Motor horror stories (right before bed, yikes!)

[JRegier]

Alright, let's hear your biggest nightmare dealing with these johnson/evinrude motors. I'll start!

I bought my first boat this year knowing the engine needed work or to be repaired. It was a 1978 Evinrude 85HP. Pulled the head off and found catastrophic failure in the #3 cylinder (pre-ignition), I don't have the numbers of the plugs now but they were automotive. So having that cylinder completely toast was dejecting but I saw an ad for a 1976 Johnson 85HP that had scoring in the cylinders, I thought "great! I'll get this, have the block bored and rebuild it and I can fit it into the housing for the '78 (the '78 looked mint). Well; after finding out that the blocks can't be interchanged because exhaust adaptor bolts not lining up here I am over 2 months later with a third motor that thankfully runs but I STILL haven't even found anywhere to bore that '76 block.
And I've all but given up hope on getting in the water this year. I've never launched a boat and can't find anyone willing to go with me to teach me!

So; let's hear your horror stories!

 

[F_R]

Re: Motor horror stories (right before bed, yikes!)

Well, can't think of one of my own offhand, but after working as a full time outboard motor mechanic for 24 years, I think I've heard most of them. Like the guy that got pitched out of the boat, which then circled around and ran over him and killed him. Or the guy that was flying on a kite being towed by a boat, kite crashed and he died too. Or the guy that cranked up his Mark 25 Mercury and it jumped into forward gear (common), and boat ran over the pier. Nobody got hurt, but too funny! And of course there was the infamous Merc Dockbusters (yes, they really did).

Of course there also was the almost daily boat coming in for service and the guy starts out with "I just bought this boat and........"