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Do these engines have a good reputation? Now that i know i need a 25 inch shaft this would work and there is one for sale near me and a fresh water engine too. I need a new engine after the 1998 150 evinrude went bad on the sea trial. I bought the boat knowing it was bad so I got a better deal but am I out of the frying pan into the fire with a used engine? As it is now I can have my 1998 evinrude redone with a new powerhead waterpump rebuilt carbs and VRO pump for $6000 or I can get newer Johnson for $5000.

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That is a hard question to answer. I have no info regarding the 2006 reputation. There are some pieces of the puzzle missing that would be instrumental in making such a decision.

Do you know what caused the 98 to go bad? Was it beat hard? Did the VRO pump go? Is it in great condition otherwise?

Regarding the 2006.

Why is it being sold? Has it been on a boat that the owner feels needs more power? This could indicate it has been run hard. Has a mechanic done any inspection on it? Have you seen the boat it was on and does it all look very nice and well maintained?

I know guys who have boats with just 2 speeds, reverse and wide open throttle. I would never buy their used engine. We all love to know and feel just how fast our boats will go. The intelligent ones among us do it a few times for short bursts and then drop it back to a respectable plane speed. If you even think your 2006 guy was balls to the wall full time then leave it alone. To put it another way, my car might be able to do 130 MPH but it never has and never will as long as I own it. Some boat guys have to be full throttle all the time and that simply can't be good for any engine.

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Gamelot, I agree with you about the used engine questions. They are unknowns. I would love to know what went wrong with the 98. I had a compression check done before sea trial all about 100-115 as I recall. We took it out and it ran great for 20 minutes, then slowly decreased throttle and it quit. had a heck of a time restarting it but finally got it going. We found water in the fuel and drained the fuel filter. When we got clean fuel we restarted but it still ran bad. When we took it apart the middle cylinder on the starboard side was scored pretty bad. Everything else looked good. Later the previous owner admitted that it was 2 year old gas and we had water in it so.....? was that it? I don't know, why just 1 cylinder scored if it was water or bad gas? I have been running the gas in my wifes explorer(yea, I know not smart given the unknown) but it runs fine. as far as the 1998 to look at it with the cowling off you would think it is a 2 year old engine. All the hoses look like new and the paint on the powerhead shines like new. the outside of the carbs look new.

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I think I found the reason the 1998 broke down. It appears the ring broke. I can see the piston ring as it goes around the piston in the cylinder then all of a sudden it is gone. The piston rattles around in the cylinder now. I guess I was just lucky it happened on the sea trial and not 10 minutes later when I got the boat home.

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A broken ring is disaster any way we slice it. What caused the ring to break may never be known. It is unlikely that water in the gas ever got to the cylinder but who knows. The water may have shut down one carb and not the other and that could be the culprit. No fuel and no lubricant getting to the cylinder while the others are still firing.

I honestly can't answer your main question, fix the 98 for $6K or buy the 2006 for $5K. $6,000 to repair your 98 does seem a bit steep to me but I have not stayed current with these issues. Others here may have more up to date advice for you. With your 98 rebuilt by a competent mechanic and with a real warranty for his work you might buy some peace of mind in knowing what you have. It will still be a 98 however so it is a big decision. It will not be worth $6K when you get it all done!