Looking to buy used 1999 Yamaha 5HP 2 stroke

[sb in gp]

OK, be gentle, I'm not an outboard expert.

Looking to buy a motor for my dinghy. I found a 1999 5hp Yamaha 2 stroke on Craigslist. Met the guy, motor was extremely clean, ran the motor stated right up, warmed up and ran good. shifted fine. Here are my concerns:

On cold start the motor smoked quite a bit, but then stopped when warm.

Checked the compression a couple of times with a cheap Harbor Freight compression gauge I bought. Shows consistently about 80 lbs.

Checked the gear oil and it looked clear with some black sediment mixed in - did not look milky or brown.

Prop appears to spin true. Minor nicks in prop.

The guy is asking $700, which seems like a pretty good deal.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Scott

 

[Lazy Daze]

Yamaha makes good engines. I have the big brother of that motor on my Grady. I don't see anything in what you posted that would scare me away. Smoking while cold is normal, compression is about right, black sediment could just be some gear shavings, which is normal - is the lower plug magnetic? If it is, the shavings would collect on it. Either way, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[sb in gp]

Thanks Dennis. Bought the motor. No maintenance records with it. Do you recommend changing impellers on these little motors on a regular interval? The owners manual is silent on the topic. Any other best practice for maintenance besides what is in the owners manual?

Thanks,

Scott

 

[AFD]

I would have bought it even if it smoked the whole time. Those little motors run forever even without maintenance...we all have "that friend" his still runs .