Need help identifying motor

I just bought a boat which has

I just bought a boat which has a Mariner 55 hp motor. It says model number 55EL 663 L 320910. Can anyone tell me what year this is and if it's a good model or a little history about it. Thank you in advance.

"Bill, you have the very first

"Bill, you have the very first model that rolled off the production line as a 1990 model.

It was built by Yamaha for Mercury. Yami built alot of the earlier Mariner line under a joint venture with Merc.

That model is a carbon copy of Yami's own 55AM/55AE/55AEM models which were built between 1974 thru 1979. So although a 1990 Mariner, the technology was actually late 70's Yami.

Many parts for this are now discontinued simply because it relies on over 30 year old supplies.

Personally, I find the horsepower a little high for a twin cyinder. And the ignition, while well designed, causes me to flinch when I look at the price list.

The switch box on these models (CDI box) retails for over 600 bucks alone - and 80 bucks for a single coil when a coil for Merc models sells for 25, just don't sit right with me.

If she is running that's great, and if the price was right, ok, but this is not necessarily a motor that I would seek out if I was looking for a used one in that horsepower class, simply because of the availability of parts and the cost when they are available."

Thanks Graham. There is a pro

Thanks Graham. There is a problem with the engine. It won't shift out of reverse. I don't know a lot about part names so I'll try to describe them. The shift rod? turns left and right when the lower unit is off. That rod lines up with the hole in the lower unit and seems tight. When we put the lower unit back on it's still is stuck in reverse. The shifter up front moves from forward to reverse just fine. Can you offer any suggestions for a fix? Thank you.

The case shifts when it is off

The case shifts when it is off of the motor?

"Forgive my ignorance here. M

"Forgive my ignorance here. My friend is helping me with this. The case, is that the lower unit we dropped down? When the lower unit was off the shift rod does turn left and right when shifted from forward to reverse. He put the shift rod into the lower unit when it was off and it fit tightly. He wasn't able to turn it by hand with just the rod to grab onto. Turning the propeller clockwise, it clicks and there is resistance when tried to turn counter clockwise."