125 evinrude electric shift - save or sell

[knezzer]

I have a 125hp evinrude with electric shift that came with a boat I picked up last year. It sat in a field for 9 years before I brought it home. The PO assured me that it was running fine when he parked it. I've never even tried to start it up. I took it off the boat right away so I could strip the boat. I had it in my head that I want a much newer fuel efficient motor,but they aren't cheap around here (Saskatchewan). It doesn't seem seized and looks clean inside, just faded from the sun. I hear the electric shift models are hard to fix. Would it worth it to even try to bring this back to life? Or just sell it towards a newer version?

 

[knezzer]

I'm not very mechanically inclined either, but I can learn the basics

 

[jbuote]

For what it's worth....

​I'm new to outboards. I have a 71' Johnson 50 hp Hydro-electric shift I just got running. Have to tune it up more, but it runs.

​It's not that the Electric shift and Hydro-electric (Yes they are different, but similar) are harder to fix or work on, they are just different shifting mechanisms.
​Some shifting parts can be hard to find, and/or pricey in some locations. I have no idea about Saskatchewan.

​The engine itself, tuning, carbs, timing etc... is pretty much the same as any other engine of the era.

​I'd probably get hold of the factory service manual for your engine. (Small investment) Then run through the steps to check it out, and get her running.
​She might start up after checking it out and run fine with a relatively small investment..
​Or, you may find after checking it out via the manual, there are too many parts to buy to get it running and you don't want to spend the money..

At least going that far would help you decide what you really want to do, and if you have the factory service manual, you could use that as a selling point too.
​"Factory Service Manual included..." LOL

​Just the humble opinion of an outboard newbie.

​Hope it helps, even if just a little.

 

[knezzer]

Thanks for your advice jbuote.

 

[jimmbo]

Those were good motors in their day. The Hydro-Electric Shift was a well engineered unit and works very well. The biggest threats to its function, were the wrong oil, dirty oil, and water in the oil.
Is it worth fixing? Well you don't even know if it needs fixing yet. Parts that will need replacement before any running would be the pump impeller. Is there oil in the gearcase? If so, is it black, amber, milky, did water drain out first? You could hook up a battery and see what kind of compression it has. There are steps to waking a sleeping engine http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...231-awakening-a-sleeping-outboard-by-boatbuoy

 

[knezzer]

Thanks jimmbo! Totally right about that, it might be fine. There was oil in the gear case that looked ok. I will look into this link, maybe try something and see what happens

 

[F_R]

I see it has power tilt and a SST prop. Both are valuable features. There is nothing wrong with Hydro-Electric shift. Just all the negative opinions they get. Sure, they occasionally need repair. Is there any motor that doesn't? Their worst enemy is dirty oil, rotted electrical wires, and the shift switch in the control. "Dirty oil" means microscopic grit in the oil. The stuff you can't see. The oil serves as hydraulic fluid as well as a lubricant. It must be changed as part of regular preventative maintenance.