Something a little newer

[Tinman]

Looking at a 1986 15 hp evinrude with electric start. Good shape. Story goes it hasn’t run in a few years. You know how that goes. I’m not familiar with anything that new. Something to avoid or worth the effort to get running? Btw its $100 or best offer. Thanks

[David Bartlett]

People either love them or hate them. I won’t say which group I fall into, but check out Leroy’s Ramblings for all you could ever want to know about these.

https://www.leeroysramblings.com/Johnson%209.9_15.htm

David Bartlett
Pine Tree Boating Club Chapter

"I don't fully understand everything I know!"

[fleetwin]

Well, they are a little tight to work on, but not that bad….
I guess my question is why is the price so low for an electric start 15hp….This is a super bargain if there are not major issues. Is this a fresh or salt water engine? Have you looked at it yet? Needless to say, you will want to make the basic inspection checks such as compression and gear lube condition… Look for signs of overheating, although it is a little tough to tell on the engines with black powerheads…So, look for evidence of gaskets being replaced, melted wiring/repaired wiring connections…Look where the coils butt up against the head, sometimes the coil case melts right to the head.
These engines had a fatal yet simple cooling flaw when used in salt water, the upper water tube grommets tend to get crushed by a salt build up between the grommet and inner exhaust housing. The powerhead has to be removed to replace the grommets, and you may run into seized fasteners…
1986 might have been the first year of the dreaded 100:1 mix, so pay close attention to compression readings.
The starter switches are a little weak on these engines and are a pain to replace.
This engine might have one of the “modular” carbs, with plastic top and bowl that are expensive to replace.
Look for evidence of exhaust drool coming down from the exhaust housing where the steering arm enters the housing, check the upper mounts also.
From everything I have written here, one would think I despise these engines, but I love them….Just being honest…
$100 is a bargain for one of these engines with no obvious mechanical issues. You can always resell it for more if you discover major issues afterwards or just don’t feel like working on it….
Feel free to ask any specific questions you may have or post pictures of or a link to the seller’s ad…

[billw]

I completely agree with every word Don just wrote! Make sure you read what he wrote, twice! They can have some problems and are sometimes a little difficult to fix, especially if salty; but they just run so darn good that you can’t resist them! It is a super bargain, too, although if it’s a long shaft, it is a little less desirable. You can short-shaft them easy enough; but the short drive shafts are getting hard to find.

Long live American manufacturing!

[Tinman]

Thanks everyone for the input. It’s a short shaft, freshwater motor. Going to look at it this weekend. Owner says he went to a larger motor for his boat. Been in garage for a few years, taking up space. I will check it out good. Included is a pic. Thanks.

[fleetwin]

Just based on it being a fresh water motor and the picture you posted, it is a bargain, unless the powerhead and gearcase are trashed…. You can always resell it, or its parts, for much more than $100 if you don’t like it once you get to working on it….

[outbdnut2]

I have five of these 15s with mega-hours on them from a failed resort, ranging from the late 1970s to 1991. I have the newest three running great (1989-1991), and have gotten the older two to start. Sometime in the late 1980s, tuned exhaust was added to get the output up to 15 HP measured at the propshaft to compete with the foreign brands – not sure what year it was added, but my 1989 has it, and I can tell from the photo that your 1986 does not. The only difference between the 15s and the 9.9s is the carb. I fixed a 9.9 for a neighbor that wouldn’t idle right no matter what i did, and switching to NGK spark plugs magically cured that. I have not seen that problem with any of my 15s. Not sure what year they went to throttle cables from the tiller, instead of the traditional rod/rear mechanical tiller that was known to wear out on these models with a lot of use. The only thing I’ve found that is a bit dicey to remove and repair is the recoil starter assembly – if you take it off for any reason, have a nut ready to put on the bottom of the long mounting bolt to hold the whole thing together – if I remember right, it’s a 3/8-16. I found the SIerra impellers , even with a new Sierra housing, don’t cool at slow idle, but OEM impellers work fine. Electric start is rare on these. For $100, I’d grab it!
Dave

[Mumbles]

The carb alone sells for more than $100 on Ebay.

[Tinman]

When checking compression what should my numbers be?

[fleetwin]

outbdnut2 wrote:

I have five of these 15s with mega-hours on them from a failed resort, ranging from the late 1970s to 1991. I have the newest three running great (1989-1991), and have gotten the older two to start. Sometime in the late 1980s, tuned exhaust was added to get the output up to 15 HP measured at the propshaft to compete with the foreign brands – not sure what year it was added, but my 1989 has it, and I can tell from the photo that your 1986 does not. The only difference between the 15s and the 9.9s is the carb. I fixed a 9.9 for a neighbor that wouldn’t idle right no matter what i did, and switching to NGK spark plugs magically cured that. I have not seen that problem with any of my 15s. Not sure what year they went to throttle cables from the tiller, instead of the traditional rod/rear mechanical tiller that was known to wear out on these models with a lot of use. The only thing I’ve found that is a bit dicey to remove and repair is the recoil starter assembly – if you take it off for any reason, have a nut ready to put on the bottom of the long mounting bolt to hold the whole thing together – if I remember right, it’s a 3/8-16. I found the SIerra impellers , even with a new Sierra housing, don’t cool at slow idle, but OEM impellers work fine. Electric start is rare on these. For $100, I’d grab it!
Dave

How is it you can tell this engine does not have the open megaphone by the picture? This 1986 15hp should have the open megaphone, but I am judging its year and HP merely by the engine cover….

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