Repower Project:
New Wheels for Toy Boat 2
We decide to put a new motor on our project boat. Read about what went into the selection, and initial impressions on our new motor.
Installation happened with only one hitch - Sunset
Marine had some difficulty getting the composite prop off the
old motor. On an aluminum or steel prop, they would have simply heated it with
a propane torch, but obviously couldn't do that with a composite prop.
A quick call to Piranha Propellers came up with a possible solution -
since Piranha props have a lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty on the hub,
they told us to go ahead and do whatever was needed to get the hub off,
then send it back for a replacement if it was unusable.
By the time we got back to Sunset Marine, however, they had already removed the prop. They had left the motor out in the sun, and resulting heat was enough to loosen it.
A couple of things worked out better than we expected:
-
The E-TEC 90’s oil tank is under the cowling, so there is no need for a
separate oil reservoir. This freed up some storage space in the console, where
the old VRO tank had been located.
- The old motor required an adapter harness to allow the 2000-vintage gauges to work with the older engine. This was no longer needed, which cleaned up a mess of wires inside the transom around the battery lugs.
Overall, Sunset Marine did a clean, workmanlike job. They accidentally disconnected TB2’s rear running light while removing the old wiring harness, understandable given the mess inside the transom. They also gave the boat and fuel system a once-over, and replaced the fuel-water separator filter.
The motor is skinnier and a little taller than the old V-4 90. This makes sense, as it is an inline-3
The color on the covers is molded in, so scratches won't show up as easily. The Saltwater Edition is a very light cream color (not quite white).
The oil reservoir is inside the cowling, and holds 3 quarts, which is supposed to be enough for at least 50 hours of operation with traditional TC-W3RL oil, 100 hours with Evinrude?s XD-100 synthetic oil
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