Found a 78 140hp outboard!

Hey guys. new to the forum! This site and Dangar Marine on youtube have been a huge help in getting my existing johnson `82 90hp up and running. I was randomly looking on craigslist for outboards and came across a Johnson `78 140 (with a "leaking head"). I instantly had visions of upgrading my 90 with the guts from this 140. or getting the 140 up to par again and swapping out my 90 entirely. Seller wants $250 for the 140hp & I'm a bit leery at that price. would love to hear peoples thoughts & whether i'd be missing out on a fantastic deal.. side note, i picked up my entire boat & motor (82 glastron ssv-167 / 90hp) for $150 from my father inlaw, so its hard to justify nearly twice that cost for a potentially broken motor. Interested to hear peoples thoughts! Thanks & glad to be here.

The power head is painted black.----The exhaust " bubble " cover has a spot to mount trim / tilt relays.-----So parts / complete power head may not be 1978 parts.-----But with a $250 parts motor you can hardly go wrong.----You must know that the 90 HP engine block has smaller intake orts than a 140 HP block I hope.----You pay your gold and take your chances.

racerone said:

You must know that the 90 HP engine block has smaller intake ports than a 140 HP block I hope."

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yup, aware that the 90 porting is smaller.. no real interest in milling the 90 intakes, so maybe a complete powerhead swap would be the way to go.

As for the "leaking head" that "pees a little gas" (quoting seller) What should I be looking for? He says it "runs good but pees a little gas from the head" Sounds like a fire hazard. Could this be as simple as replacing the head gasket? How likely is it that the head is cracked or otherwise damaged beyond repair?

Thanks for any input!

Sorry----It would be easy to determine what that motor is if it was in front of me.----I have absolutely no idea what someone means when they say " pees a little gas from the head "------Gasoline does not come anywhere near the cylinder head !!!

racerone said:

Sorry----It would be easy to determine what that motor is if it was in front of me.----I have absolutely no idea what someone means when they say " pees a little gas from the head "------Gasoline does not come anywhere near the cylinder head !!!

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Copy that.. seller has been a little dodgy about specifics.. stated model number is 140TL78C