let my old friend down today

[phatdaddy]

well, after 20 years and 1700 hours, my mariner 150 is in critical condition. the sad part is, it was through my on actions. i ALWAYS top off the oil tank when i gas up. i usually get 40 to 50 gallons. last week i gassed it up during the week to avoid the holiday rush and just parked it in the driveway. got up sat and went trout fishing, started running rough, so came home and thought i had bad gas or water. popped the cowling and the onboard tank is empty. i guess the cap sensor had failed and gave no indication of no oil. i ran a comp test and 120 on 5 with 30 on top port.

i know it can be fixed, but a 20 yr old motor, seems like too much sugar for a dime. i'm going next week to look at the merc 150 4 stroke.

that has been the best motor i have ever had, never let me down and never had the carbs off. water pump, t-stats, poppet valve and foot oil every spring is all i ever had to do.

sorry for the long rant, feel like i've lost a family member.