Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

[DanMC]

Hi to all,
Some of you may have already come across my former postings in regards with choosing the most dependable 4 stroke 25 Hp outboard, here is a small list in order of prefference:
-Honda BF 25 Carb. ,
-Yamaha F25 A Carb. ,
-Tohatsu MFS 25 EFI and the clones disquised as Mercury 25 EFI,Nissan NSF 25 EFI. This motors by Tohatsu (and the clones) look interesting techno wise. They feature battery-less EFI and are Made in Japan...
The most expensive of the bunch in Honda and the least expensive in the Tohatsu.
What is strange is that i watch WFN daily and i never see anyone use Honda outboards at all, it seems that the market is dominated by Mercury,Envirude and a distant third Yamaha...is Mercury best selling or is that reliable or what's the story here ...?,i remember when GM was selling the Chevy Cavalier and bragging as the best selling but the quality wasn't even comparable with a Civic,Corolla (the models that could steer and brake) or even the Sentras.
I hope i did not offend anyone here, but your oppinions will be appreciated.
Thank you,
Dan

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

OMC's from the 70s through mid-80s, or an OMC 33 hp from the 60s.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

tmcalavy, when you say OMC that includes Johnson/evinrude, right? I only ask b/c I have a 1966 33 hp Johnson (RXEL-14D) that I was thinking about trying to get running again. It was running about 3 yrs ago, but has sat since then. It turns over, has good compression, a good starter, good lowerunit, but I think it may need condensers and/or the points reset. I don;t really have any experience with stuff under the flywheel. In your opinion are they good motors worth fixing? Any ideas, or opinions are welcome.

 

[Tommy Two Stroke]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

I had two of the mid 60's OMC 33's that I recently sold. One was a Johnson RXEL-13B and the other was an Evinrude 33902A. Both were good engines, but they had the same problems that all other outboards I've owned have had....fuel pumps would go bad, carbs needed occasional rebuilding, and the throttle lockout link that would touch the raised ribs on the flywheel needed frequent adjusting. Plus, they don't have a compression release like some of the 40hp Big Twins, making them tough to pull start. Overall, the 33's I had were good engines, but I don't think they're especially reliable compared to other engines - probably about the same reliability as the others.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

I think Dan is talking about 4 strokes.
I'm going to go even farther into 2 stroke land.
4 strokes are fine motors but very complicated, many many moving parts.
More complicated more frequent service intervals.
Check out the Evinrude Etec 25 and 30 hp direct injection 2 strokes.
As clean or cleaner than any 4 stroke.usually lighter.No service required for 3 years or 300 hours.No breakin period.

 

[pscrabber59]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

I have a 2005 Yamaha F25. Great motor so far. Just bought a Whaler that came with a 2001 Honda BF25. Runs well.
Used to have a 85' Jonhson 25hp ran it about 3 times after i bought it lower unit went out.
Had a 89' Evinrude 25 that ran ok but not great.
Out of the 4 25hp motors i would have to say the Yamaha is the most dependable. of course its the newest out of the 4 i have owned but i go through outboards like ex-girlfriends. The downside of the 4-stokes as steelspike mentions is they are "complex" to work on just like my ex's!!

 

[Tom @ Buzzard Bluff]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

---I have a 1966 33 hp Johnson (RXEL-14D) that I was thinking about trying to get running again. It was running about 3 yrs ago, but has sat since then. It turns over, has good compression, a good starter, good lowerunit, but I think it may need condensers and/or the points reset. I don;t really have any experience with stuff under the flywheel.

Your lack of experience is about to put a several $1000 dollar hole in your life if you buy a new 4 stroke rather than learn the simple processes needed to maintain your Johnson. And it will continue to mine your wallet at the $75/hr shop labor rate (or whatever it is for you) to maintain the FAR more parts and wear items in comparison to older 2 cycles.

IIRC your 33 horse still used the conventional OMC 'universal magneto'. If so then if the coils haven't been replaced that is most probably the problem. Go to <http://hoodad.fortunecity.com/biglures-motors.html> for a primer on rebuilding the universal magneto by scrolling a bit more than halfway down the page to the section on the TN model which is virtually identical to your own if my memory is correct. Don't even TRY removing the flywheel without the harmonic balancer/steering wheel puller!

But before you get that specific read and absorb the info on the following 2 websites:

<http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/01/articles/oldoutboards/index.htm>

<http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086>

Maintaining old outboards isn't 'rocket science'! Two cycles are the simplest form of internal combustion engine. Magnetos are so simple, and perennially rebuildable at little expense in comparison to the 'black box' electronic ignition systems that they are 'the only way to fly' for anyone who intends to do his own maintenance. If you don't believe me try comparing the price of new coils, condensers and points for the OMC universal magneto to the price of the electronic components that replaced them in later CDI electronic systems!

