Evinrude with one bad piston

"I was just about to buy my fi

"I was just about to buy my first boat, when the compression check on the 89 Evinrude 130 HP, showed one cylinder that had 0 compression. the other three were all 110-115. The fourth did not register at all, and you heard a wooshing sound when cranking the engine.

The owner has a friend that says he can fix the one cylinder for $300 in parts (no labor estimated). Does this seem possible and what would I have left after that - possibly a motor that may foul another piston in short order?

How would I go about finding a good used motor if I were to re-power this 18.5 Winner center console?"

Ken.... You are speaking of a

Ken.... You are speaking of a engine that requires a complete overhaul. This would require that the engine be completely dismantled. The rebuilding would necessitate having machine work in the form of either boring at least one cylinder oversize or resleeving at least one cylinder.

Something caused the engine to fail as powerheads do not fail by themselves.... something caused it and that item would need to be corrected.

Really hate to throw a wet blanket on your prospect of making the purchase but you are looking at a normal repair bill of approximately $2000..... and there are no short cuts without chancing a repeat of the problem.

"Joe,

Thanks for the respon

"Joe,

Thanks for the response. Could it have anything to do with the new gas that now contains 10% ethynol? There is a label on the boat that says alchohol will deteriorate the fuel system, and to keep it out (probably standard in 1989?) of the system. Could running today's gas cause deterioration of the tank and fouling of the motor? If so, then it seems to me every boat with the old style gas tanks are in trouble.

Thanks"

"Frankly I wasn't aware of

"Frankly I wasn't aware of any 10% ethynol being added to any fuel. However, to my knowledge, this would affect only the rubber & possibly gasket material components of the fuel system. I don't see how it could possibly affect the metal portion. If ethynol is being used, possibly the full spark advance timing would require adjustment. You would need to research that."

"Maybe he'll come down $20

"Maybe he'll come down $2000? 0 PSI is O PSI. Something caused that cylinder to run dry of fuel/lubrication, or prematurely fail. You'd have to tear down the powerhead. Im sure you'll find metal fragments strewn all over. which may have scored other cylinders, or bearings. Keep looking i guess. If ethanol based fuel is a problem, you'd think all the cylinders would have gotten weaker across the board. I dont seem much on the discussion boards about any immenent danger of running that fuel. having said that, I'm sure its been addressed somewhere. I dont think i even have a choice. I think most of the fuel around here is a blend. My carbs are clear three years in a row (physical inspection) on a 72 Evinrude 65hp. the tanks are ancient, but the line is 3 yrs old. maybe its resistant to breakdown."

Ethanol/alcohol has been added

Ethanol/alcohol has been added to fuel for decades in more or less quantities. You may have noticed that almost all gaskets in contact with fuel have been changed from 'black' to 'brown' rubber by OMC/Bombardier. The color change is partly to be able to see which gaskests are resistant to this fuel and which are not. This color coding unfortunately only goes for original OMC/Bombardier gaskets and not the 'piracy' like Sierra etc.

"Good information Mort, I'

"Good information Mort, I'll tuck that away for future reference."

"Zero compression on only one

"Zero compression on only one cylinder is like when someone tells you that your tire is flat, but only on the bottom side. You may wish to consider the price of a decent used engine as an alternative."

"well I just rebuilt mine, had

"well I just rebuilt mine, had one bad piston... I ended up replacing all 4 since it was apart, did it my self except the boring, total cost just under 700 bucks,,... 200 for boaring 65 bucks each piston and ring set and about 125 for gaskets and a few misc. parts I needed... like gasket sealer and lubs..."

Hi Chris

I am in a similar

Hi Chris

I am in a similar position with a 1995 115hp V4. Did you bore all four and fit oversize pistons and rings or was it just the one cylinder that had to be bored and the pistion and ring replaced.

Where is the best place to pick up the parts?

Thanks
Rob

"Well, on mine, the mechanic p

"Well, on mine, the mechanic planned on boring and replacing the one piston, and changing the bearings on the crankshaft, then putting it all back together. I know it is not ideal, but it is what the previous owner will spring for. I really like the hull, so hoping to get a few years out of this "rebuild"."

"I did have all 4 bored, not t

"I did have all 4 bored, not that it was nessasary to do all 4 but figured since I had it all apart why not.. But you can do just one and use an over size piston on the one.. I went 20 over on the 3 that where in good shape and 30 over on the bad one.. I wasnt sure how one bigger piston then the rest would work out, every one here and the machine shop said it was fine to do.. Well they are absolutly right... I got my pistons and rings right thru the machine shop, he was able to get them at a good price 65 bucks for a piston and ring set.. They are wisco pistons... Also there are a couple of Johnson guys in my area that could get the pistons for me but they wanted about 15 bucks more.. I must say the rebuild realy wasnt that hard to do once I got into it.. I was a bit aprehencive at the start never have torn apart a outboard motor before.. But if you lable things, seperate screws and lable container, and I also took some pics with my digital camara, just incase I couldnt remeber where things went.. But found I never had to use the pics.. I would do it again if I had to.."