Thank you all very much for the advice and feedback. Especially to Macrenovations for taking the time to look up all that info.
After the compression test, the seller indicated I could come back and check the engine some more. I admitted that I wasn't sure what low compression numbers mean on an engine that has been idle for so long. I have the following plan, assuming the seller is OK with everything: get some new spark plugs. Not cheap, but worth the money to see if I can get the motor to run. Work some oil into the cylinders through the spark plug holes. Change motor oil in order to look at the oil fill plug (for shavings) and see if its oil or sludge in there. I like the suggestion of a portable gas tank. That way I do not have to mess with draining the old gas, and I can throw in a $5 bottle of fuel injector cleaner (the outboard is fuel injected). Oh, and I should probably drain the lower unit to make sure it has no water in it.
What else would you suggest? Assuming the engine ran two years ago and has no major problems, can I reasonably expect that I can get the engine running with the steps outlined above?
I'm not sure about a couple things. First, I assume its possible to hook up a garden hose to cool the engine? Is there a FAQ (with illustrations if possible) on this?
Second, is it possible to run this motor on a portable tank? That outboard is pretty big and, like automobile fuel-injected motors, is going to need a fuel pump. Is the fuel pump external to the tank? What size hose do I need?
And finally, can the motor be turned over by hand, to work the oil into the cylinders? How would one go about doing this? Is there a service manual for the Optimax available on-line?
Thanks so much the help so far.
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