1990's Small Evinrudes

[kster]

Hey Outboard Motorheads, it's been awhile. I'm hoping to get some feedback on the 90's era small Evinrudes (my 1990 8HP in particular). I'm really only interested in the small motors 5 to 15HP (I have no need for anything else). I'v had a 1981 Johnson 7.5HP on my Jon boat for about 5 years up here in the Wisconsin Northwoods, it's worked hard for me and has not failed entirely, there has been some frustrating moments and it's starting to wear out. I just bought a 1990 Evinrude 8 HP (nearly mint condition). It seems to me that Evinrudes line of small motors made some changes in the 90's. I know that there paint went to the Dark Metallic Blue into the 90's and my little 8 does not have the manual lean/rich fuel adjustment and has a little black box under the hood. I'v read that Evinrude made some "blunders" in the 90's to try to keep up with the competition. I can't find any discussions about these Evinrude 8's. Are they good reliable motors or are most of them in the bone yard?

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Well, myself, if I'm going to get a small outboard that is cheap to keep running and very reliable, I would have to try one of these:

1958 Evinrude Fisherman 5 1/2. Just re-sealed the lower unit, new water pump and coils, with wires for about $100. Runs like a top

Or a 1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7 1/2. New coils and wires. Runs like a top.

Last, but not least...1955 Johnson 5 1/2. New coils and wires. Runs decent, but still needs a carb rebuild. My plan is to completely strip this motor down to the bare metal and restore it.

One thing I love about these motors, is they're old, but still quite inexpensive to do a complete tune up and they'll last for years. They also turn some heads out on the lake too.

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Man Zeph, lookin' good. Can't wait to see that full restore!

 

[raczekp1]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/johnson _8hp.htm

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/johnson _8hp.htm

Dude, I love those SSchapters, he does such a thorough job.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Man Zeph, lookin' good. Can't wait to see that full restore!

Yea, I think I'm going to be on the look out for a nice little 12' car topper to run these with. The two old Evinrudes are ready to hit the water now.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

i personally dont like the motors from the early 90's, especially when they switched to the front mount shift lever. i have a 1990 8 and a newer one.. 1993 i think, the newer one is in pieces and will never get put back together, but the side shift 8hp has never caused any grief of any kind.

 

[raczekp1]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

i like shift handle in my evi 15 96 -its easy to reach,
also transportating handle is good
but i dont like the rest, its too much plastick

 

[kster]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

i personally dont like the motors from the early 90's, especially when they switched to the front mount shift lever. i have a 1990 8 and a newer one.. 1993 i think, the newer one is in pieces and will never get put back together, but the side shift 8hp has never caused any grief of any kind.[/QUOTE


Thanks for your input nwcove. This is the type of input I was hoping for. This 1990 8HP seems to be nearly brand new & has the side shift. I go on some real Top Secret Missions with my 12' Jon and sometimes don't see anyone all day, sometimes get the "one more cast syndrome" and don't make it back until well after dark. I really need a motor that will not fail or I could be in some big trouble I just never met anyone with bad experiences or putting down Evinrude outboards. I'v heard some "cold-blooded" comments about some Johnson outboards though, I have to say that my 7.5 Johnson has been "cold-blooded" at times but it always fired up and got me back!

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

I have actually owned a late model Johnson 7.5hp (1983) and it was a good runner. It was used a lot in salt water though, (by the P.O.) and dared not try to loosen any of the bolts. LOL

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

I have actually owned a late model Johnson 7.5hp (1983) and it was a good runner. It was used a lot in salt water though, (by the P.O.) and dared not try to loosen any of the bolts. LOL

Hahaha, yea man, I have snapped SO MANY head studs on salties.

 

[kster]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Thanks, good info here!

 

[5150abf]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

The early 90s was when OMC was on the way out and they really started making everthing as cheap as they could, lots of plastic parts and such, basically the stockholders were teh main focus and engines and boats were a sideline.

I worked at Suncruiser.OMC owned, back then and all they ever talked about was the stockholders, never once made any money at all, except the top brass, they gutted the company with huge bonuses, I would go so far as to say as the CEO at the time single handedly ran OMC into the ground while taking millions in bonuses for losing 10s of millions of dollars.

The last good engines OMC made were the mid to late 80s, after that they got sketchy till after BRP took over the company.

 

[kster]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

The early 90s was when OMC was on the way out and they really started making everthing as cheap as they could, lots of plastic parts and such, basically the stockholders were teh main focus and engines and boats were a sideline.

I worked at Suncruiser.OMC owned, back then and all they ever talked about was the stockholders, never once made any money at all, except the top brass, they gutted the company with huge bonuses, I would go so far as to say as the CEO at the time single handedly ran OMC into the ground while taking millions in bonuses for losing 10s of millions of dollars.

The last good engines OMC made were the mid to late 80s, after that they got sketchy till after BRP took over the company.

