

[DeclansDaddy]

I believe the base model. One badge that was on it just says VRO and the other just says 150. I put a bore scope in the cylinder and the walls look pretty clean. The tops of the pistons were pretty black. I cleaned the plugs with a wire wheel and put them back in and after I ran it a while I pulled them back out and the bottom 2 seemed wet but clean as the other 4 were wet and already black but it doesn't sound like it's missing. Also it was doing some popping out of the exhaust every once in a while while revved up and when it popped a huge bellow of smoke would come out the prop. I know the carbs probably need rebuilt, I'm just trying to get a feel for what I got before I go wasting my time. Tonight I got the motor to finally idle for a while but all of the sudden it would pop and stop the motor instantly. But then it would fire right back up. I'm thinking I need to do something with the carbs before I do too much else. Where should I be looking for a rebuild kit for the carbs? I can't seem to pinpoint one for my motor.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Yes do the carbs, just get some carb cleaner aerosol and make sure every passage is clear, that the aerosol blows through unrestricted.
It sounds like you have a lean sneeze, most often caused by a blockage in one of the small jets.
Theres quite a few jets hiding in those carbs behind the little screws and another in the front top

 

[Bosunsmate]

yes dont do anything else until you have done that or you will get damage

 

[emdsapmgr]

If the engine were properly winterized when put up years ago, likely it will smoke like crazy for the first 5 minutes after starting. It will take that long for the preservation oil to clear out of the crankcase and cylinders. You may find this website helpful: epc.brp.com. It's the factory website for exploded parts diagrams for your engines. From that site: carb kits for your carbs: 392550. Supercedes to today's part number: 439076. You will need one for each carb. Contains gaskets, needle/seat and new floats. You will need some type of cleaner, like the aerosol Gumout carb cleaner. If some of the plugs don't look like the others, some of them may not be getting fuel or may not be firing. That engine will seem to run just fine on the trailer, running on only 4 or 5 cyls.

 

[Tim Frank]

Are you running it in a barrel?

 

[DeclansDaddy]

No I'm using a hose. Looking for a big enought barrel to use.

 

[Mi duckdown]

are you racing the motor in neutral on hose? if so bad idea. need load on motor. Muff and barrels can only tell you if the motor starts and impeller is working. other than that need to put in lake for all other adjustments under load.

 

[DeclansDaddy]

Nah I'm not really racing it. My controls have a warm up lever and that's the most I'm putting on it. Doesn't really sound like it revs up all that much.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Sorry missed the 55-70 compression. try a different comp tester

 

[DeclansDaddy]

Guess I can try to get a hold of another one. I've never had a problem with mine (it a nice Snap-On set) but I think I have a buddy with a Mac kit so I'll try his too. I know I sound cheap but do you think I could pull the carbs off, clean them up and put them back just to try to see if this thing is worth messing with without ordering the gasket kits? I just hate to spend $60-80 for kits just to find out the motor needs rebuilt. I've looked into complete powerhead rebuild kits and what I've seen I'm looking at about $1700. Plus whatever else I'd need I just feel like I could save up some more and buy a newer more reliable motor. But I also know buying any used motor is a gamble. Aaaahhhhh this is stressing me out already.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Yes i do that, im probably the tightest guy in New Zealand. I just get a $8 can of carb cleaner and spray it down every single orifice behind every single carb screw ive undone too, if i dont see the aerosol coming out somewhere then theres a blockage and i put a bit of soft wire down it. Its worked for me everytime.

Post a video if you want more advice as its hard to tell without listening to it.