1987 johnson 175 cut my loss?!

[jimmyebay]

Got a johnson 175. Model number is j175tlcua. Rebuilt motor. Ran it and ran great. Was on water and smoked number 5 piston. Suspecting Lack of fuel. Cylinder turned out good after quick hone. Installed new piston. Suspecting water in fuel. Back together and only ran for 10 min in driveway. Decided to check for water in lower unit. Full of metal. Magnets full. Had some when bought it and also water. Have about 3500 into it. Do I dump it and spend the 9,000 for a smaller motor or keep going? It's on a 20 ft flat bottom aluminum boat. Def over kill but fun. Any ideas what could cost or be wrong with lower unit? Thanks also, any idea what could get for this as is?

 

[sutor623]

You could probably find a used lower unit on eBay for under a grand

 

[SparkieBoat]

well you should be able to get a good used lower unit for around $300 if you shop around some, $400-500 all day long. they run about $800 to get rebuilt I think. a brand new SEI gear case is gonna set you back about $1K. run that gearcase till it concks out. maybe change the oil 2 or 3 times a year, its cheap enough. If you live near me I got a parts motor with a good gearcase 20".. your piston problem was not water in the fuel it was a clogged crab probably. I hope you cleaned your carbs good, make sure your floats are set and fuel pump is strong. thats a great motor, just take care of it, if it aint running right stop it and fix it. make sure your overheat alarm works. I plugged the oil line and premix all mine.