Outboard Motor Woes (8hp, 2 Stroke)

[mr-canada]

So i found out why (but not how to fix) the throttle problem in reverse.

There is a cam on the shift lever rod that raises a part into the throttle linkage which is led to the same side as the shift lever by cable, when in reverse it raises that part which blocks the throttle from going past idle.

To reset and realign it i think i will need to take the tab off connecting to the.rod that goes to the lower leg and do something, what at this point im unsure.

Its possible that maybe somehow i put the gear shift rod onto the lever with that nylon tab upside down or something. I cant imagine how it would attach any other way, it seemed pretty straightforward, but that would make sense for both of the issues - the cam engages at the wrong spot and the gear shift rod isnt going into the gear right because of something related to that.

The cam that the nylon tab that holds the gear shift rod on the other side of the motor has grooves that click it into place where the gears should be but they are not aligned with the actual gear positions - so maybe its popping out of gear at higher revs due to vibration as this metal spring tab wants to go in the groove.

Only problem i see with adjusting it is its a square rod leading to the shift lever and when i had those parts off they all have square holes to fit the rod. Theres no way anything would work right if i turned it in any other 90 degree angle.

Any ideas?

[mr-canada]

Making matters more fun now theres creamed coffee colored goop oozing out of the prop, which i can assume is gear oil mixed with water. I never took the prop off in putting in the new impeller so i can only assume this problem existed before i even bought the boat... When the mechanic replaced the gear oil last summer he tried to drain the old stuff out and what was in there was high pressure water and metal shavings.

i might be off the water until i can just buy a new motor, this thing is cursed it seems

[mr-canada]

Im thinking to make this thing safe to operate im going to need:

1. Brand new entire lower leg and gear assembly, everything in there is probably chewed to sh*t causing the gear shift rod to be so far out of alignment that nothing works anymore

2. Brand new gear shift rod. Being attached to this lower leg has likely damaged it somehow. Driveshaft seemed ok

I dont know how much that stuff will cost but it sounds expensive and possibly rare and hard to find for such an old motor. Given all the problems ive had with this thing id rather go new than used.

Which leads me to... If i can buy a new motor this fall for $1500 off of my mobile mechanic, is this cursed beast worth saving? Im thinking i will give it to the mechanic maybe he will cut a coupoe hundred off the price of the new motor, rebuild this one in the off season and sell this cursed POS to someone else next year rebuilt from the ground up. Long leg motors are not that easy to find second hand.

[bobofthenorth]

Generally those old engines are worth very little unless they are running. There may be some small salvage value for parts. In our case we traded some crab pots that wouldn't catch crabs for an 8 HP Merc that wouldn't run. I think we got the best of that deal and after I had stripped the parts I wanted off it I left it in the recycle spot at our marina. It was gone the next day so someone else still thought it had value. Depending on the value of your time you might be able to peddle some parts on craigslist.

[mr-canada]

That's the frustrating thing, the beast runs fantastic on the powerhead side. Starts on the first pull once I've run it everytime. Its a pain to start if it's been sitting cold for a few weeks but I've never had any problems that were beyond taking a beer break and then it usually starts in a few pulls as the primer bulb might just be too big for this little 8 horse and it probably floods it

[pbiJim]

That motor has some value to a person who is a talented mechanic. It has little value to anyone else. The longer it sits with water in the lower unit & the more you chew up the dogs, the less value it will have to anybody.

It sounds like new is the best way for you to go if you have the budget for it. It sounds like you rely heavily on your outboard & need it to be trustworthy. I grew up sailing a 25' wooden hulled sloop that didn't have an engine or even lights. I'm pretty comfortable doing a drop sail landing, so for me a reliable motor is not such a big necessity. I'm perfectly happy with an older motor that has it's quirks.

When you go shopping for a new outboard, keep an eye on the battery charging capacity. It varies quite a bit from brand to brand on the smaller motors. Also consider the newer propane fueled outboards. I like them a lot. Hopcar (a member here) stocks them & supports them pretty well.

[sabray]

It has value as its a. 2 stroke proven piece of gear. You are so going to hate the brand new 4 stroke with tiny fuel passages and ethanol gas.
You can get parts for these and a rebuild of the lower unit is worth pricing. A new outboard is going to set you back 2500 bucks. If it runs well check out getting the lower end rebuilt. I have a 4 stroke 4 hp that I no longer use. The old Yamaha 8 runs a champ. Gave up on the outboard and use oars now. Much happier.
Maybe I'll sell the 8 long shaft Yamaha and the 4 hp Nissan.

