New powerhead normal?

[Cosmos11]

I found a 2006 115 HP Mercury 4 stroke outboard engine 25" shaft with 611 hours that is being sold by a broker for $4400. My only concern is it has a new powerhead as of July 2011. Seems odd to me so soon in its life. Any pointers on tips if I should proceed with looking at this motor?

 

[Grub54891]

Could have been a lot of things, poor maintenance, Swamped in the past,could be most anything to cause the old powerhead to go south. Make sure the new one is good on compression and service.

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

As Grub said, it could be almost any reason to replace the powerhead. Some failures are destructive, as in a rod through the side or other damage, that replacement is the most cost effective method. Some motors are too far gone to repair.

I take it that the motor is not on a boat, so make sure the broker shows you that it runs some how.