I do know the water route is different, but I’ve noticed that wherever that extra fuel is being dumped, that cylinder is running hotter. Usually it runs about 10-15° above the ‘lean’ cylinder, and once the thermostat opens, it doesn’t mean anything, but I have been seeing those cylinders run up to 175° until the thermostat opens.

The cylinder head (where the thermostat sits) seems to take awhile to catch up to the temperature of the cylinders, and of course if one is running a little warmer than the other, than by the time the thermostat opens, it may be operating a little above the right range. The thermostats I use are set for 143°, but I’ll have cylinders running 160° and the thermostat is still only at 120°.

I am pointing the laser at the cylinder walls (top and bottom), although I thought I read a good place is where the ID plug is punched in. Any areas you use to use as a tell tale?

Ill post a pic of the 3 spots I spend the majority of time on with the heat gun for all motors across the board tomorrow. If anything, I almost never look at the cylinder heads but focus on the starboard side cylinders (unless its a 9.9/15, where the exhaust is on that side) and thermostat orifice. With 4hp motors, the head will be 180-220 degrees, yet the cylinders will be 85-90. I will say Ive dealt with a few motors where that t-stat orifice isnt giving an accurate reading because the cylinder head orifice leafing into the thermostat bypass is occluded or plugged.

Recall our phone conversation from 3 months back with that 20 where the tap broke off in the cylinder head screw hole? That was a great motor, but that 1/8th inch cylinder passage was plugged, so the motor couldnt be run more than 60 seconds before the heat went too high. Yet the blubber hole showed water pumping like a hose.

Personal Story. The reason I’m so anal about cooling systems is because my 2nd motor, ever, was – ’69 johnson 25 that I seized 4 times due to an overheat. I melted the top piston and it still started on the 1st pull but had no top end after 5 seconds. I still own that block, but the other 95% had been repurposed (now that I’m turning wrenches full time.) The local dealer screwed me at least 5 times to the tune of 1,500.00, which is why Im in business now.

As usual, Im just looking for the best way to evaluate motors to insure they are ready to be put back into reliable, regular service. As said in Wayne’s World…IM NOT WORTHY! Here to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

Thanks again guys.

The marina was called Owen’s marine. They went bankrupt 4 times, and finally folded 3 months ago, and I was able to salvage about 40 years worth of parts motors/NOS and various items. Basically they lost their ability to be distributors for all the major brands over the past few years, with each loss essentially being another nail in the coffin so to speak.

There is nothing more depressing then walking around a 8,000sf marina that has been in business for 20 years, and watching, literally, 40 flatbed trucks come in and just take hundreds upon hundreds of motors to the scrap yard indiscriminately. I was there for at least 30 hours straight over the course of 2-3 days going through every rack, closet, shelf, cubby, and bin to try and pull as much stuff as I could to save it from going to scrap. And there was/is stuff that is perfectly usable still there, but at this point the bank owns it, and I don’t think that property will be occupied for a long time based on the soil sample results, it’s one of those situations where they were not disposing of things consistently or safely, and now it’s really bad.

I will say this, when a customer pays $680.00 to have a clutch dog switched out, (later to find out all they did was reverse the thing), that is clearly unethical. All and all, the roots of my education doing repairs stemmed from the $4,000.00 they cost me over the past 5 years, but that’s why I’m in business now, and what I was able to salvage from their location before the sheriff threw the padlocks on, as the saying goes, ‘what goes around comes around’ I guess.

There is another marina just north of me that is family operated and still authorized by BRP for evinrude sales. I have a few stories about them too and some tricks they pulled. I mean, I understand people need to make a living, but to flat out lie to customers just to bilk them for extra $$$ is something I disagree with.