Low compression in one cylinder

[emsai]

I have a 95 Evinrude 115 SLEOC. Took it to an authorized dealer for a check up. Dealer said it had 120/120/120/90 compression. I ok?ed removing the head for further exam. He said one of the cylinders had some pits and a scratch. He said this was an inherent problem with 93-95 Evinrudes (he called it a casting problem) and recommended an installed short block for $5,000 or a new (2008 he says) Yamaha 2-cycle installed for $7,000. Not being related to Bill Gates or the Waltons, this knocked me on my can. I told him to just put it back together and I would get back to him.

What are my options? Can I hone out the problem cylinder and put in new rings? Would I have to put new rings on all the pistons to keep the compression relatively equal?

Thanks

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

sure you can rebuild what you have, don't know till you get into it. i would find another mech, if he did not offer to rebuild.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

I would be telling him where to put his short block or Yamaha 2 stroke !!!!
If you are handy with tools and mechanical things then get a good manual for your motor and investigate yourself with the help and assistance of all the experts out here.
If not then you need to find a mechanic who will do the investigating and rebuilding and not try to sell you down the river !!!!
For $5,000 you could pick up a sweet used motor even from a dealer with warranty on it.
The other guy if allowed to go further will most likely be adding more items etc as he goes along with the short block pushing your cost higher.
Good Luck.

 

[F_R]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

Before being so hard on the mechanic, you should find out exactly what caused the problem. The problem with that one cylinder could just be the tip of the iceberg. An example would be a bad block that let water get into the cylinders and crankcase, damaging or destroying everything. That would be a good case for powerhead replacement.

emsai, I know nothing about you or your gender or marital status, but let me tell you a little secret. We guys have a problem. We won't admit our ignorance about mechanical things. It is much easier to rip off a guy than a woman. When I was in the repair business, and I explained to a guy what was wrong with his boat, he would say "yeah, sure, go ahead and fix it". But if a guy sent his WIFE in to check on it, she would demand to know WHAT exactly is wrong, and WHY it happened, and WHY this or that part needs to be replaced. You see, she admits her ignorance and ego doesn't get in the way.

Ask questions and demand answers. You are the customer, and you are paying for the inspection. And if you don't trust the mechanic, get the h--- out of there. The mechanic would appreciate it.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

I'd have some serious doubts anout this "tech". Yes some 60* motors did have a casting issue. Not all but some. But they're the V6 not the V4. And it can be fixed without replacing the block.

If he's talking about water in #4 it's probably not the block. There were some issues with the exhaust tuner and there were some bulletins. If he's simply talking about piston damage then I doubt you have to change the block for that.

I totally agree with F_R, exactly what happened and why? What are the steps to correct the cause as well as fix the damage?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

I going to be even more cynical here:
Was the motor running fine when you brought it in? It sounds like it was if it was just a check-up.
I would check the compression myself, to see if the guy was a real con-artist.
He probably wasn't, but it doesn't hurt to check. It just seems that he was very quick to suggest the pricey upsales. A compression gauge is pretty cheap, and AutoZone will loan them to you.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

about 20 bucks at harbor freight. Did he pull the heads to visually inspect cylinder walls. You would think you would have known about an overheat that blew your rings... Well chit happens. A rebuilt powerhead is about 2500 bucks so that is a considerable investment in labor. Your call

 

[cdoliver]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

I'd decarb it to see if the compression comes up. He might be lieing to you about the scored walls and it just has a stuck ring.

 

[cdoliver]

Re: Low compression in one cylinder

sorry double posted