[Geekie1]

I have an 85 Yamaha 150. It has been a very reliable engine. The problems I have had with it have been minimal and relatively simple. (Bad oil controller, bad stator) One of the things I really like is that these engines are simple in concept, no computers, and what electronics that exist on the engine are very simple and easy to troubleshoot. They are not particularly fuel efficient and no matter what oil you use, they smoke a little. The early Yamaha V4 and V6 engines had regular steel shift rods which would corrode and break if used in salt water, however I think that 93 V4 & V6's had the stainless steel shift rod which solved the shift rod problem. There is a forum on iboats.com that has Yamaha experts that will answer any Yamaha question no matter how stupid!

As far as parts go, I buy all of my new parts at boats.net, (Central Florida Yamaha). Their prices are very good, better than my local Yamaha dealer even including shipping. I once received an incorrect part from them but it was my fault because when I bought the boat, the seller told me the engine was an 86. The 86 oil controller was definitely different than the 85. Obtaining the correct part from them, even though it was my fault, was very painless and other than freight, actually cheaper.

I have a complete carburetor set that includes all linkage, intake manifold and reed assembies and a complete set of ignition parts from the magneto, CDI unit, coils, everthing electric bought on Ebay. Paid about $175 for all of it. If you buy the Yamaha, don't hesitate to contact me if you have a basic question. I am not a Yamaha tech so I may not be able to answer questions about the internals of the engine, but carb, water pump, ignition questions I may be able to help with.