Should I rebuild this motor??

[chucker]

It looks like my 94 mercury 90hp tiller is going to need a rebuild; it’s mounted on a 94 Lund ProV 1890. I have not had it looked at yet it’s up at the cabin in Deer River. It appears there was a problem with the oiling system and the engine locked up. I like the boat and don’t see any reason why it should not serve my needs for quite a few more years to come. Based on this information what do you think are my best options, rebuild the motor, buy a new motor or sell the boat with a bad motor and look for a different rig? I think the cost of a rebuild will probably be more than the book value of the motor. I have just started looking for motor options and used tiller motors in that size are hard to come by and new motors are very expensive plus I have to figure out what to do with the old one. I’m sure I will have an easy $6000 into a new motor by the time it’s all done. I’m just not sure if this is a good option on a boat of this age? Does anyone have any ideas what a re-build would cost or know of any good sources for a used or new motor that would work for this boat? Thanks

[thedeadsea]

I would look for a different used motor by checking local dealerships or on E bay or C list. You can get a tiller kit from a junkyard, or if you find a Merc close in year to the one you have currently, you can put that one on.

Lots of people are ready to drop their old motor for cheap when the repower.

Steve

[iceman16]

the way i see it those lunds wil last a lifetie if you take care of them. if you like the boat get a new motor.

iceman

[RuKiddingMe]

I personally wouldn't mess with a rebuild. I would sell it off for parts and pick up a 4 stroke or a new age 2 stroke, benefits of doing so are many - lower emissions, better fuel economy, better performance and so on.

just my .02

RU

[solbes]

I had a smilar situation last year with my '91 Forester 16' and '84 Evinrude 90. I didn't want to do a rebuild, because I was looking to buy a new boat anyway. I didn't want to drop $7k for a new 4 stroke either, because I'd never get that back on resale.

I sold the boat and motor with cracked rings/scorn piston to my neighbor for pretty cheap. He brought it to a place in East Bethel that does engine rebuilds. They took the old evinrude off and replaced with a Johnson 88 Hp that they rebuilt in the shop. Controls were the same, so it was an easy swap for them. The old motor was essentially a core return, as they will rebuild that one and sell/swap to someone else. This made it cheaper for him also I believe.

[Tom7227]

I'm not sure that I'd jump the gun. Get an estimate for the repair and then make the decision. Could be something that would on cost a few hundred.

[Eric Wettschreck]

How mechanically inclined are you? How much do you like this boat? How much do you like this motor?

If you know which end of a wrench bites you can do the rebuild yourself. Possibly a better option is buy a reman powerhead as they will normally come with warranty. Bolt the new powerhead on and Voila, you gots a motor that will last a long time. Also, figure out the oiling problem before you run it or it will happen again.

I've been down this road and it kinda sucks. Luckily for me I fix things for a living so I'm pretty good with a hammer. I rebuilt my 87 Johnson 70 HP after I overheated it. While I was at it I rebuilt the lower unit. Total cost on all parts, powerhead and lower unit plus water pump, including machine shop work (Boring cylinders, shaving head, shaving intake) was less than a thousand dollars. Once I got the parts back from the machinest I had it put together and running in a day.

Iffin you don't feel confident rebuilding a motor than buying a reman powerhead is seriously worth thinking about if you like this motor and boat.

[chucker]

Thanks Guy's for all the good information. I like the boat but if this wouldn't have happened I was probably going to upgrade the whole rig in about four years. If I repower I will keep it longer. I do have some interest in the powerhead idea and am somewhat mechcanically inclined however this would be one of the more complicated repairs I have ever undertook, it looks like I could get a rebuild powerhead on the internet for about $2000. Still searching for used options so if anyone has a good source or knows about a decent used motor Id love to hear about it. Really like the idea of a new modern outboard not real excited about the expense...can you say STICKER SHOCK!! How much performance gain would I get with a new motor if any? My guess is a four stoke would be similar performance without all the noise and smoke but an Optimax or Etec should improve performance some what.

[Surface Tension]

If it came down to having it rebuilt or buying a used outboard I'd go with having it rebuilt. Problem there is your out of the water for some time.

If your contemplating new then I'd part out piece by piece the blown outboard. Thats if you plan on hanging onto the boat.

[chucker]

I found a guy that will rebuild it for $1,300 to $1,500 depending on damage to the powerhead. I think I'm going with this option. Looks like I'll be fishing out of the pontoon for a while? Thanks for the input!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

That's good news.

I have to ask the ishy question tho, do you know this guy? I'm not trying to be rude but make sure he knows what he's doing.

Not implying anything. It's a good deal but it's also a lot of money. Is he willing to warranty his work?

[marine_man]

And have you identified the reason it burnt down in the first place, and will this mechanic resolve this problem?

marine_man