Johnson 90 upgrade?

[clayton8673]

Hi. This is my first post so I hope I picked the right forum for this subject.
I have a 1997 Johnson 90 hp 90 degree v-4 model J90TLEDA. It is on a boat with a 135 hp rating. I was wondering what options I might have to try and get a little more power from this motor.

Anybody know what the options might be regarding parts from compatible models of higher output or have any other ideas?

Thanks,
Ken

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Johnson 90 upgrade?

It is typically cost-prohibitive. The most you'd get is a 115. Anything higher would require a completely different powerhead, but even that might not fit the leg. Even the jump from 90 to 115 would take enough expensive parts and labor as to make that cost prohibitive too. You'd do better cost-wise and reliability-wise to trade for a bigger motor.

If you want a really big improvement, get a Merc 135 V-6. Sounds weird, but it'd have more power than a Johnnyrude 140Hp V-4. It' be the difference between upper 40s and upper 50s (mph). Depending on the boat of course. The 140 is a maxed-out V-4 and the 135 is a detuned V-6.