90hp Evinrude powerhead on sea drive

Tiderunner18 · #1 March 16th, 2007, 09:38 PM

I'm trying to track down a replacement powerhead for my '85 Sea Drive. I found a 1978 140hp V4 for a good price but I don't know if it would work with my Sea Drive midsection or lower unit. Are the spline counts all the same on the crank? Would this powerhead be a crossflow or looper?

Tiderunner18 · #2 March 16th, 2007, 10:01 PM

I also just got an e-mail on a 90hp but he didn't specify a year. He says that the only difference between a 90 and the 115 I have is the carbs. Is that true?

Thanks!

Dhadley · #3 March 16th, 2007, 10:03 PM

For the moment we'll assume you have a 1.6 liter Sea Drive. Let us know what the model number is.

On the powerhead you have now, look at the shift cable and what it connects to and where, describe that.

Dhadley · #4 March 16th, 2007, 10:05 PM

Just take it slow. We're looking for a Sea Drive powerhead. For the moment forget the hp differences.

Tiderunner18 · #5 March 16th, 2007, 10:12 PM

Sorry.... guess I was getting ahead of myself. Yes, it's a 1.6L. 2BBXCOM extra long, mechanical steering.

As for the shift cable, it's completely torn down so I'm going off memory. Both control cables come into the cover on the front starboard corner. I think everything pivots on a single bolt that comes out of the middle of the starboard side of the intake. There's a little universal joint in there as well. I believe both cables attach to the linkage fairly low in relation to the powerhead. I know they were right in the way of trying to get that shift rod bolt out.

The 90hp being offered to me is a 1988 model. He's wanting to keep the lower unit but the outboard is otherwise complete. Only $250.00 for that one but it does have two cylinders with low compression.

Tiderunner18 · #6 March 16th, 2007, 10:32 PM

I knew I took all those pictures for a reason.

http://pweb.netcom.com/~m38a1/cables.jpg

edit: the entire link doesn't seem to want to work. If you copy all of the above into the address bar, the picture will show.

Tiderunner18 · #7 March 17th, 2007, 01:12 PM

I found out this morning that the 140hp Johnson has sold but the 90hp is still available. I compared some part numbers and breakdowns last night between the 90 and my sea drive and they look to be a pretty close match. I think I'll risk the $250 and buy it today, unless someone here can think of a reason why it wouldn't work.

Dhadley · #8 March 17th, 2007, 07:03 PM

The difference between a SD block and an outboard will be where that linkage connects.

In your picture, look right in the middle. Right between the cables. The lower pan mount with a rubber in it and a bolt thru the center. Right behind that is a treaded boss. That's what that clevis bolts to. That boss isn't there on an outboard block.

Some outboard blocks have the casting but it isn't machined. A lot of outboard blocks don't even have the casting behind the pan mount.

That's what you need to look got. Look at yours, then you'll knw what to look for on a replacement block.

Tiderunner18 · #9 March 17th, 2007, 08:06 PM

Ok, so if the outboard powerhead doesn't have that threaded boss I can't bolt all of my sea drive shift and throttle linkage to it. Makes sense.

What about using all of the linkage from the outboard and connecting my sea drive control cables to it? I haven't gone to look at it yet, but this 90hp outboard I found is supposed to be complete with all that stuff still in place. I guess I just can't picture why the sea drive linkage would need to be different than an outboard. I'm sure once I get all the pieces side by side, it'll be a little more clear.

Tiderunner18 · #10 March 18th, 2007, 11:43 PM

I've picked up the new (to me) outboard and started tearing into it. It's an Evinrude "88 SPL" model E88MSLCCC. It lost the rings on one piston so at least that hole will need bored. The other three look pretty good. Other than that, everything is in very good shape. It apparently had never been in salt water so all the bolts came out nice and easy. I've been comparing my pile of Evinrude parts to my pile of Sea Drive parts and have come up with a list of questions.

1. So far, I don't see why I can't use the outboard shift and throttle linkage. It looks like a much simpler design than the SD setup. The cables enter at the same spot but are mounted further forward on the outboard compared to the SD. Is there any reason to use the SD stuff instead?

2. The lower pan and upper covers are different between the two. The SD has vents on the side and a sealed up lower pan. The outboard has no side vents but does have a vent on the bottom. Which pan/cover setup should I use? Would the outboard setup help prevent the water ingestion that made my SD main bearings blow up in the first place?

3. The SD has the upgraded VRO2 pump, but it has not been used for several years. The outboard does not have a VRO, just the single pump which was used only 9 months ago and worked fine. Should I keep the VRO or mix in the tank?

4. It looks like the outboard has the unregulated charging system. The SD has the regulated system. I'd guess that I should use the regulated system from the SD?

5. Which carbs should I use? Any idea if they are the same between the two? Whichever set I use, they'll get a rebuild before use.

6. What is an 88SPL anyway? With the lack of a VRO and unregulated charging system, is it just a stripped down version of a standard V4 outboard?

For reference, this is all being used on a 18' Tiderunner boat. It'll probably see some duty in salt water.

Sorry for the long post. Any advise would be greatly appriciated!