advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

[bluebrownie]

hey all, my 15hp died last week...cracked block...ugh... looking for used...found a
1988 evinrude 25 hp tiller steer... guy has owned for 15 years, but sat in his basement for past 5 years, didn't run it at all over past 5 years.
When he shut it down, it ran great, and he says...LOW hours... never had problems with it, and maintained it. spoke to the guy on the phone..sounded like older gentlemen...and legit...will look at tomorrow... in person.

What should i look for in the motor...? i am gonna do compression test when i get there. any other things to look for as i am likley not gonna be starting it...hasn't been started in 5 years...

any ideas of what to look for?

cost is 280... if its still good, this could be a real steal...

 

[bluebrownie]

Re: advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

bump

 

[AlTn]

Re: advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

crack the drain screw on the lower unit and check for water..advise taking a hand impact driver with you for this as the drain/vent plugs can be really tight...don't mess with the phillips head screw on the lower unit...if this is a saltwater motor and wasn't flushed/winterized before sitting this long, buyer beware

 

[bluebrownie]

Re: advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

anything else i should do... was gonna look at the block for paint flaking...overheat issues, check compression, and will check lower unit...this motor has been sitting in a basement for 5 years... lil worried about the flywheel not turning... any thoughts on how to do that...? i was gonna put sum fogging oil in cylindars to hopefully loosen up if things are just stuck... anything else?
tx guys

 

[jasper60103]

Re: advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

anything else i should do... was gonna look at the block for paint flaking...overheat issues, check compression, and will check lower unit...this motor has been sitting in a basement for 5 years... lil worried about the flywheel not turning... any thoughts on how to do that...? i was gonna put sum fogging oil in cylindars to hopefully loosen up if things are just stuck... anything else?
tx guys

Ask what fuel/oil ratio he used. The original factory spec was 100:1, but OMC later reverted back to 50:1 due to problems. Fogging oil in the cylinders is a good idea. If the flywheel is stuck I would pass.

 

[Daviet]

Re: advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

You should be able to rotate the flywheel by hand when you pull the plugs.

 

[Mike in Tac]

Re: advice for buying 1988 evinrude 25 hp

Sounds kinda like the motor I have - mine is the 1989 ELCEB 25hp. It's been nothing but a headache for me (mostly to do with the controls, etc - which you won't have to deal with), but I'm pretty much new to all this boat stuff and don't know what I'm doing for the most part. I also bought it from a questionable dude....lessons learned too late. If you have a straight-shooter for a seller then good luck - I think that's the most important thing. Good luck!