Cost of refurbishing an Evinrude 70

[Lyle]

I am not a master mechanic, and I have my hands full with fiberglass sanding and prep. My question is just that... How much do you think it would cost (average) to have someone go through the motor and refurbish/ Recondition it to give a clean bill of health?

And is there anyone local to me that would do the work that is reasonable and honest that comes recommended?

[Skagit Hideaway]

You might consider some easy tests to see if it just needs standard servicing or a major rebuild.

Compression check
Lower unit fluid contamination

[Lyle]

Probably a standard servicing... It starts and runs, has a leaky #2 carb gasket. I just want to make sure when I finally get it out on the water, that's not what breaks on me. I'll be worried enough about the boat floating ��

[bruceb]

Lyle-
I've had very good luck dropping my 64 90hp Johnson off at SeaWay Marine on Harbor Ave in West Seattle. The tech there is Brad, he knows older OMC and Mercs very well. As far as tune-ups and routine maintenance, I've been able to do that with the aid of a Seloc manual. They have the manuals there as well as 95% of the parts you'll need for that engine within 24hrs. Awesome source for older parts, if you're not getting them off eBay.
Another mechanic that loves to work on OMCs is Pete at Harbor Marine on the Everett waterfront.
All that said, neither place is what I'd call inexpensive-knowing how to do some basics on an older engine can help when you're out on the water as well.
If your seller has had the water pump impeller changed in the last 50hrs of operation, great, if not I'd ad that to a list of tasks before running it.
Happy boating !

[Skagit Hideaway]

http://www.marineengine.com/ (in Seattle - fast shipping - detailed, exploded assembly diagrams/part listings - OEM and aftermarket parts) had every single part for our 1972, 100hp Johnson and 1976, 9.9hp Evenrude outboards. I did everything short of a cylinder head rebuild on them. I'd recommend getting the dedicated service manual for your particular motor rather than the slightly less expensive, multiple motor service manual. It's a real PITA to sift throuth all the unrelated information for other motors in those. Every boating manual will tell you, you should be able to do basic repairs on your engine and have the tools/extra parts onboard, just in case you need them. If you give yourself the time to become aquainted with the testing/servicing processes, it's easy.