Newbie motor help!! New to everything

[srikid]

My coworker gave a his 1980 Glastron T-159 with 90HP outboard Johnson. The boat and motor have been sitting outside for at least 5-7 yrs. He said he fired up the motor 2 yrs ago in his yard. Before I go and put time and money into the floors and other things, I want to make sure the motor is good. I dont know a thing about boat motors. From what I have learned reading here is that i should :

compression check
change lower fluid
change spark plugs and wires
clean/rebuild carbs
water pump

is there anything else I need to do to get this baby up and running in the water? Is this stuff hard to do by myself??

I called two mechanics. One wants 500-700 to do water pump, carb, and gear wall(not sure what that is). The other mechanic charges $110/hr and said it will be about $700 to do the carbs, lower unit, and compresion check.
Are these prices reasonable. These prices dont include everything I listed so to do everthing will be even more. Are these prices reasonable?

I dont know what to do. Looks like it will be expensive and I am on a tight budget. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Al-53]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

buy a OEM OMC manual worth it weight in gold save you lots of money dont get a after market book...not worth the paper they are wrote on....some one will put up the link to Ken Cooks who sells the OMC manuals.....little costly ..but u will save on those prices the mechanics gave you....by doing your self.....

Al

 

[srikid]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

Can someone please post the link for Ken Cooks OMC Manuals?

 

[srikid]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

Also does anyone know site to order the water pump and carb kits?

 

[Al-53]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

here is the link to the OMC books....look on your motor to see the model number..it should on a plate on the transom clamp....then look up your year and motor.... http://www.outboardbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=items.main&boat=JM Outboard Motors&orderby=year

I boats sells the carb kits and pump kits....for a few bucks more you can get the OMC kits..I like them better....try www.crowleymarine.com for parts also

 

[jtexas]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

you ask "Is this stuff hard to do by myself??" nope. Nothing on this motor is out of reach of a determined do-it-yourselfer with basic tools and a good shop manual. Take your time, follow the manual step by step, post a question here if you hit a snag. Read the "engine faq" carb rebuild thread.

Get the model number off the port side motor mount bracket and cross reference it against this document: http://evinrude.cust.shopatron.com/media/document/ModelNumberReference.pdf there's no 1980 90hp johnsons, might be '81

Do the compression test before spending any time or money on it...it'll tell you if major work is needed. Don't worry though it's probably fine.

I bet the guy said "gear oil" not "gear wall"? Round here sometimes, "oil" sounds more like "awl". Lower unit lube.
Those prices sound about right to me.
DIY cost should be less than $200:
carb kits, 2 @ $15
2 or 3 cans carb cleaner, $30
water pump kit about $50
gear oil, $10
spark plugs $8

try www.kencook.com or www.marineengine.com for the factory manual.

but order your parts from iboats: http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Parts-Accessories/dm/

This is not an ad...I'm not connected with iboats, but they provide this free forum which has kept my boat out the shop and saved me literally thousands of $$$ so try to support 'em ever chance you get.

 

[d.boat]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

Just an alternative to the do-it-yourself advice (good advice for sure)...

As the guys have said, the stuff you mentioned is fairly easy do it yourself, and you can save some money. However it really depends on if you have the time and actually enjoy the learning curve and doing it. SOme of the stuff is dead easy (L/U lube, spark plugs, compression check). But, there will be a learning curve for others in that it will take a long time with possible screw ups, lost or broken parts, re-do's etc. Some people love this stuff and tolerate the possible frustration, some don't. Some have an aptitude, some don't. Some have previous experiences they can relate to it, some don't.

It also depends on how much you value your time. For you the $500 ($700 - $200) saved might well be worth it. For others, not only is their time valuable, which reduces the "savings" from $500 to ? [insert your time value here], but it's also worth something to have the peace of mind that the work was actually done by an experienced pro who will stand behind his work.

For me, at my stage of life, I actually enjoy learning some new things and will muddle through it. Other things, IF I CAN FIND A SHOP THAT WILL DO IT (a big if in the summer!), I would gladly pay to have it done because I can afford a few hundred dollars here and there if it doesn't get to be a habit.

Sometimes I'm forced to do things that I really dont care to do because I can't find a shop that isn't backed up 3 weeks.

For the situation you're describing, I'd probably have the shop do the work and get it done ASAP so I could make use of the summer and/or move on to the boat restoration (which I'd def. do myself). I'd have them check compression first and if it's good, I'd give them the go ahead for carbs., water pump, L/U oil, link and sync, and general tune up. I'd have them do a full-on in the water check ride so you're not surprised first time you use it. $700 invested, if it turns out to be checked out and gotten into shape by a pro in a timely manner, would be worth it in the big picture.

 

[srikid]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

I do like doing the work myself and and learning new things and on a really tight budge so I am probably end up doing it myself. I will get the part number off the motor and order the parts.

Does anyone know if there are instructions on how to do a compression check?

 

[Al-53]

Re: Newbie motor help!! New to everything

ok here is the top secret file for a compression check.....Hope they dont kill me for giving away top secrets...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=313963&highlight=compression


on the top of this forum you see a tag for top secret files..read them lots of info....these guys here are great to post stuff like that.....

read them all....be surprised what you learn and what helps you

Al