I have a 1979 Johnson 175 that has been steadily deteriorating in performance. I had it in the water last week and it was very hard to start and ran poorly. I pulled all of the plugs the next day and found one plug with the gap shorted. I regapped the plug and it ran a little better, but not perfect.<br /><br />I took a look at the plugs better today and found that the gap shorted again (electrode bent into center conductor) on the middle cylinder, starboard side. I pulled the head and found the piston loose with many pockmarks on both it and the head. Also, the bottom cylinder starboard side had a few marks in it and a piece of metal that looked like part of a ring. Both cylinders have a couple of scratches in them. The other 4 cylinders appear to be OK.<br /><br />I am fairly handy but have never pulled an engine down this far. I feel certain that it will need at least 2 pistons and rings, as well as a starboard head and gaskets. It very likely will also need to be rebored.<br /><br />Is this something that I should attempt? Is the motor worth this, or should it be trashed? Other than this, it is in good shape. How hard is it to replace 2 pistons? How about rebooring the cylinders?<br /><br />Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,<br /><br />Rick
