Rebuild my outboard or junk it?

[steveshuntn1]

Just wondering if anyone on here has any experience with either rebuilding or having an outboard motor rebuilt.
My 08 Yamaha 150 2 stroke went down on me this past weekend. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth rebuilding the power head (the lower unit was replaced last spring) or spending the absurd amount of money on a new motor.Lowest price I have so far is 14k to 15k installed. Ouch!
The price for the rebuild is 3500.00. I’m just curious if anyone has had long term use from one after a rebuild. I don’t know anyone who’s had that kind of outboard work done.

 

[Four22]

If the cylinder walls aren’t scored up you could get away with new pistons and rings. A lot of times companies will sell them a few thousands of an inch over standard diameter.

I did over sized rings on a 2 cylinder garden tractor years ago and it ran for years until it was in my building that burned down. Not an outboard but same components.

 

[Beignet]

That looks pretty narsty in there. Not sure what I’m looking at. Did that piston seize up and explode? Did a connecting rod get bent? Looks a bit more complicated than just a worn cylinder wall.

I had originally typed out a longer thing about rebuilding, but see if you can find a factory service manual for the motor then decide if it’s a project you’d be able to do.

Rebuilding “top ends” isn’t especially difficult. And, two strokes are far easier to rebuild that four strokes. hopefully some of the “bottom end” components didn’t get boogered when the thing blew though.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Probably not worth rebuilding. A 4 stroke is the way to go. I had a friend that had a 2 stoke rebuilt at a marina, it lasted about 1 and 1/2 summers. Cost him plenty. He ended up buying a new motor anyway.

 

[steveshuntn1]

That looks pretty narsty in there. Not sure what I’m looking at. Did that piston seize up and explode? Did a connecting rod get bent? Looks a bit more complicated than just a worn cylinder wall.

From what I’ve been told by a few mechanics the oil injection pump failed on that carburetor or the carburetor itself was at fault. It has three of each. It ran for less than 5 minutes and that one cylinder overheated and did that much damage. The mechanics said it was running on straight gasoline and that’s what caused the overheating. Apparently it’s not an uncommon occurrence and both mechanics have seen it numerous times on this type of 2 stroke Yamaha motor.

 

[Addicting]

From what I’ve been told by a few mechanics the oil injection pump failed on that carburetor or the carburetor itself was at fault. It has three of each. It ran for less than 5 minutes and that one cylinder overheated and did that much damage. The mechanics said it was running on straight gasoline and that’s what caused the overheating. Apparently it’s not an uncommon occurrence and both mechanics have seen it numerous times on this type of 2 stroke Yamaha motor.

I had a 4 stroke after my 2 stroke got stolen. After running it I really really liked it. When I upgraded boats, it came with a 2 stroke. Really dislike it after running that 4 stroke.

If it’s a known problem you may just want to bite the bullet and go a different route. I am sure you can find a used 4 stroke cheaper than 15k.

 

[Southern Elk]

I had a 4 stroke after my 2 stroke got stolen. After running it I really really liked it. When I upgraded boats, it came with a 2 stroke. Really dislike it after running that 4 stroke.

If it’s a known problem you may just want to bite the bullet and go a different route. I am sure you can find a used 4 stroke cheaper than 15k.

Or a used boat with motor for about the same price.

 

[mplane72]

Probably not worth rebuilding. A 4 stroke is the way to go. I had a friend that had a 2 stoke rebuilt at a marina, it lasted about 1 and 1/2 summers. Cost him plenty. He ended up buying a new motor anyway.

I had a similar experience with a rebuild on a v6 Suzuki. I've also seen rebuilds last a long time. IMO 2 stroke V6 outboards are just a grenade waiting to blow. Only ones I've ever trusted are the ones I bought new. The cost is a kick in the ding ding though.

 

[buckbull]

From what I’ve been told by a few mechanics the oil injection pump failed on that carburetor or the carburetor itself was at fault. It has three of each. It ran for less than 5 minutes and that one cylinder overheated and did that much damage. The mechanics said it was running on straight gasoline and that’s what caused the overheating. Apparently it’s not an uncommon occurrence and both mechanics have seen it numerous times on this type of 2 stroke Yamaha motor.

Damn. One would think that would be easy to detect with a sensor and then shutdown the engine before it blows up. That sticks.

 

[steveshuntn1]

Damn. One would think that would be easy to detect with a sensor and then shutdown the engine before it blows up. That sticks.

Yeah it’s crazy none of the sensors went off. I had a thermostat go out last year and the motor shut down very quickly and the alarms were going crazy.

 

[perma]

I work in the automotive field and I often get asked if a tech should rebuild or replace an engine that’s out of warranty. I always pose the question, “how much is it worth to not hand to deal with potential issues down the road (or in this case, water)?”. It’s a loaded question because new engines fail too, but not often. And you’ll have warranty.

Might come off as a sm@rt@$$ question, but I’ve had enough hard earned opinions that restoring an engine to run in the dark is not fun for me anymore.

Generally speaking, if there’s metal debris, I’m out.

 

[Beignet]

From what I’ve been told by a few mechanics the oil injection pump failed on that carburetor or the carburetor itself was at fault. It has three of each. It ran for less than 5 minutes and that one cylinder overheated and did that much damage. The mechanics said it was running on straight gasoline and that’s what caused the overheating. Apparently it’s not an uncommon occurrence and both mechanics have seen it numerous times on this type of 2 stroke Yamaha motor.

I'd probably scrap that SOB. If it had that much overheating who knows what all is warped. Sure, you can get a cylinder head resurfaced, but that all looks like a ton of trouble.

Maybe tuck it away as a winter project to rebuild yourself and sell if you're inclined to tinker with stuff.

 

[steveshuntn1]

I’m thinking I’ll be hanging up the rods for a while and trying to find a deal on a four stroke. I fish the MS River very often and was just lucky we didn’t get plowed over by a barge when this motor went out. With all the opinions of others and the way I was thinking to start I don’t think I would trust a rebuilt motor on such a powerful big river. Had to explore the option though. It’s a big kick in the wallet for sure.
Thanks for all the suggestions.