85 hp johnson

"Motor has not run for several years but is not locked up. I put a battery in it and motor cranked fine and electric choke clicks" Thats all he said about it. If I were to get this motor for about $600 with a 71 glastron boat How much do you think it would be to get it running good?? Would it be worth it?

Re: 85 hp johnson

What year is the motor? If it's older than '73 I wouldn't buy it. Pre-73 is going to be an electric shift model that has some parts related to it that are no longer available (I bet you're getting tired of hearing that). Do a compression check. All 4 cylinders need to be within 10% of each other or it's junk. It could cost anywhere from $0 - $1000 to get it going again assuming good compression. (Worst case it needs power packs, stator, carbs rebuilt, fuel pump, etc etc). On a positive note, I had a '73 Johnson 85 that we dumped a few hundred in when we got it to get it going but it was a great motor than for the next 5 years until we sold it in great running condition. I had no issues with parts either.

An early '70s Johnson/Evinrude V4 would only be worth about $800 in good running condition so his price of $600 for an unknown is a little out of line.

Re: 85 hp johnson

He just said it was either a 70 or 71....... Why can't I be rich and just be able to afford a brand new motor.............

Re: 85 hp johnson

His price is WAY WAY outta line then for an electric shifter. Should be more like $100 in unknown running condition. A brand new version of that motor is $9k!!

Re: 85 hp johnson

Just remember once you start buying parts, at $600, the motor its self could easily wind up being the cheapest part of the job. I'd pass if I were you. Take the $600, save up the money you'd have spent buying parts and hoping for the best, and buy a running motor.