'78 55hp Evinrude shot a rod

[jrtredo]

I had a bad day on the water yesterday, my motor shot a rod through the block. I had to get a tow back with the Ontario police. This motor was in mint condition and has been in my family since new and had low hours on it. I have been using it for a few years now with no trouble and have always mixed the gas correctly. Any guesses on why this happend?

Also, the lower unit I presume is still good. I will be looking for a new motor, does anyone know what other motors I could interchange the lower unit with say if i found a good motor with a bad lower?

Thanks for any input

 

[Happy_Jack]

Re: '78 55hp Evinrude shot a rod

My guess (and it is just a guess) would be, that although you properly mixed the fuelil in the tank, for one reason or another it was not delivered to the cylinder which threw the rod, causing a lean condition in that cylinder (no oil)

The other possibility is a buildup of carbon over the years which USUALLY presents itself as broken rings, and scoring cylinders,burnt pistons.

So likely a lean condition due to fuelil starvation in that cyulinder.

Why not just find a decent, used powerhead, go through it, and keep the rest of the family motor intact?