1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

[deeep water]

ok here it is i have had this moter from day one ,,it has never let me down ,i am very anal about clean and i hate rust,i replaced everything on the moter that would rust with bronze or ss,,,however it has mega hours on it lost of offshore and trolling and its speed and power is lacking,,, to date i have replaced the plugs 3x,i clean and gap reinstall, and relpaced the water pump once ,,carbs were rebuilt once 5 years ago cause the boat sat for 2 years and stuck closed,,gaslines are all original as are the water hoses,,,ideling is fine shifting is all great,,wot is still good no stuttering or surging ,for you guys out there that remember the sound of a solid lifter cam or a roller cam .the rattel i kinda hear that sound at wot,, but the 45+ mph is gone and the best is 36,,,,i go out to the deep water 25/30 miles i have to trust it ,,this moter has the same block as the johnson 115,,do i rebuild to stock or go for the gone in 60 sec,,fuel is not a prob,,, i carry 70 gal,,

 

[Solittle]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

What is the compression? Is it firing on all 4? If O.K. it is time for a thorough tune-up - I am not surprised of your low performance - 3 sets of plugs in 17 years - original hoses - water pump once (that is incredible!!!). Or are you pulling our chain?

 

[deeep water]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

im not pulling your chain ,ill add a pound to a fish and a bigger rack to a deer ,,this is about my boat, i dont have a compression tester,,it idels ok and there are no misses going from idel to wot,and i always backdown to 3/4 speed to cruse its just the overall topend speed thats been changing the past 4 or 5 years, i used dilectric greese on all the conections when new ,,my gas oil mix is always just a bit heavy on oil,,and the moter gets wiped down every trip ,the heads get decarbonized each fall,and fogged i havent run aground or sucked up mud i siliconed the waterpump each spring,,the only thing i take off are the plugs ,,all the wires and boots and water hoses are OEM,,,srry im a bit anal on clean when it comes to going out deep ,,im not fond of change so i kinda want to keep the moter inspite of the new 4cycle,,im wondering if there is an overall time frame when a good block just goes bad ,,i hate it when ppl puttts with things and than something goes bad and than another and so on at any rate its going to be a next fall project,,know any great mecs way up here in delaware looking for a winter project ??

 

[andy6374]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

Wow, amazing story of engine endurence. Like SoLittle said a thorough tune-up is necessary. However, do a compression check before diving into the tune up. If it checks out nice and even, then proceed with...<br /><br />-new waterpump<br />-rebuild the carbs<br />-rebuild the fuel pump<br />-new fuel line and primer bulb<br />-Check the timing (err to the side of caution)<br />-I would also recommend replacing the water jacket gaskets and cylinder head cover gaskets.<br /><br />On a side note:<br />I was surprized to find that the 88' 88 doesn't have tstats or a pressure relief valve. Do they run cold?<br /><br />-andy

 

[MCM]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

deep water, If you have an Autozone nearby they have tool loan program. You pay a deposit on the tool in this case a compression gauge, when you return the tool you get your deposit back. Might give it a thought

 

[TimMattson]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

With the OMCs ,Older than 1991 or so will not have Alc. proof fuel lines and must be changed.<br /> If compression is good on ALL cyl,then try pulling plug wires off (with coated pliers) while running,each plug should slow engine speed a bit(and a click should be heard) and if no reaction,then that cyl has a bad coil or?<br /> Plugs should be done every 50 hrs,and de-carbonizing right before hand.<br /> My 70 omc ran at 75% of power right before hand grenading from a broken ring.<br /> Also pull the carb cover to verify wide open throttle or look for the barrel pins to be horizontal on the carb shafts.<br /> Tim M

 

[deeep water]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

andy6374,most moters were made to run ,not be abused,slamming it in gear and hard tight turns puts a lot of strain on everything,jumping waves and slamming the boat down hard realy shakes the moter, i never knew my moter had a fuel pump,,, i thought it was primer bulb and moter suction ,,fuel line maybe ,plugs and wires yes but waterpump& carbe ?? hey i run her long and steady not the slam and go and stop i see out on the bay,,i treat my boat better than my wife and thats the truth ,,and ive had her for 32 years ,,MCM i do have an autozone near by ,,i just replaced the 1995 OEM upper {leaking}and the lower radiater hoses 214600 miles,rear breaks are still OEM , and ill see about getting a compression tester thanks hey tim ill try that soon if we get better weather and i can run the hose out i would like at least 3 or 4 days of low 50s weather,,,any one have an idea about the roller bearing sound i hear when slowing down from wot ???

 

[andy6374]

Re: 1988 88spl rebuild moter yes or no

deeep water-<br />It's true your impeller might be in fine condition. The point is that it will deteriorate in time and it's just not worth waiting for it to stop peeing water. Just my opinion.<br />-Good luck<br />andy