I'm new to this stuff,the boat I'm looking at is a 86 Starcraft16'bow rider, in very good shape, running a '78 Merc90 6cyc, seems to run very well...should I worry about the age, and what should I look for? <br />Thank for any help!!! Gary
Welcome to iboats.<br /><br />Good motors in general. Parts availability isn't much of a problem. Check the compression and make sure you get spark on all 6. Water pump and gearlube would be automatic service points on any used motor. Make sure it idles well In The Water. The reed blocks wear around the crankshaft making starting and idling difficult on older inline 6s with lots of hours. Only cure is an overhaul. They typically still idle well if run only on the muffs, but put them in water and you can't get a good idle, or it'll die on take-off. Make sure you water test it first!
The compression test is a good indicator of the engines overall shape, but anything can happen, even on newer motors. I see alot of those old Merc. motors running around, so there must be something to it..
