2008 tohatsu 20 hp recall question

does anyone know of any recalls on 20 hp 4 stroke outboards? mine has had problem after problem. now it seems that the gasket under the motor by the bottom of the lower cowling is bad as well. really sick of all the problems I've had with this one. thanks, skloak.

What is your exact model and serial? (not year)
There aren't any general recalls on these models that I am aware of.
The MFS15C/20C is a solid design, and is still in current production.
What problems have you had?
What symptoms are you having that indicates a bad base gasket?
Anything is possible, but the only issues I've seen on these have been the result of the owners not using the motor appropriately.
What has your dealer done to rectify any of the issues that you have had?

I think the previous owner ran it hot at one point; the oil cap had been melted on the inside; I noticed after purchase; overheated on me as well, even though it never stopped peeing. I watch it very carefully!! The carb is super sensitive; it will clog even after a rebuild/cleaning; then run very poorly. After starting and idleing for a bit, I go to take off and the motor will all the sudden just die in mid plane!
This may be due to 4 stroke vs 2 stroke, but just doesn't have any get up and go! Will run bout 23 top speed on a 15 ft g3 aluminum. Only gas, battery and my fat but in the boat. Don't have a problem w the speed; it's just when I want to get on plane, I give it throttle and its as if it laughs at me; just is real slow to get up. Put smart tabs and that helped a lot. Now, tried to start it bout a month ago, and oil is steadily pouring out above and around the pee hole as I'm trying to start it. It's been sitting a while with no gas in the carb, but of course never started!! I've had plenty of outboards in my time, and have never had one that caused me to always have it at the dealer like this one!!
Dealer has told me to bring it over, but to be honest, just not sure I'm ready to hear the price he's gonna tell me. Not to mention the couple of months he will have it. Last time I took it, it was a month and a half and 400 bucks! When I talked w him bout this latest oil problem he mentioned it sounding like the lower base gasket; would have to pull the entire motor!! All I heard was chiching
chiching!! The last 25 2 stroke tohatsu I had, I bought used, put $400 dollars in it with occasional water pump and ran it for 4 yrs no problems!! Just don't know what to do next!!!?? Thanks, skloak.

Sounds like you bought an abused motor. And it may have more than one problem. After 5 years of use, almost anything could have happened in the motor's history.

Only a severe overheat would melt the filler cap. You may have a bad thermostat or salt/crud blocking some passages in the powerhead. You can check the cooling system temperatures with a cheap IR gun-style thermometer. A properly-operating stat should maintain temps around 150/160 or so (they vary depending on the area of the block/head), as long as the cooling system is clear. The pee tube only shows that the cooling system is pressurized, so it's a good confirmation that you are pumping, but does not confirm circulation.

All EPA-rated 4-stroke carbs of all brands and sizes require super-clean fuel. If you feed it crud, it will choke. The tank, filters, and lines must be impeccably clean. You might consider a 10-micron water-separating filter. Gas should be less than 30 days old, preferably without ethanol. A proper carb cleaning requires removal and complete disassembly of the carb, then a 4-hour bath in real carb dip... then a blow-out with generic carb spray, and a careful reassembly. If that was not done, the carb was not thoroughly cleaned. You must leave the carb empty at the end of the day. If you forget to run it out, you can open the drain screw and let the gas out. Failing to do that allows the gas to evaporate from the carb, leaving varnish deposits in the passages.

All 4-stroke outboards are sensitive to crankcase oil levels. Keep the level about 1/2 way on the dipstick -- never even a drop above full. Run only non-synthetic, NMMA-certified FC-W oil, either 10w-30 or if really hot, 10w-40. Sounds like oil is spilling into the lower cowl when cranking. You may be over-full, or a breather hose may be off, or the filler cap may be off, or you may have a gasket leak of some sort.

So, you have some diagnosis to do. If you want to proceed yourself, get the Factory service manual and review the cooling system, and the fuel system. It's also possible that you have a heat-triggered electrical issue. Once you have the cooling and fuel systems up to par, you can see if the motor still stalls at speed when hot.

In order to get the right performance from the rig, especially with the somewhat-heavier 4-stroke... prop pitch, jack height and trim angle are critical. That can only be adjusted by trial and error. Get the motor itself healthy first, then review the rig on the transom. Try to keep batteries and fuel tanks forward, for better weight distribution.

wow, awesome reply, thanks. ill see what happens