Peace of mind.....

[eddie haskell]

My boat was running great.....until I sucked the prime bulb almost through the motor after I forgot to open the vent on the fuel tank :facepalm:
I have rebuilt the fuel pump, checked all possible suspects, have the carbs off again. I found the number 1 carb stuck open from debris, cleaned it up good, put it back together, thinking I finally got er' fixed. Put her in, ARG, still won't let me throttle up. Dies when I try to advance it, gets a weird knock....
I should have checked all the carbs, but it seemed so obvious. The other two were pretty dirty too. I will clean them and try again. This motor is new to me, I sorta rescued it, don't know much about its history....
Here is my question ( finally)
I don't like spending money, but I am beginning to feel like I should just bite the bullet and get a four stroke....
Dependability is manifest when I boat, it lets my mind enjoy the outing so much more, and it would most likely be the last motor I ever buy, as I am 63, and my wife goes crabbing and fishing with me, so safety is paramount.
Reading the info on the new motors, and 5 years of warranty, I am finding it harder to justify my 92 Suzuki DT85 hanging on my tansom, even if it does run once again after I put the carbs back on....

Your thoughts?

Anybody else in this boat? ( pun intended )

​Thanks

 

[roscoe]

A four stroke will use a fuel tank with a vent, too.
And will still have a carb or fuel injectors to get plugged.

Which would you rather do, clean the carbs, or put the motor in the shop for 3 weeks to get the injectors cleaned ?

 

[Georgesalmon]

I'm kinda in the same boat (pun intended). Have a '79 merc 115 that has been dependable after doing the same things but its still really old. Just last year I started taking grand children salmon fishing on lake Michigan so safety is even more important to me. My son and I are looking at new four strokes and we are leaning hard to the purchase of a new motor. I do have a newer 2012 merc 9.9 4 stroke kicker so we could still get home in an emergency but when I see that fast moving storm I don't like thinking about a 2 hour or more trip to safety with 2, 9 year olds and an 11 year old on board. I'm pretty sure a new 115 4 stroke is going to be under the tree this Christmas. No more mixing of fuel and two tanks too. Put the old 115 on Craig's list at to high a price to see if any interest, and I have a car hauler trailer to sell that I don't use anymore. Looking hard at Suzuki cause I can get the best deal.

 

[ondarvr]

For ease of starting and reliability there's nothing like a new fuel injected outboard. After the first trip you will be asking yourself, why didn't I do this sooner.

 

[NYBo]

I wonder if the weird knock is the aftermath of the motor running lean for a few minutes before dieing.

I hear you on peace of mind. If you don't have it, it sucks the fun out of boating. Are you talking "new" or "new-to-me"? Brand new outboards are very pricey. I'd love an Evinrude E-TEC (yes, I know they are 2-strokes) but no way I could justify spending several times what the boat is worth to repower new. I doubt I would be using it enough to recoup the cost in fuel savings in my lifetime. A "new-to-me" motor, on the other hand, I would do.

What is you boat rated for? No one has made an 85 HP motor in a long time, AFAIK. Since my boat is rated for for 85, I would have to drop down to a 75 since there is no way I would overpower even with a 90 while being a member of the CG Auxiliary (or probably ever, frankly). Something to consider.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Just because a piece of equipment is old does not mean it is not usable or unsafe. Many 40 year old outboards are still running and running well. Airplanes over 60 years old are still certified to fly. The list goes on and on. Once you get the bugs worked out of your Suzy it should still have many years of service left in it. Why spend big bucks on an engine that you almost certainly would not be able to repair yourself?

 

[MTboatguy]

The motor that I use on my fishing boat is 48 years old, runs like a champ, you would be hard pressed to tell me it is almost 50 years old and I just picked up a 1962 model Evinrude, that will go on the back of my other boat and when I hit the key on it, it purrs like a kitten, so old does not mean worn out, if it is mechanical, it can have problems, fix the little things and it will work for ya.

 

[eddie haskell]

The motor is a 1992 Suzuki, and when it was running, full throttle was way more than I needed....



I am sorta thinking of the new Suzuki 70. It has a lot of new features that I have no idea what they are other than they are revolutionary

Justifying the cost by use, of a new motor, will never pencil out, and that is the biggest mind blocker from just pulling the money from my savings and buying one....
It does seem frivolous to spend @ 7000 dollars on a boat I use MAYBE half a dozen, or so, times a year....
And as I stated about my age, at 63, I retire soon, and traveling, we are in agreement about buying a small travel trailer ( Casitas) and visiting the grandkids and friends, and winter escaping the Northwest.....

Bob, I think you're right, it sounds like a lean knock too, but it only a second before she shuts off.

You guys are great, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, I appreciate mucho!

BTW, I am working on her now, the motor, reed valves, etc, seem in such good condition. The parts I can see look almost pristine.
I can see the oil ports, etc, all good.

I get a really good stream of fuel when I pump the ball, and if I plug off the last fuel opening before the carb connection, I can pump it rock hard, so I think I am good in delivery.....