Ya, I was afraid I had heard something along these line many years ago but I didnt know the specifics. Well, now I am a little reserved about my purchase of this motor. There is a couple of ways to look at it I guess. Mine is a 1990 model & maybe things didnt get that bad yet. I can say that I had a fishing buddy that bought a brand new 1991 15HP and being young and this being his first outboard he didnt maintain it more than a gearcase oil change annually if that. He put some hard hours on that motor and It never let him down until around 2000 or so when it started heating up and he realized the impeller/water pump needs maint. Believe it or not he even clipped a stump/log/rock at full speed, busted the skeg off, and dismounted the motor right off the back of the boat. It was still attached only by the fuel line, motor totally submerged he grabbed the fuel line and was able to pull it back up enough to grab the motor itself. I believe the mount was busted also but he stuck it back on the the boat and somehow it still ran for years after some welding repair. I remember the chock tab was busted on it not long after warranty which was fixed with a piece of steel wire (cheap plastic parts mentioned). The moral of this story is that I know of at least one early 90's small Evinrude that "took the beat" and still kept on going. I bought mine for $500 and I guess I'll have it checked and serviced by a pro for hopefully less than 2-3 hundred, a fraction of the cost of new (the new 4 strokes are so heavy anyway). Hopefully this little 8 will keep me going for a decade or so without grief... Hey, thanks for all the comments/contributions to this thread! Anyone, please add more comments, good or bad!!!

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Yea, those 6's, 7.5's and 8's are pretty good little motors. If you keep care of them, they'll go for years, as you can see. The ones I have here, are over 50 years old and they haven't had the best of care, so you can get an idea of what good care will do for you. Outboard motors were done well, in their construction and they have lasted far longer than the manufacturers have ever thought they would. The biggest killer, is neglect. Keep good oil in the gearcase and change it every Fall, before you put it away and that will save you a ton of hardship. Plus, make sure the carb has no fuel in it, before you put it away too. Keep all the parts clean and freshly lubed. These three tips will probably tripple the life expectancy of any outboard.

That little 5 1/2 pictured below is 54 years old and the internal parts look like they were built last year. LOL I paid $40 for it with a tank and a rod bolt backed out and locked it up. I cleaned up the crank and rod journals and put it all back together and it runs like a champ. I re-sealed the lower unit, put new waterpump impeller in it and new coils, so it's good for another 20 years. Of course, if I decided to sell it and someone calls about it, they'll say "no way man. It's too old" LOL

 

[kster]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

I can see you are a true OMC Motorhead Zephyr. Really cool motors you have and I believe you care for them well. I'll TAKE YOUR ADVICE! I'v learned many good things here at iboats. I believe many people buy used outboards with no owners manual and little knowlage of care for them. What seems like common sense to you will be a lesson hard learned for some (myself included). I bought the before mentioned 7.5HP Johnson in near mint condition also but the impeller key was not properly installed and failed the very first time I took it out. That being my first outboard motor I didnt realize that until the nice white paint on each cylinder turned brown from overheating! After I learned how to change the waterpump with some help from people like you at iboats, it still runs like a champ but I think the compression is very low and I have a hard time trusting it. Anyway, I bought this Evinrude 8 (it even has the owners manual) with a little more knowlage... Please correct me if I'm wrong but what I have been doing for storage is putting alittle carb cleaner and some Stabile in with fresh gas the last time or 2 out and run it through. I change the gearcase oil before the first run after ice out. Would you say absolutly not? There is solid ice up here in Wisconsin for about 4 months.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Well, it's best to change out the gearcase oil at the end of Fall when you put it away, so you can make sure you don't find any water mixed in with the oil and that is the main reason. It's best to let your motor set all Winter with fresh new oil in it, rather than old. Also, make sure all the drians in your lower unit are clean, and open, so all the water is drained out from the cavities of the lower unit. Any water sitting in the cavities could freeze and pop open your lower unit.

Getting stabile in your carb is a good idea also. Most would recemend that. Funny thing is, in the 30+ years I've tinkered with motors, I've never even touched Stabile, or Sea Foam. Oddly enough, I haven't had much trouble with carburetion, from bad gas that sat in my motors over the Winter, either. I do have strange, good luck with these things, eventhough I have had a very few with issues that needed more effort. I've rebuilt more carbs, because I wanted to, than because I had to.

Yes, the folks here at iBoats are a great crowd and very willing to help out. Fortunately, I didn't come here with many questions, but with a lot of helpful advice. Even though I have come here and brought a lot of helpful advice, I have learned some things from the folks here too. The senior members here do have a lot of great knowledge and I will never stop learning from them.

The motor you see in my avitar was my very first and my interest in the old classics went from there. A lot of great old motors were built before 1950, but the motors built between 1950 and 1960, I believe were the ones that revolutionized the current design.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

kster, that's a clean looking little motor you got there. Hopefully you'll enjoy many "Top Secret Missions" with her, LOL.
Yep, I agree. Fresh gear oil in the Fall, and hit the lube points too. In fact, I prep my boat and trailer as well. That way I'm ready to hit the water come Spring. Enjoy!

 

[kster]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

I can't wait for the next "Top Secret Mission" LOL. OK then, thanks for explaining these storage tips, this makes much more sense to me now. I want to & have to take the best care possible for this little motor. I'll be glad I did in the end! Fuel prices are going through the roof from here on out & these little motors go a long way with just 3 gallons of fuel. I'm looking at a little bigger G3 flat bottom boat 13' 10" with open middle section (no mid bench seat) but currently the 7.5 Johnson gets my 12' Lowe flat bottom up on plane and cruises 14-17 MPH. I'v been working to much for years now but Ya, I can see myself tinkering with these motors more and more and maybe ending up with a little Evinrude Fisherman like yours there Zephyr.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1990's Small Evinrudes

Yea, I had several of these little 5 1/2's over the years and they all proved out good. I completely restored a 1956 model, probably about 15 years ago and it turned out nice. This 58 model I have now, I'll probably just take off the surface and shoot a new coat of paint on it.