Rebuild the motor?

[Greg Meyer]

I've golt a 1993 OMC 115 w/VRO and the shop is telling me I newed to rebuild it or replace it. I haven't got a good reason to do either...but I have to do one. Anybody have any experiences with rebuilds...the shop's reputation is excellent. By the way he is suggesting I cut out the VRO as he suspects it was the culprit.

 

[Staci Matheis]

If rebuilt properly, it should be every bit as good as new - and one heck of a lot cheaper!



me!

 

[JEFF WHITE]

why do you have to replace it?because the shop tells you you do?is this the low hr.boat you were telling me about?



the way i see it,disconnect the vro,mix,and run it.you said you have no reason to,so if it runs,run it.the shop you took it to,what motors do they sell?are they just trying to make a sale?here is what you have to ask yourself,spend over $10 grand to replace,or mix and run it?



try blackbird here in pa.i dont know there webaddress,but go to the bfhp boats and motors and he should have a few posts up.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Here's what happened as near as I can tell...



I got a batch of bad gas...water...and it caused a problem that lead to a scuffed cylinder...not real bad...could be honed out...then slighly oversized rings COULD be seated. This is all about 1/3 the cost of a full rebuild...BUT, high rpm motors...such as an outboard do not take to out of balance conditions...So I would rather rebuild the entire engine...and that also avoids hidden problems...any way it's not the $$$$..I just really don't want a reliability issue...

 

[Staci Matheis]

Greg -



DEFINATELY do a complete rebuild..... Again, if done right, it will be as good and reliable as new - maybe even more so!



me!

 

[JEFF WHITE]

did they show it to you?im kind of if i dont see it with my own eyes,i dont believe it kind of person.did they tear the head off and show it to you?i got the same year motor as you,ive had a small problem with a bad batch of gas once or twice,had the motor stall out and wouldnt turn over,let it set a hr or so,started right up and run good.still running good,didnt loose any speed,or no vibrations.



kind of what im trying to say is those scuffs,if they didnt damage the piston or wall to badly it wont hurt anything to run it like that.did you loose compression in that cylinder?or is it running rough?loose power?



if you have the money to rebuild it,do it.if not,keep saving it and look for a used one with low hrs,maybe a whole new powerhead.there are plenty of people out there who rebuild motors,and offer exchanges on rebuilds,take yours off,swap parts off yours to the new head,send yours back for core,done deal!!

 

[Frank Daniel]

First, I'm suspicious of shops that blame the VRO for a failure. Second, you say the problem was caused by bad gas. What does that have to do with the VRO?

What are the symptoms? Is it missing, running rough, loosing power, etc?

Did they show you the scuffed cylinder or, are you taking their word on it.

As for the VRO, these have been around for a long time now and they are very reliable. You also have a warning horn that will let you know of failure before it's too late. Did you hear the horn go off at any time?

A no oil situation would damage every cylinder, not just one.

Water in the gas would also affect all cylinders.

The whole thing sounds suspicious.

I'd get a second opinion before doing anything.



Good luck. Frank

 

[Chris Leiting]

Reliability issue... if you want a reliable engine... get rid of the OMC and buy a 115 Merc 4-stroke.... they'll run forever....