Opinions concerning 93 Yamaha 115 Outboard?

[TwoRivers]

Hello all.
Considering the purchase of a 1993 Yamaha 115 to power my 19ft. SeaNymph Striper.
Any opinions or first hand knowledge of this motor greatly appreciated.
Searched through the forum and can't find much about the motor.
Some hard starting issues.
Currently have an Evinrude 70 on the boat.

thanks
rob

 

[racerone]

The " hard starting " is often caused by an operator not knowing how to start a motor !!

 

[TwoRivers]

Racerone, thanks for your response.
Got anything else for me?
Owned a Yamaha motorcycle, still miss it, but never an outboard.
Great reputation but I know nothing about the different eras and models.
If get it I promise to learn how to start it.
thanks again
rob

 

[rejesterd]

One thing I've heard about this generation of Yamahas is corrosion building up around the large ring nut on the prop shaft. There's probably a better name for it, but the part number is (I think) 688-45384-02-00. Apparently, that can get corroded which eventually leads to lower unit housing damage. You should be able to see it if you remove the prop. If it looks bad, I would ask the owner if you can do a leakage test on the lower unit.

Keep in mind this is second-hand info.

 

[TwoRivers]

Great info.
I'll check that out.
thanks
rob

 

[racerone]

Those V-4 Yamaha motors are a copy of the OMC motors.----Very similar in construction.-----And yes there may be issues with material quality used at the time.------A 25 year old motor may be pristine or it can be a " worn out mess " so look carefully before handing over the coins.----Any pictures ?

 

[robert graham]

If it's a saltwater motor then could be issues.....if a freshwater motor then more likely to be a good bet...

 

[TwoRivers]

Still trying to figure out how to post pictures? I resize them to 2mb and the forum tells me they're too big?
Thanks for all the feedback.
If the older Yamahas are copies of the OMCs would I be better off sticking with OMC?

 

[racerone]

Depends on what kind of dealer support you have in your area and whether you do your own work.----Do you have a trustworthy Yamaha shop within 1/2 hr ?----A BRP dealer within 1/2 hr ?

 

[scoflaw]

If it's a saltwater motor then could be issues.....if a freshwater motor then more likely to be a good bet...

This ^^^. I had a saltwater 94 and the cooling passages were clogged with cement like calcium and salt. 2/3 of the head bolts snapped off when I was investigating a dead cylinder.. A corrosion nightmare. Solid runner for years before I broke that piston

 

[TwoRivers]

Think I'm going to pass on this Yamaha.
Having a difficult time getting the owner to come clean with me.
Keep looking for a clean Yamaha 115 or Evinrude 120.
Thanks everyone.

 

[QBhoy]

Hi

i can tell you that without doubt, the Yamaha V4 2/ is amongst the best engines ever made. Poor fuel economy aside...they are as reliable as the moon and the tides.
The reason you won’t find much on them is that they rarely fail of their own accord.
I recently bought a stunning old classic glastron CVX16 with a Yamaha 115 v4. It was cheap as chips but the engine wasn’t working. The only reason it wasn’t was because the last owner let the boat partially submerged through neglect. The water came far enough to fill the 2 stroke oil tank resovoir in the bilge. He then ran it (incredibly) for a few hours until it failed.
I’ve now been looking for a used powerhead for over 6 months now. They just aren’t available here. Mainly because they don’t break.
Terrible on fuel but so powerful for what they are. Share their dna with the 130 and 140 variant of the same engine. Also known to be basically a 150/175/200 (more or less) with 2 cylinders missing off the V. Same bore etc, last I checked.
Would love to find a used one on the market, but can’t.

 

[scoflaw]

Plenty in South Florida