Home › Forum › Ask A Member › 18 HP fastwin on E-bay
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chinewalker.
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November 6, 2016 at 5:29 pm #47079
OK this COULD be a great boat motor.
And if the compression IS bad, what can a resourceful restorer do?
I’m interested in performance and reliability, not cosmetics.
Could one bore/hone and put in new rings? What’s the right way to go?November 6, 2016 at 9:14 pm #47084All depends on why the compression is low. I know that’s a vague answer, but could be a number of reasons. Also depends on your budget, and what you are willing to put into it. In general, a full powerhead rebuild will cost you much more than the motor is worth. I have people come to me that are sentimentally attached to the motor, and don’t care about that.
November 7, 2016 at 7:30 pm #47127OK. I’ll admit it. I don’t want an obsessive power head rebuild. So before I decide on a short cut, can you tell me what else besides the condition of the bore and the rings affect the compression?
Wait. I know some of this. —-flatness and seal of head. —"closeness" of the head. i.e. shave metal to bring the TDC space to a smaller dimension. –fit and finish of the wrist pin and piston. –fit and finish of the crank journal. –fit and finish of the crank to the mains. –seal on the plug. Port timing.
(how am I doing?)OK. So now I have a better perspective on why compression tells so much. Am I right?
November 7, 2016 at 11:06 pm #47135Well, some of what you mentioned affects the compression. Some not.
To get anal here, there is cylinder compression (what we mainly talk about), and crankcase compression(hard to measure, so rarely talked about).
Cylinder compression is affected by the bore first and foremost. IE, is the bore worn oversize, gouges in the cylinder wall, out of round, etc…
Then other factors come into play, such as piston ring condition, if a ring is stuck, piston condition (gouges, etc…), the "trueness" of the head and block, and the condition of the head gasket. Those are the main contributing factors which would affect cylinder compression. Some motors, with components like compression relief valves could come into play, but will try to keep this general.Then there is crankcase compression. Equally as important, but harder to measure, so rarely talked about. Many motors I have seen, that cannot get made to run, suffer from crankcase leaks. As stated, sometimes hard to evaluate, so when the owner has gone through everything else, and still cannot get a motor to run right, it is just put aside as a parts motor. Again, hard to generalize all motors here, but trying to KISS (keep it simple)
November 7, 2016 at 11:10 pm #47136All that being said though, there may not be any compression issues at all.
As Bill stated, I cannot count how many times I have asked a seller how compression was, and they told me "good". I get motor home, and 1 cylinder was toasted low, or both. When asked where their "good " answer came from, they said it felt ok by turning it over. You cannot test compression by "feel", I don’t care who you are, well…..unless you are spiderman maybe!
November 8, 2016 at 7:30 pm #47178Thanks Chris. I like good information. You’re point on Crank case compression is good information. Would it be true that most issues with crank case comp. are leaks? Based on good cylinder/piston/rings?
November 8, 2016 at 7:59 pm #47179Paul – Is that York, PA? I ask, because you’re following a motor from NYS. I have a 1960 that would likely be a runner with basic tune-up work. Turns over with good compression. It has spark and newer coils. Carb has been rebuilt. I am in northern NYS.
November 9, 2016 at 6:39 am #47212Yes, York PA. This one is about 4 hours away. How far are you? (I use google maps for this.) Anyway, I’m somewhere between dreaming and serious. I WOULD like a bigger motor. But an OMC 10 or 15 would be more practical right now. My 12 ft. tinny is only rated for 10hp.
On the other hand, I bought my first pop-up with no way to tow it, (called my brother-in-law). And I bought my first outboard motor with no boat to put it on. And I really don’t have any budget for a motor right now, but I can usually pinch the budget once in a while and live to tell about it.
So, C.W. more information on this motor. HP, make, year.
November 9, 2016 at 3:14 pm #47219Paul
I agree with you. I wouldn’t bother with this engine if compression is low or uneven, you don’t want to get involved with a rebuild job. These engines are fairly plentiful, and it won’t be hard to find a similar engine in decent mechanical/cosmetic condition….
Unfortunately, you should plan on doing the work I prescribed on just about any similar engine you find, to ensure it is a reliable daily runner.
Remember to pull the gear lube drain plug for a second to check for water, do not pull out the phillips screw near the drain plug….
Clutch dog wear is another concern, but there is no real way of evaluating that condition without running the engine.
You mention you have a 12′ tinny, the 18hp might be a bit too much for it.November 9, 2016 at 8:24 pm #47221Paul – PM sent…
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