[mr-canada]

Pbijim

Yes i rely heavily on it because the winds here often hit 20 kts inflow or outflow and the channel can be treacherously dry as they just did an emergency 10 ft wide dredge. With the motor in idle reverse half the way to the slip i can often end up coming into the slip hot under bare poles. The vortex here entering and exiting the channel on a hot sunny day can produce a nasty 3 ft chop at windspeeds in excess of 25 knots, one time i had to get in during a daysail where it was 30-40 gust 50, the boat had a 20 degree heel under bare poles (fun place to learn how to sail, lol).

If the winds are too nutty here i can usually motor out to the point and what was 30 knots near the channel calms down to 15. It takes a quite a bit of power to fight that kind of wind with the windage of a sailboat. Some of the guys here sail into their slip on night cocktail cruises after the sun sets and the wind calms down, but i dont see anyone but the most experienced try it during the daytime and my slipmate is the guy who wins all the races and hes banged into the docks right hard trying it every time ive seen.

Last year on my vacation the forecast was wrong and i had to motor for 12 hours to get back because there was no wind. The nearest harbour from here is a good 6+ hours under sail so if something goes wrong with wind or sail theres no safe harbour for at least 16nm.

I may even just buy brand new from the factory for the warranty and peice of mind. If i buy it feom the local dealership maybe i can even demand they march down here and fix it at the docks. That would be about $4000. I can buy the one my mechanic offered me for $1500 and i can probably squeeze a small warranty out of him too.

Not sure which way to go but good call on checking the charging ability. The charge coming off this one is terrible, just a magneto doesnt even put out enough to run the sounder.

[pbiJim]

Geeze, where are you located? Bay of Biscay?

Maybe you should just forget the outboard & get a tugboat instead.

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by sabray

A new outboard is going to set you back 2500 bucks.

Defender seems to have a few for under $2k.

Defender.com Search Results: outboard motors: 8 - 15 HP Motors

If you shop around a little more on the net, you can find some other prices that are even a bit lower.

This little Coleman 9.9hp is only around $1,400 - http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys...130817211059:s

I don't know how Coleman is on quality though.

If you want to stay high class & stick with Yamaha, these guys have an 8hp for around $2k & 6hp for $1,500. - http://www.boats.net/outboard_motor/Yamaha/parts.html

For just over $2,500 you can get a 9.9hp propane motor. - http://www.hopkins-carter.com/leprmaouen20.html

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by sabray

You are so going to hate the brand new 4 stroke with tiny fuel passages and ethanol gas.

All jokes aside, what do you have against 4-storke outboards? I kind of thought that they were the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by pbiJim

Defender seems to have a few for under $2k.

Defender.com Search Results: outboard motors: 8 - 15 HP Motors

If you shop around a little more on the net, you can find some other prices that are even a bit lower.

This little Coleman 9.9hp is only around $1,400 - http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys...130817211059:s

I don't know how Coleman is on quality though.

If you want to stay high class & stick with Yamaha, these guys have an 8hp for around $2k & 6hp for $1,500. - http://www.boats.net/outboard_motor/Yamaha/parts.html

For just over $2,500 you can get a 9.9hp propane motor. - http://www.hopkins-carter.com/leprmaouen20.html

It's not a long shaft

[sabray]

It's not what I have against them its that 2 strokes are very reliable. A tad nasty but reliable. Especially with the high efficiency small orifice carbs on new 4 strokes. I gave up on the outboard and row. Got tired of spending time trying to start the damn thing.

[pbiJim]

Your experience is different from mine. I've had no worse reliability from 4-stroke than from 2. Ignition trouble wise, they've been about the same for me. The same goes for carbs. The 2-strokes also had VRO related issues that made me go back to pre-mix, which I find messy & an aggravation to deal with. I also seem to see the power heads on 4-strokes tending to last longer before wearing out. In defense of the 2-stroke, they do usually tend to weight a little less. Once an outboard is set up properly & broken in, I usually get good general service for a long time. That's my take on it anyway.

[mr-canada]

The Squamish Windsports Society :. Wind

Not bay of briscoll.. If you check that link it is a windmeter just outside the channel. Its been very calm here past few days, overcast. Go back a few weeks when we were in a heat wave, i wouldnt doubt if you see some gusts over 60 on some days.