It's up to you----pay the huge up-front price and on-going high maintenance for your ignorance or make the minimal investments in tools and learning to be independent in the coming economic hard times. Anyone with opposable thumbs can do it----if they only will!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

Thanks Tom. I think you're right. I would much prefer to get/keep the old motor running for a variety of reasons too. I now have a repair manual so I feel much better about tackling some of the issues I mayh come accross. Gonna take it slow and steady.
If/when I determine there is a spark problem do you have any tricks for getting the fly wheel nut off? I don't have an impact wrench gun and I need some way to keep the flywheel from spinning without damaging it. Do I have to buy a special tool, or is there another way? I've seen several methods online, but I appreciate any ideas you may have. Thanks.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

Thanks Tom. I think you're right. I would much prefer to get/keep the old motor running for a variety of reasons too. I now have a repair manual so I feel much better about tackling some of the issues I mayh come accross. Gonna take it slow and steady.
If/when I determine there is a spark problem do you have any tricks for getting the fly wheel nut off? I don't have an impact wrench gun and I need some way to keep the flywheel from spinning without damaging it. Do I have to buy a special tool, or is there another way? I've seen several methods online, but I appreciate any ideas you may have. Thanks.

A cheap plastic / rubber strap wrench from Harbor Freight Tools. Then, once the nut is off, use one of their cheap gear pullers to remove the flywheel itself.

I bought the set for a couplabucks figuring that $100 for a good one wasn't really necessary and I'd only use it once anyway. 20 motors later they still work....LOL.

 

[Tom @ Buzzard Bluff]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

Thanks Tom. I think you're right. I would much prefer to get/keep the old motor running for a variety of reasons too. I now have a repair manual so I feel much better about tackling some of the issues I mayh come accross. Gonna take it slow and steady.
If/when I determine there is a spark problem do you have any tricks for getting the fly wheel nut off? I don't have an impact wrench gun and I need some way to keep the flywheel from spinning without damaging it. Do I have to buy a special tool, or is there another way? I've seen several methods online, but I appreciate any ideas you may have. Thanks.

In post # 22 at the thread below: <http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=420729> FR describes and has a pic of making a simple, inexpensive strap wrench to immobilize the flywheel. With a strap wrench and the proper other tools you can remove the flywheel and re-torque it when finished.

CAUTION!!!!!

DO NOT use a common outside gear puller on a flywheel!!!!!!!
For @ the same price you can get a 'harmonic balancer/steering wheel puller from auto parts outlets, Horror Freight or any # of other places. With it and your strap wrench and a torque wrench you have virtually all of the 'special tools' required to work on old OMCs. The same is NOT true of Mercurys!

The strap wrench, puller and the correct socket and a breaker bar are all you need to get the flywheel off. No impact wrench needed.

With the shop manual and the search function on this site you should be good to go. If you run into something you don't fully understand ask here FIRST before gambling on it. Those of us here have already made all of the mistakes between us so someone will steer you down the right path.

Enjoy the process and remember-----if you can GET it running you can KEEP it running!

 

[WN2712NJ]

Re: Opinions on the most dependable 25 Hp outboard

My $0.02 on this:

How easy or hard or expensive a particular engine is to repair isn't relevant to the question asked. To paraphrase, the question was "how often is a particular engine likely to leave me stuck at the dock, or worse, stranded out to sea?"

I've got a fair degree of mechanical aptitude, and in my youth drove cars that were mechanically simple compared to today's, and cheap to repair. But I frequently found myself walking. Which wasn't so bad because at the time I was in college and really could walk to where ever I needed to (not to mention the auto parts store) from where ever my 60's vintage car had left me stuck. And I had the spare time to tinker with it.

Today I don't have the time, and when it came time to decide on an OB it as a no-brainer, I bought a new 4st. In my case, the boat and motor are at a cabin, and when I finally get there on a free weekend I just need the darn thing to run, I don't want to tinker with it, and I especially don't want it to leave me stranded in Puget Sound. If the worst happens and there is a problem with it, I just want to dump it at the dealer and let them deal with it under warranty, which I did have to do once.

Look up in Alaska in what the pro's drive. I doubt you'd see many 30 year old OMC products. To those guys time is $$, and they and their customer's lives are potentially on the line to boot. For what it is worth, I've been told by friends who fish up there that Yamaha is the clear favorite.

So like a lot of things I think it comes down to a time vs $$ trade-off, as well as a bit of risk analysis. If you've got a lot of time, and a failure isn't going to put you or your family in danger (either because of where you boat or because you have backup power) then I would say there is nothing wrong with buying an older OB, recognizing that by it's nature it is going to need fairly frequent, but simple maintenance (e.g. points).

For the record, I've got an almost new Tohatsu 20HP, and I definitely don't see the point in paying more for the Merc/Nissan variants of exactly the same thing. My decision was partly driven by cost and partly by what I could get serviced w/o traveling far from where the boat is stored. That said, I've never seen any actual data on the reliability of the various makes, I would guess that the manufacturers all work hard to prevent the disclosure of such data. But I do put a lot of weight on the choices that folks who boat in remote/dangerous places make.

YMMV,

-dm