Where to begin Rebuild 1977 Evinrude 115

[Soccerags04]

So to start at the begining.......My grandfather had this boat in his barn for as long as i can remember. When i turned 17 i asked him if he would sell it to me. He told me if i could get it running i could have it. I got the basic info from him at the time, he won it in a poker game in the early '80s it had a problem with overheating and the previous owner had the motor "rebuilt". I had no idea what that meant at the time and didnt really care. I just wanted my first boat. Come to find out, during the "rebuild" the impeller was not functioning/put on correctly. My grandfather had someone fix this took it out a few times and then put it in the barn where it sat for about 16 years. I came along and replaced all the hoses, spark plugs, and the battery. I put in new fuel that was about 10% more oil than required. I tried to start the boat but it just wouldnt fire. I ran the new battery dead. Not one to be easily defeated i went and got my tractor and parked it next to the boat in the yard and ran it with jumper cables to the boat to keep it charged. After about 30 min of 1 min of cranking 1 min of charging the damn thing fired up and scared the sh!# out of me! I had never heard a boat run out of water before. I quickly shut it off and grabbed the lower unit earmuffs and a water hose to try to start it again. It fired up immediately and ran like a champ! My buddies and i used it every weekend for the rest of high school and then it sat over my first semester of college. I did nothing to it before storing it for 4 months. That winter break the problems began. I had a loose selonoid wire that kept randomly killing the boat. when that was tracked down, the boat would start and run at idle and as soon as it was put into gear (under a load) it would die. I parked it til summer (or so i thought).......LOL......after college 5 years later i decided i would try it again. The boat fired in the yard with no problems but as soon as it was put under a load it would die. I took it to a shop and they said that one of the cylinders did not have the same compression as the others: approx. 60% less and that the sleeve had gouges in it. Being just out of college and poor i told the shop thank you and towed my boat back to the back 40 at my parents house. It has sat there covered for the last 3 years and i finally have the time and finances to play with it again.

I would like to rebuild the motor as it is very sentimental to me.
1977 Evinrude 115 hp Model #115799s

I have ideas of granduer for this boat and motor but no ideas where to begin.
Thanks in advance for the help and hope yall enjoyed the read. Pics and updates to follow.

Mike

 

[jonesg]

Re: Where to begin Rebuild 1977 Evinrude 115

well heres how I'd go about it.

Get the evinrude factory service manual.
www.outboardbooks.com

Get some tools .
Compression test it yourself.
If the compression is way off then pull the head and inspect.
Take a couple of pics and repost back, you'll get good response that way.

 

[83 EbKo]

Re: Where to begin Rebuild 1977 Evinrude 115

one place to start. it seemed like you may have been having problems with the starter. i went through the same problem with my 73' Johnson. killed my battery and was having difficulty jumping it. wouldn't hurt to get it bench tested at your local auto store.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Where to begin Rebuild 1977 Evinrude 115

I would expect to see "normal" compression numbers in the 125+ range on the each cylinder of the powerhead. As Jones said, take a compression test first then see where you are. That is the most basic test which will qualify the condition of the engine.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Where to begin Rebuild 1977 Evinrude 115

agree^^^^
90% of starter problems are bad connections. remove and clean both ends of the battery cables, so that they are shiney, also the cable from the solenoid to starter. check for nicks in the cables. and make sure the connectors are on the wire good. the cable tend to corrode from the inside out, if nicked, corroded wires, and connections, heat up and cause resistance to the follow of electricity, thus the starter doesn't get enough. you can also take jumper cable pos battery post to large post on starter. with a good connection, the engine should spin. then if the starter is good clean everything and retest. then trouble shoot solenoid. starters can be rebuit at a starter/alternator shop, much cheaper than a new one.

also have the battery load tested at the auto parts store, free, i've had new batteries go bad

 

[Soccerags04]

Re: Where to begin Rebuild 1977 Evinrude 115

The starting problem was eliminated after the first time it fired. New battery and wires did fix that. I will get some pics of the cylinders and compression numbers for yall. Thanks!