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georgel

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I am interested in opinions on

I am interested in opinions on a homelite grand prix 4 cycle engine. 55 HP. It is for sale and fits my needs size wise. But Homelite does not have a great reputation. so any Info will be appreciated.
 
"I found the Bearcat to be a g

"I found the Bearcat to be a great motor. It burns no fuel and holds the back of the boat down real good. (ya their heavy) Parts are almost impossiable to find and had to go to antique car places (their based on the crosley) for bearings and rings. They had a very short shifter throw when equipped with the original controll box. Like many obsolete motors, you will find you get a lot of attention, if you can keep it running as a classic.

If you just want to "go fishing" better get a merck or evinrude/ johnson- or honda/ yamaha."
 
I own five of these engines and could not be more pleased with their performance and reliability. Parts are not hard to come by. If you have one in good mechanical condition all tuneup parts can be had thru your local NAPA store. Pertronix makes an electronic ignition upgrade for them. Hard parts are available thru Bill Roberts in Washington State or Economy 4cycle in CA. It will troll all day at the speed of most kicker engines and is excellent on fuel. Yes they are heavy in comparison to a two stroke.
 
I am a bit tardy in responding. Anyway thanks for the Information. I have been in touch with both of the parts suppliers mentioned. The Engine required a lot of cleaning. someone had coated the engine with RTV. And the Tstat housing leaked and was buggered. So I made a cover plate for the hole and eliminated the Tstat. The Motor started and seem ed to run well in the test barrel. But When running compression tests I found that #4 [top] cyl. has 0 compression. When I checked the valve clearance I found that most are slightly out of spec. But #4 ex. was .004 [spec is .014] Then as I was running it, it stopped circulating and the engine overheated. So either the impelor gave up or the engine scale plugged up the exhaust outlet. I suspected the later so I used water pressure from a hose to clear the exhaust port. The vibration mounts are sheared so I have put the project on the back burner till fall. In the meantime I have aquired a Mariner 48 That I will use on my 1961 18' chetek lapstake runabout. I hope to get the Homelite sorted out This winter..
 
william_m said:
"I found the Bearcat to be a g

"I found the Bearcat to be a great motor. It burns no fuel and holds the back of the boat down real good. (ya their heavy) Parts are almost impossiable to find and had to go to antique car places (their based on the crosley) for bearings and rings. They had a very short shifter throw when equipped with the original controll box. Like many obsolete motors, you will find you get a lot of attention, if you can keep it running as a classic.

If you just want to "go fishing" better get a merck or evinrude/ johnson- or honda/ yamaha."
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Do you have any suorses for water pumps or impellers thanks Dwight 941-626-3110
 
4stroke said:
I own five of these engines and could not be more pleased with their performance and reliability. Parts are not hard to come by. If you have one in good mechanical condition all tuneup parts can be had thru your local NAPA store. Pertronix makes an electronic ignition upgrade for them. Hard parts are available thru Bill Roberts in Washington State or Economy 4cycle in CA. It will troll all day at the speed of most kicker engines and is excellent on fuel. Yes they are heavy in comparison to a two stroke.
Click to expand...
 
I would like to find either a shop or place that I can find parts for the Homelite/Bearcat 55HP engine. I live in Northern California.
 
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