twin 17yr old yamaha 150s with olny 200hrs would you trust them???

Salmon_Slayer

Salmon_Slayer

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I'm looking at a boat that has original twin F150's with 200hrs each that are 17yrs old!!! First off how do you buy such a capable boat and not use it... but more importantly I'm nervous for the fact the motors have just sat and all the seals probably need replaced. Also the engine was not fogged during storage. The motors check out and have no mechanical issues currently. What's your thoughts or experiences?
 
I wouldn't be too worried about the seals. I would be concerned about corrosion. Specifically in the thermostat housings. Check it before you make any offers. It can be a deal breaker.
The other item to consider updating at some point will be the counter balancers. You can read up on that one. Not too tough to DIY.
If the engines were stored outdoors near saltwater, I'd be concerned about the lack of fogging. Condensation and salt air can make a mess out of unprotected steel. If stored away from the salt, I'd be less concerned. Several engine manufacturers do not advise fogging engines. A thin film of engine oil is surprisingly effective at preventing corrosion.
 
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First off, when you say the motors check out, what do you mean and who supposedly inspected the motors? The previous owner? A Yamaha tech? A surveyor? Yourself? Also, when were they last inspected? I'd have a surveyor or even yourself inspect the entire boat, including the outboards. Hopefully you can find a surveyor that's also a Yamaha tech, or even just have a Yamaha tech inspect the motors thoroughly, or you can do this yourself as well if you feel up to the challenge. Drop the lower units, look up inside for the fairly common dry exhaust corrosion problem. It's not a for sure thing that the motors will have it, but there's always that chance. Some have said that it's usually the larger motors like the F200's, F225's and larger, but have heard of some with F150's that have also had the issue as well. Others have also said that it tends to happen around the 400-650 hour mark, though I don't know if there's any evidence to support that. I'd also do a compression check on the outboards as well as potentially a leak down test, change out all of the fluids, change out thermostats and everything else that likely hasn't been done in several years. One of the biggest issues for any kind of engine, whether it be automotive, marine, etc... is from sitting too long and not being used, no matter if it's a couple years old or 17+ years old. My boat is coming up on being just over 21 years old at this point. I bought her from a dealership that put a replacement outboard on her just before I purchased her, with right around 1k hours on the motor. The replacement motor is also a 2004 vintage, but has been flawless so far, knock on wood. I think the biggest thing is going to be the asking price, in that if the boat/motors need some work, then the price should represent the amount of work needed. If she needs nothing and gets a clean bill of health, then that's a different story, but I wouldn't want to be spending top dollar on something that needs a ton of work just because the motors only have 200 hours on them. Good luck with the search as well as potential purchase. Let us know what you decide on and post a few pictures when you get a chance.
 
I wouldn't be worried about seals, either. BUT, what specific seals are you referring to?

Explain what you mean by "fogging"... often, you don't do the 'ol fashioned fogging with fuel injected engines. Instead, you can run a special cocktail mixture of fuel through.

In my opinion, forget about and don't focus on the hours - in many ways, they're useless to tell the health of the engine. Instead, focus on the mechanics of it.
 
My engine is 20 yrs old it is a yammy 250 no issues at all my one concern for you is rust in the cylinder heads due to lack of fogging, if cocktail mixture was used you should be ok.
Did you have the engines running? Rust will scratch the cylinder sidewalls and scratching them up will cause a compression issue. Might be worth having a tech run the engine onsite before purchase and do a Compression test to make sure the 150s are good.
 
Yes, I would trust them. They are great motors. Check the flywheels.

"The motors check out and have no mechanical issues currently."

Please expand on " the motors check out".
  1. compression test cold?
  2. start from cold to warm, followed by in water run at varying RPMs and loads? (i.e. not simply run on a hose with muffs) - forward & reverse
  3. start at normal operating temperature followed by in water run at varying RPMs, loads & tilt/trim? (i.e. not simply run on a hose with muffs) - forward & reverse
  4. shifted in and out of gear a few times?
  5. compression test cold after engines have been exercsied as in #2 and #3 above?
  6. has an oil analysis been done after the engines have been run?
I would focus mostly on 2 - 4. If they run well and satisfy those three tests, I think you should be good to go.
 
First off how do you buy such a capable boat and not use it. ----- this happens all the time. Be happy it happens.

Test the motors as I indicated above. If they and the rest of the boat checks out; buy it and enjoy.
 
What does it mean to say :the motors checked out?)
At a minimum, you should do a compression test.
More importantly than the hours is when those hours were accumulated. For example, if the boat was used for 10 hours a year, I wouldn't be as concerned compared to the case where the boat has sat unused and not serviced for the last 15 years.
 
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wow! thanks everyone

the motors were fully serviced at a yamaha dealership, new t-stat, waterpumps, new fluids, plugs, and compression check. The boat has been well maintanied and spent its life stored inside when not used and maintained by grady dealer each year. I'm waiting for a full survey report on it.

Thanks!
 
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Salmon_Slayer said:
wow! thanks everyone

the motors were fully serviced at a yamaha dealership, new t-stat, waterpumps, new fluids, plugs, and compression check. The boat has been well maintanied and spent its life stored inside when not used and maintained by grady dealer each year. I'm waiting for a full survey report on it.

Thanks!
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I supposed that you might have mentioned earlier that the motor has recently been serviced :)
In addition the fact that it was recently serviced and tested for compression would have been helpful.
I read you post as meaning that the boat and motor had sat for years with no service.
 
Definitely run in the water under load, one engine at a time. I am assuming there is a sea trial before finishing the purchase is done.
 
seasick said:
I supposed that you might have mentioned earlier that the motor has recently been serviced :)
In addition the fact that it was recently serviced and tested for compression would have been helpful.
I read you post as meaning that the boat and motor had sat for years with no service.
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I thought it did, had another conversation with the seller I miss understood. He had it serviced every year no mattter what.
 
IMHO it's a coin flip if they check out prior. I don't think folks here are going to make you sleep or not sleep well at night.
If the deal is right, I'd take the chance. If the seller has adjusted the price up because of low hours, I'd push back and counter. It could work out very well or not.
 
The fact that the outboards have been serviced every year is a bit more reassuring as opposed to something that hasn't been serviced in years and years. Though, I'd still want to see receipts from the seller or business proving that those things have actually been done, as opposed to the seller just saying those things. I'd also want the lower units dropped on both outboards and have them inspected for the dry exhaust corrosion issue.
 
Mustang65fbk said:
The fact that the outboards have been serviced every year is a bit more reassuring as opposed to something that hasn't been serviced in years and years.
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Agreed.
However, only the 3.3 liter Yamaha v6s can be checked for exhaust corrosion by dropping the lower unit.
4 cylinder 150-200s require pulling the power head. At 200 hours, I wouldn't sweat it. The vast majority don't have this issue and only the engineers at Yamaha for sure know why.
 
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