Big engine repair cost

What are some common costs of big engine repairs? No clue to what motors of the 115hp-150hp 2stroke range would be, early to late 90s models, mostly Merc or John/Evin

Bad cylinder/s, new lower unit, whole engine overhauls, etc. Couple hundred not big of deal, couple thousand would suck.

bad cylinders…… your looking at a couple thousand for sure. I would say if you have low compression in just one hole and the only part that is bad is the piston, and if the block can just be “cleaned up” I would say 2,000 minimum. big motors are very expensive

Anything with the cylinders is going to be in the multiple thousands and you will likely be doing a cost analysis on just buying a new motor instead. Lower unit’s aren’t as bad, I had one put on last summer for around a grand on my 1995 115hp. Not much mechanically is going to be a couple hundred, as you probably have heard BOAT really means: Bust Out Another Thousand.

Yikes. No wonder I always read get those compression checks.

Thanks very much

Go on eBay or Amazon now and order yourself up a compression checking gauge. IMO, if you’re buying an outboard, this is worth the money to own your own compression checker because this tells the tale of an outboard and can make/break the deal in a couple of minutes.

Guys tend to worry a lot about the engine, but in my experience, under-use and lack of proper storage and maintenance are bigger issues and cost more money to fix than situations where a major engine breakdown occurred. My #1 concern with ANY used boat is not the engine, it’s the condition of the transom and the floors. Any rot on these can mean the boat is a basket case because it won’t be repairable in any cost feasible way.

Grouse