Is there a difference between a Tohatsu 90HP from 1984 to a 1995 ? other than cowling?

New to Tohatsu motors. Just purchased a 1984 Tohatsu 90 with mint compression on it for $300. Thats why i bought it. Was really looking for a 1995 or newer but couldnt pass that deal.

So, I need twins on my commercial boat. Its a 25'. 4k lb boat. Is there any difference between years? is it the same as yamahas or more like mercury ? Can i use yamaha gauges on it?

Trying to learn as much as i can so i can set up twins without screwing up.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

NEVER MIND. Should have read some more before i posted....

I now see that model number is everything and year doesnt matter. So, alot of parts are very expenssive or impossible to find.

In my own opinion: the very worst thing a manufacturer can do is to change parts and engineering over and over and stop the supply of parts for those motors.

They should have spent more time in the desk designing the damn motor before going at it. Or just quit making them all at once. they wont get too far, well they never where.


Will sell this junk motor and stick with Yamaha.

The 90A is the same motor regardless of year. Was built up to about Y2K for use in North America. No engineering changes for over a decade. So your comments are unwarranted, and the rant of an unknowing, uneducated, ignorant, frustrated person.

Interesting that you apparently did some research and discovered that model year is unimportant and that model # means a lot more. In that case, what were all the 90 model numbers you found in your research? The only 2-stroke model number that has ever been sold for the 90 2stroke is the 90A model. And it's still being sold in other countries. In which case parts for a 1984 are pretty much the same as a 2011 model (with the exception that the colors & decals have changed over the years). So I really don't get your knock against the Tohatsu 90 model. And Tohatsu has been making motors longer than Yamaha, Honda or Suzuki. The only reason you can't get the 90A here in the USA is because the EPA pretty much banned all carbureted 2-strokes. You'll have the same problem with any other brand in that regard.

Re: NEVER MIND. Should have read some more before i posted....

commercial said:

I now see that model number is everything and year doesnt matter. So, alot of parts are very expenssive or impossible to find.

In my own opinion: the very worst thing a manufacturer can do is to change parts and engineering over and over and stop the supply of parts for those motors.

They should have spent more time in the desk designing the damn motor before going at it. Or just quit making them all at once. they wont get too far, well they never where.


Will sell this junk motor and stick with Yamaha.

Click to expand...

Yep. That's why they are the second largest outboard company in the world and are the only one that isn't running in the red