Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

[Salty Steve]

Looking at going in on a used boat w/ my brother. I have come across a 1988 20' Aquasport w/ a 1988 Johnson 140hp. It looks to be in very good condition & has supposedly only been used in fresh water. They are asking $5,500 which seems to be a very good deal. My brother is saying he doesn't want to bother even looking at it unless it has a Yamaha engine. He has a friend that is telling him that Yamaha motors are "head & shoulders" above all other motors (especially for salt water). Is he overstating the differences in motors & their reliability?????

 

[Fitch]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Ever brand seems to have it's best models. The 140 Johnson was an all right motor. The only thing that seems to fail is the VRO pump and it can cause the power head to fail.

 

[corm]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Hi Steve,<br />All motors are sold world wide and there is more saltwater than fresh water. Any motor from the mid 80s on will work good in the salt as long as you FLUSH them after every use. Like Fitch said the 140 is OK.<br /><br />corm

 

[c-ya]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

I have an 86 40 hp yamaha..owned it for 7 years.<br />strictly saltwater use..Had the power head off last year and the lower unit off this year..with only 1 stubborn bolt...I'm sold..Thats where the corrosion factor comes in..when you start having<br />to work on the motor..It's a real nightmare when bolts start breaking off ect...

 

[DJ]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Salty,<br /><br />You're looking at a fifteen year old engine. All bets are off on brand when you find something that survived that long in that environment. That says something.<br /><br />I'm not going to bash any engine. But, I've seen my share of blown up Yamahas too.<br /><br />If the engine is healthy (compression and lower unit) I wouldn't be afraid of it.

 

[KIWI MERCMAN]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Steve<br />Water, Fresh or salt dosn't know the difference between brands,colour,size or hp.The 140 of that year was as good as anybody else's product of that YEAR. I agree with the others , if it's been looked after and serviced by someone good then it's still got alot of life left in it yet. We have all seen all brands that only last 2 or 3 years depending on what there doing and how there looked after.<br />Keep in mind your local support (dealer) for the brand you end up buying, it's aways good to have someone close that knows alot about what you have.<br />Backup,parts,service and knowledge of your brand is hard to beat.<br /><br />Kiwi

 

[JB]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Hi, Steve.<br /><br />1. Yamahas do have a higher owner satisfaction, according to JD Powers. Those ratings are based on new engines, not 15 year old engines.<br /><br />2. I agree with DJohns. After 15 years brand doesn't matter. Any differences in initial quality are completely cancelled by differences in use and maintenance.<br /><br />3. The big Johnny 140 V4 has an excellent reputation, and has had that for as long as they made them.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[tosj]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Hi,<br /><br />Check compression and make sure it iddles like it should and works properly. Carburators you know...<br /><br />I bought one last summer and and it lasted 5 hours for me, Johnson 140hp -87. The previous owner had droped it in saltwater and this needle-bearings and so on had corrosion/rust on it and the engine broke down, it would have costed me about $5000 to repair it....no fun at all. Have ordered new merc 90 2-s -03 now...hope I'll be more satisfied with that engine....<br /><br />good luck anyway!<br /><br />/Tommy

 

[bonitoman]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Hi Salty Steve, I have rebuilt both engines but The Johnson is the way to go. Yamaha is great but one problem. Mid 80's -92 corrode. You live near salt and fish near salt. I live in east florida. If you were buying brand new I would say yamaha but 15 years old, there is no better engine than omc. Go price parts for back then, Omc is alot less expensive. I personally run an 86 110 and would not give it up. Good Luck in your decision.

 

[flatsman]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Just to let ya know that all yamahas aren't good --have friend with one that has overheating problem since he puchased it brand new ----90 hp unit --he has given up on the dealer --now he just can' t idle for more than 4 or 5 minutes.. Another friend has a 150 hp that has had it's share of lower unit problems. So if ya think that yamahas are from heaven ----you to will be disapointed ... Dang Rice burner is what I call the things --I have three old mercs and i johnson and one evinrude ---and they are still running

 

[Forktail]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

Yamaha envy with a patriotic twist.

 

[letsbarbq]

Re: Yamaha better than Johnson or Mercury?

bang bang bang.........die! a good engine is a running.