Greetings again. I picked up a Stratos 1850 CC a month ago and have been going through it to get it in as optimal condition as possible. We all know that there is nothing worse than an unreliable boat. The outboard is a VE150TXSEB.
After replacing the water pump, thermostats and flushing the engine I took the boat out on our nearest lake. The motor will run 4600 to 4700 RPMs at full throttle and get the boat up to 37 MPH or so. It has a 14.5" x 19" prop that is a bit nicked up so I don't think that it is over-propped.
Friday I did a compression check on all 6 cylinders while it was cold and read high 70's to low 80's on all of them. I know that is low and is probably indicative of a tired motor. I've seen some suggestions about running SeaFoam to sometimes boost compression and I even saw someone mention replacing the head gaskets as a potential fix. Call me a skeptic, but I typically don't buy into mechanic in a can fixes.
Any thoughts other than a tired engine?
Since the compressions are all fairly even, I don't have any major concerns as far as it being terminally ill. My plan is to just run it over the Summer and do a rebuild over the winter months. I might be able to find a replacement engine, but if I do the rebuild myself, then I know what I have rather than picking up another motor with many hours on it. Without looking at the cylinders and running a bore gauge through them, my plan is to go ahead and have it bored out and pick up one of the parts kits with oversized pistons. That is some time off though.
Any advice is as always... Greatly appreciated.
After replacing the water pump, thermostats and flushing the engine I took the boat out on our nearest lake. The motor will run 4600 to 4700 RPMs at full throttle and get the boat up to 37 MPH or so. It has a 14.5" x 19" prop that is a bit nicked up so I don't think that it is over-propped.
Friday I did a compression check on all 6 cylinders while it was cold and read high 70's to low 80's on all of them. I know that is low and is probably indicative of a tired motor. I've seen some suggestions about running SeaFoam to sometimes boost compression and I even saw someone mention replacing the head gaskets as a potential fix. Call me a skeptic, but I typically don't buy into mechanic in a can fixes.
Any thoughts other than a tired engine?
Since the compressions are all fairly even, I don't have any major concerns as far as it being terminally ill. My plan is to just run it over the Summer and do a rebuild over the winter months. I might be able to find a replacement engine, but if I do the rebuild myself, then I know what I have rather than picking up another motor with many hours on it. Without looking at the cylinders and running a bore gauge through them, my plan is to go ahead and have it bored out and pick up one of the parts kits with oversized pistons. That is some time off though.
Any advice is as always... Greatly appreciated.
