90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

gabraab · May 12, 2004

Looking at buying a boat. It has a 90 HP Mariner engine ( 1991 Crestliner 17ft ). 3 quick questions. 1.Seller says the outboard runs but keeps fouling plug on cyl 1. Never owned an outboard boat. How hard will this be to fix? Worst case, how much would it cost to fix it? I could probably do work myself if it would save significant money 2. Is this a decent outboard? Would it be OK for skiing? I have seen these before, but never heard much about them. 3. Asking price for boat is only $950. It does not appear to be in horrible condition from the pictures, just needs a little tlc. Seems like a fair price. What would be your opinion on this with this motor on it. Thanks for any advice you can give, Greg

Fishin4fun · May 12, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

what year is the motor?

Chris1956 · May 12, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

Graab, If the motor is in good shape, it will pull waterskiiers well. Of course the question is, why does it foul Cylinder 1 plug? It could be bad ignition, bad compression or bad carburetion. It is probably a good ider to inquire it's year. The experts on this board may then have a better idea what the problem is.

gabraab · May 13, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

It is a 1985 Mariner 90hp I believe. I actually bought the boat yesterday. For $900 I figured I could fix it up and make a little money on it even if I did not want to keep it. The motor actually runs good, we started it up. He said that after a while that plug fouls and then you can tell immediately that it happened. So what should my first step be to get this thing running at top performance? Thanks for the help. PS Anybody know of a good repair manual for this outboard and a good source of Vinyl to recover the seats?

Chris1956 · May 13, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

Graab, The vinyl is available from the BoatUS catalog. They will provide samples if you are unsure of what color you want. The vinyl is marine grade and heavy duty. I use a Merc manual, and am unsure of the quality of the other brands.

Fishin4fun · May 13, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

If you find significant problems in the motor ie rebuild, let me know, I have a complete powerhead (including wiring) solid 142-146lbs compression in all 6 cyls without any issues sitting in my garage.

DJ · May 13, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

The first thing to do is take a compression test. That will determine if that cylinder is healthy. readings within 5-10 psi of the others is what you are looking for. If not, I would decarb the whole engine first and then retry. Decarb. info. http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=000006 If it is OK, we go looing for other issues. Let us know.

gabraab · May 18, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

Thanks Fishin4fun, I am taking it in to have the local shop put 1 hour of shop time into it. Tell me what kind of condition it is in and what may need to be fixed. I will let you know if I need the "powerhead". I am also going to read the info on the decarb and see what that is all about. Thanks for all the help, Greg

Originally posted by Fishin4fun: If you find significant problems in the motor ie rebuild, let me know, I have a complete powerhead (including wiring) solid 142-146lbs compression in all 6 cyls without any issues sitting in my garage.

youngboater · May 18, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

WOW, THAT WAS A GOOD EXPLANATION FROM GARY. THANKS, I LEARNED A FEW THINGS MYSELF.

gabraab · May 19, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

OK, They put an hour of shop time into the outboard. Said the water pump was weak and causing it to overheat a bit. Also that Cyl 1/ plug 1 was getting a little bit of water in it. I can't remember exactly what he said was causing it, some kind of gasket leak somewhere he thought. What would usually cause this to a single cyl/plug? Compression was good on all 6 cyl. So it looks like the engine is good. He said that everything else checked out fine. So.... I have the Seloc Manual for the outboard and am fairly mechanicly inclined, although most of the stuff I have done has been on cars. The quote was $480 to fix it. More than I am willing to pay, but almost all of it is labor cost ( is $70/hour normal ). I have read through the instructions on replacing the water pump, looks very doable. I will know more once I pick up the boat tomorrow and get the estimate so I have the specifics on the other problem, but would like to know if this sounds like something I could do myself? What do you experts out there think? Thanks for all the help so far. I am going to decarb it after I replace the water pump and get the leak problem fixed. Greg

gabraab · May 19, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

Another question. Will this work with my outboard? Side mount dual lever engine control, this type of control is used for controlling the throttle and clutch of inboard or outboard engines it will accept either the Morse or Teleflex cables. picture can be seen below

If not, what is a good source for a new remote controler( is that the right term?)? and what can I expect to pay. It currently has a quicksilver one but the trim button does not work and it is a little rough.

Clams Canino · May 19, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

It's prolly a leak on the exhaust plates if it's getting water into a single cylinder. $480 isn't too bad to fix that as the powerhead has to come off. The inline 6 was Mercurys golden child of old - well worth keeping if it's a fresh water specimin. -W

Fishin4fun · May 20, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

for that same price I will mail my powerhead ready to bolt up you can do it in 2 hours if you have yours already removed and I will include control box and wiring!

gabraab · May 21, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

Tempting Fishin4fun, What year/serial is your powerhead. Did you rebuild it, what kind of condition is it in. Why are you not using it? Do you have pictures of it all that you can email to me?

Clams Canino · May 21, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

In my experience inline 6 powerheads trade as follows. Remanufactured: $1500 - $2200 (plus core) New Overhaul: $1000 (plus core) As pulled and tests good $500 D.O.A. < $100 -W Ebays foremost trader of inline 6 stuff - 300 plus deals under belt

Fishin4fun · May 24, 2004

Re: 90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

It is a 1979 model, I will get you the SN if you need it. I have not rebuilt it. It has 142-148lbs compression in each cylinder. I no longer use it as I bought a 115hp remanufactured powerhead from a local dealer. The orig owner of the 115 didnt pay his bill and the Merc Dealer made me an irresistible offer. I live in Colorado Springs and with the altitude 6700 ft plus, I was looking for more power than the 90hp had. The 90hp powerhead is absolutely complete. Just needs bolted on. I guarantee it runs great. The motor was orig purchased by my grandfather, and has been maintained by a merc dealer its entire life. I was looking to get new carbs for it to upgrade it to a 115hp but when a mechanic that you have known for years and done a lot of business with makes you a deal on something taking up space in his shop, it is hard to walk away. He and I unbolted my 90hp Powerhead and bolted on the 115hp powerhead in less than an hour. It was a very very easy swap. I will see if I can find a digital camera if you are still interrested. Five hundred shipped to your home, and I guarantee it. Email me at edabrahamson@aol.com if you want to discuss this further.

90 HP Mariner Engine on Crestliner. BUY?

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