Logo
FULL SITE MENU

OMC 40/48 Comparison ?s

T

TurnMeLooseFLKeys

New member
Other than the quick-witted answers of "8hp," and the like, does anyone know the difference in an early 90s Johnson/Evinrude 40 and SPL 48? I have read, or maybe just heard, that the 48 was considered a "commercial" engine. Any truth to that? Are the carbs different? Gear ratio in the lower unit different? What gave the 48 its extra hp?

The ones that look like this...
03.jpg
 
The 48 is NOT a commercial engine !!!----The 45 HP ( W models ) were commercial with the 3 cylinder gearcase.------The 48 HP gear ratio is the same as the 40 HP.----The 48 could be described as the 50 HP marketed without oil injection as standard.
 
Last edited:
Prop too. Got a 40 here, trying to sell the block. Somehow the VRO messed up.....could have been ethanol here in MN....mandated state....(good to grow corn.....help the farmers, destroy our equipment). Good trade off?
 
Last edited:
So is the rpm at max hp slightly different? My Dad always bought the next lower hp in each generation/size. See my Avatar....could have the 35, but he bought the 30's. Mercs same thing. Tiller 50, not the 60. His theory was smoother at low speeds, overall economy, and motor longevity.
 
Sorry to ask so many questions, but just some carb parts swaps and I could make a 40 a 48 or 50? Say I owned a 40, could I buy the carb parts for a 50 (off this site) and make the 40 a 50?
 
Growing up, I had a '96 48 SPL Johnson on a '61 Whaler 13. It was a Christmas gift one year. LUCKY ME! Actually, the guy it was bought from was a member on another forum. May still be. That motor lasted a young teenager's years of abuse. Then, the Whaler was sold sans motor. My sister's then boyfriend bought the motor. He had it a few years before finally using it. Just a quick tuneup and it ran like a top.

I'm well aware how great the 40/48/50 motors are. I've just always been curious what the actual differences were between them. I just came into a lil' bit of cash, so I'm back on the 13 Whaler hunt. If it has a newer 4-stroke on the back, that's great. If it has an older, used, motor; I'd really like it to be one of those OMCs...or maybe a Yamaha.

Sister also had a Whaler growing up. A '91 GLS with a '91 Merc 40. That motor ran great, when it ran. Gave the family a lot of problems, though.
 
The 48 is a 50HP without VRO/OMS thus the special designation and 48 HP rating/decals. Only difference between a 40 and 48/50 is the carbs
 
Right, has an external oil tank and meters oil at a variable ratio.....hence VRO. Great system as long as you keep ethanol fuel away from it, the oil tank filled with clean proper type oil.....and the cap on the oil tank is working to do its job properly.
Oil mix ratio is around 100:1 at lowest speeds and graduating to about 50:1 at full bore. Replacement VROs have adjusted the mixtures even leaner and using ethanol "resistant" parts.
 
Last edited:
I remember having to premix 6 gallon cans on that 48 I had. Dad always told me one major rule, "when you've gone as far as you can on one tank, turn around, so you'll make it close to home on the other." That, and, "you're never lost until you run outta gas." He said he learned that second one in his airboating days.
 
Back
Top