Johnson vs merc vs Chrysler?

[cesandroid]

Johnson 70 or merc 85 or Chrysler 105. All in good shape. Which one is a presference?

 

[swannysonny]

Johnson 70 or merc 85 or Chrysler 105. All in good shape. Which one is a presference?

What years are they?

 

[cesandroid]

Johnson is an 85, the other 2 in the 70s, not sure exact year

 

[swannysonny]

Johnson is an 85, the other 2 in the 70s, not sure exact year

So if everything is truly equal I would probably go with the Mercury since I have had much better luck working on old Johnson's/Mercury's then Chryslers and it has 15 more hp then the Johnson. Length of boat and boat rating should also definitely be a factor here as well as known maintenance history on all of them

 

[Crosbyman]

Blonde or Brunette... hard to say
Stallion Mercs or a good work horse johnny

imho... I prefer a good work horse with sometimes easier to get & less costly parts

 

[racerone]

A lot depends on your ability to do repairs.-----Or the willingness of a local boat shop to work on these motors if you need help.-----About 50 years ago I said to folks,---If you have a good Mercury dealer on your lake and OMC dealer is an hr away by trailer , than Mercury might be the best to have.

 

[flyingscott]

Forget the Chrysler. If you buy the Merc make sure the wiring is good and the ignition is working. Plenty spend for those Merc Ignition parts. The OMC would be my choice if it is a 78 or newer.

 

[jimmbo]

Racer has a point in Post #6. A lot of Dealers will not even look at motors of those years.

 

[tphoyt]

Fresh or salt water motors?
Mercurys from area in my opinion were not made for salt water use and in my eyes steer clear of the Chrysler.
Best

 

[oildriver]

I have always used Johnson Evinrude. My limited mechanical skills have been used on these, from my childhood in the 60s(3-5 1/2hp) to professional clam digger from 73-76(40hp on my 20' decked over garvee), to 3 cylinder 60hp,85-115 v4s, and now with v6 225 and the 235 I just bought, I have found most problems within my limitations. Now that they are gone, I thought the parts would become harder to find.I have been finding parts cheap enough to make this "hamburger should be $.69 a lb. cheapskate" happy. This forum and other sources have knowledgeable members who help me with my slowly increasing ability.
That said, my nephew and his father belong to an outboard racing association. They build Mercurys that push their boats 100mph+. Matt wants me to go to the "Dark Side". Since they have knowledge and skills I will never possess, it is tempting to let them build me a motor for my 25' Wellcraft, supposedly for about 2K. Then Matt will help me, but it means changing from what I know to learning new systems, or waiting until he has time. Worse yet, I might have to go to a dealer. You might be ok with that, so....
If I were starting new and I had your 3 choices, I would go Mercury. There are few dealers left who do Johnson Evinrude,or Chrysler.If being on the water is your sole aim, Mercury wins.

 

[ahicks]

Unless it was pristine, I would discount the Chrysler as well. From there the newer the better.

 

[racerone]

It may in fact be cheaper to maintain older motors if you know how.-----And perhaps pick up a parts motor.------I know I am doing a 1974 model 40 HP Johnson short shaft.-------Picked it up for $100 with paint discolored.-----Overheated , but pulled head off to find no scoring.-----The 12 year old grandson is going to help take it apart and learn about this simple motor.-----Have had a piston and ring kit on hand for years.-----Will install them if need be.----Hopefully he will be skiing behind this motor next year.-----Only expense will be the updated water pump kit ( 1984 Commercial 40 ) to get a sweet running simple motor.-----Also have a choice to work on a 1997 model 3 cylinder 35 HP short shaft.--Has a much weaker gearcase than the 40 HP.-----But that motor uses an expensive $500 powerpack that might fail and ruin a trip to the lake.----Other expensive ignition components too.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Johnson 70 or merc 85 or Chrysler 105. All in good shape. Which one is a presference?

Johnson is an 85, the other 2 in the 70s, not sure exact year

Option D

Skip the Chrysler as parts may be an issue

Unless you do your own work, skip the other two as dealers won't touch old outboards

If you are dead-set on one of these 40 year old or older motors, the johnyrude is the newest

However of the 3, only Mercury is still in business

 

[oldboat1]

Have run mostly Johnson/Evinrude, but had good luck with Chrysler (10hp, 55,105) from the '70s. Change out impellers on whatever you choose to buy.

 

[racerone]

Parts support for older inline Mercury motors may become an issue.----Used parts and a parts motor are the way to go.

 

[jimmbo]

Older OMC outboards like the 40hp Racer referred to, are very easy to maintain. No Timing Light needed, no sticking calibration tools into the cylinder to find TDC and/or a specific Distance from TDC. The Link and Sync of those engines was extremely easy. In Comparison, Mercs from the 50s and 60s could get quite confusing when it came to the Timing and Link and Sync.

 

[racerone]

The 12 year old is going to be very familiar with that simple 40 HP motor.-----Hopefully it will be seen on Burntstick Lake next summer.----Going to cost more on fuel to bring it there than what the motor and boat will be worth.

 

[jimmbo]

You've mentioned Burntstick Lake in the past

 

[Tassie 1]

Forget the Chrysler,
( had 10 of them, including a 105
All but one had ignition system problems...one motor. ( 120 ) did a piston ONCE the ignition module was replaced )
Too old and hard to find good parts now

Haven't had a Merc 70 so l say the johnyrude.
BTW,
70's mercs were made to be used in saltwater, as the advertising of the day shows.

 

[tphoyt]

As we all know advertising was created to sell things. My Sister tells guys she’s a great cook which I tell her is false advertising.
Growing up in FL I saw more than my fair share of rotted from the inside out Mercury’s. Things started turning the corner in the mid 80’s.
If I’m not mistaken this merc was from the 70’s.
This is just my option of course.
We are all untitled to our wrong opinion.
Best