1993 Evinrude 70hp value and compression #'s after rebuild.

[michaelj1978]

I'm looking to purchase a motor for my pontoon. I found a rebuilt 70hp 1993 Johnson for sale with power tilt/trim and controls. The owner is wanting $2,400 which includes installation on my boat. He has paperwork on the rebuild. It's bored .020 over and has new pistons. VRO is removed as well. It has about 1 hour of break in time on the water (break-in and testing) We ran compression on it today and it was 120, 120, 120. My old 50hp Johnson was 135. My question is, should a newly rebuilt head kick out more than 120psi?

The exterior of the motor is in excellent shape, great paint and decals. Not a scratch on the skeg and the lower unit has had an oil change and has a brand new impeller.

I have mixed feelings on the price. Part of me says it's a good deal considering it includes install and from all I've read the 70hp Evinrude/Johnsons are very reliable and strong motors. I also think it's a lot to drop on a motor with no warranty and one that's 25 years old.

My alternative would be to put about $2k down on a 50hp new Evinrude or Tohatsu 2 stroke, but they run 6-7K installed. They also have a WARRANTY, which has some value itself and would give me a little piece of mind. Not interested in 4 strokes. They are fuel efficient and quiet but seem like a headache down the road with everything that could go wrong with them.

 

[flyingscott]

Ideally you need a 10 hr break in. I personally would like to see above 130 on a new motor. I would try a different gauge ,and how long is the warranty. My 1992 70 hp with a blown piston and original bore has 120 on the 2 good pistons.

 

[michaelj1978]

Yes, he mentioned it needs a lot longer to break in and told me the procedure for RPM range and heavier oil mix. They did wind it up to make sure it would hit the right RPM range and for testing reasons as he doesn't want his name behind a junk motor. Would the #'s increase after break in at all? There is no warranty but the seller will install and water test it with me. He is not a mechanic but his father was and he has built a dozen of the 60-70hp Evinrude/Johnsons. He has a shop at home and every single item had it's place. He went into great detail, about 20 minutes worth of explaining every single thing he did to the motor. Also, he lives about 2 miles from my house so not like he's dumping the motor off never to see it again. His son runs the same motor (different year). He also said if there's ever an issue with it he would be glad to help as well as help with ordinary maintenance. Difficult to explain over the internet, but had the guy been some slob with a dirty shop I wouldn't even be considering this. Guy was clean cut, well spoken, has a full time day desk job and again, his shop was spotless. He grew up around these motors as his father and friends were mechanics.

 

[racerone]

?????-------Not all motors were built / designed / run with the same compression values

 

[flyingscott]

It is up to you to buy or not. If you feel confident then buy the motor.

 

[michaelj1978]

It is up to you to buy or not. If you feel confident then buy the motor.

I'm confident that it is what it is. Just wanting to know if 120 compression is good on these motors and if the price is too high? I might throw out an offer for $2k installed. I feel that would be a more than fair price.

 

[Bosunsmate]

sounds like you will have good follow up with this guy for any future problems so you should factor that into the price too as im sure he would be cheaper than a shop. $2400 does sound high so up to you about haggling a lower price, i would try