Again, thank you all for taking the time to share

 

[ondarvr]

It only pays to buy a newer one if your'e going to use it, for limited use just work with what you have.

 

[gm280]

If your older engine is properly working, there should be no worries about reliability. Any engine, new or old, can have problems if they are not maintained constantly. So if you purchase a new engine, next year it could have issues went time to crank up for the season all the same. You could take a mere fraction of the price of the new engine and totally go over your old engine and have it working like new and pocket the difference. JMHO!

 

[eddie haskell]

Ok, all back together....
Found way too much carp in the bowl and jets.
In hindsight I was negligent to not clean all the first time, as it stands to reason if that debris can get into one carb, it can get into all of them....
I removed the pilots, blew them out with my air hose, cleaned all up, back together they went.
Fired up sitting on the trailer, prop in a trash can full of water, real nice.
I set the air mixture to spec, and checked float level too.
I did find I screwed the pooch putting the carbs back on last time. I pulled the throttle body sensor off the middle carb before I removed it. Had to re-install it on the motor, kinda of a beech.
This time I left it on, just disconnected the wire harness and ground.
While I was cleaning that carb I noticed the butterfly was hard to move, not free like the other two, they easily snap back (close) with the spring.
Upon closer scrutiny I saw I had jammed the bushing on wrong, causing the sensor cam to not register, in other words, advance the timing, which, if I figger right, will kill the motor as I advance the throttle on the remote..... I hope.

I will try to get her on the water this evening, I will report back....

 

[bassman284]

A four stroke will use a fuel tank with a vent, too.
And will still have a carb or fuel injectors to get plugged.

Which would you rather do, clean the carbs, or put the motor in the shop for 3 weeks to get the injectors cleaned ?

I've had my Merc 60hp EFI 4 stroke for 14 years and haven't had to clean injectors yet.

 

[MTboatguy]

I've had my Merc 60hp EFI 4 stroke for 14 years and haven't had to clean injectors yet.

Ford or Chevy

 

[roscoe]

I've had my Merc 60hp EFI 4 stroke for 14 years and haven't had to clean injectors yet.

And your point is ??




My point was that if you suck crud into your fuel system, the system will plug, just as it happened to poor eddie, when something out of the ordinary happens.

With proper maintenance and care, no fuel system will have issues.

Keep your tanks clean, and use 1 or more fuel filters, and the carbs or injectors will stay clean.

If need arises, I can clean a carb pretty quickly to save my vacation.


I've got 30 and 35 years old motors that run fine, that have never had the carbs opened.
Buying new with warranty, doesn't buy carefree operation.

 

[smokeonthewater]

eddie, if after the test run you still have issues, do a compression test before anything else.

 

[eddie haskell]

Got her fixed, she is running the best since I have owned her....
So responsive to the throttle now.
Thanks all, I feel I know the motor better now and that does give me peace of mind.....

 

[eddie haskell]

UPDATE......

I just wanted to add to all you who might not think they have the ability to work on their motors....YES YOU DO!
Just take it slow, and stay calm. All things work accordingly, and when you grasp that, it gets pretty simple....

I have been enjoying my boat and glad I didn't cave and get a new motor..... what would I have learned?

Today I ran it up island to fish the coho, a 40 to 50 minute run, never missed a beat, and it only took 3 gallons

Of course it took 3 more to get home!

A picture of the sun setting as I round the last point to home....

 

[littlerayray]

Beautiful pic and I'm happy to see you kept the old motor

 

[fishin98]

Good for you that you got your motor running PERFECT again....Nice Picture! Speaking of Peace Of Mind, it all comes down to CONFIDENCE in the motor taking you out and bringing you home. At some point in time you are going to ask yourself, is this motor actually worth putting a another dime into it....been there& done that. I'm currently redoing a 1988 fishin boat....there NO WAY I'm going to hang a 1988 motor on it when I'm done. The motors of today are soooo much better, than the motors of the 60's,70's 80's and early 90's...I know there are people who will argue the point...but if you have a good boat and trailer, why not update to a new or newer motor...a heck of a lot better than dropping really big money on a new rig.....BOAT....Bring On Another Thousand. The whole idea of having a boat is to go boating/fishing, rather then spending extra time/boating bucks working on a OLD motor. just my 2cts

 

[eddie haskell]

Thank you fishin98.....

As in oil, many differ accordingly re: 2 stroke or 4 stroke being the way to go.
As testimony, many old twos still hump, and many new fours are broke, and not even paid for yet.
Twos are simple, fours, complex.....
Some of the systems on a four do not improve reliability, they just tell ya its broke
Emissions are way better on fours, but add another element to fail.

I use to be able to pull the motor and reinstall a new one in my VW in hours....
Now it takes me that long to figger out how to open the engine compartment in my new vehicle.
New, is not always better, no, I would never trade in my wife for a newer model, too many hours training her :facepalm: