www.iFourWinns.com

I have a 1995 Fourwiins 220 Horizon with v8 5.8L EFI, cobra (ford motor).

Engine: 58FAPHUE
Drive unit: 3868156
Transom: 3868175

I was boating a few weeks ago and heard a loud grinding from the drive unit. Finally got someone to look at it and this is the list of items he said was needed:

1) They need a transom kit
2) Gimble bearing
3) Upper and lower gears
4) Shaft
5) Gaskets
6) Could be more when we get into it

Work and parts was going to be $2K to $3K. Good price?
*He is having issues tracking down a transom kit, any options you know? Do I need the full kit?

He then went on to say that the motor was not looking good and the compression was off on some of the cylinders.
Motor
- Cylinder head 1 - 85 lbs
- Cylinder head 2 - 90 lbs
- Cylinder head 3 - 95 lbs
- Cylinder heads 4-8 ~110 lbs

I have used this company in the past
http://www.sandjengines.com
*I believe this is a standard rotation? ~$1,983 for a core swap
**Not included: air cleaner, ignition, valve covers, timing cover, intake manifold and oil pan

My guess is that we are looking at $8K to $9K to get the boat fully functional. We paid $7,800 two years ago. We like the boat a lot and the size is great with two small kiddo's. We normally just take it boat camping with limited pulling. More of a cruiser boat for us to hang out on. We live in Colorado and take it up to the mountains and camp on Granby Reservoir.

Options
1) Do we put the $2-$3K into fixing the drive unit and then drive it for the rest of the summer.
a. We could do the motor swap out over the winter when it's cheaper to get it worked on.
b. Any further damage it could cause if I do this?
2) Do we put money into the boat and use it for several years to come until we are ready to upgrade to something newer and have more money.
a. New motor, newer upper and lower units, new transon, etc.
3) Do we walk away from the boat and buy something newer?
a. We do not want a loan payment so we are limited to the $10K mark - could be more issues like this on another boat at this price

Votes on which option and any feedback would be great.

Thanks,
Kyle

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Kyle
1995 FourWinns 220 Horizon, V8 5.8L
Colorado

I'm not a mechanic, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. That being said, I couldn't justify putting $8-9k (on top of the $7800 you paid for it) into a boat that is only worth, presumably, less than $7800. My fear would be, "what's next"? You're already having trouble finding parts. If it were me, I would fix the outdrive and sell it while it's still worth something. It's a tough break, and I feel for you. Make sure you take the next potential boat in for a full inspection before buying to hopefully save yourself another bad situation like this.

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2007 Horizon 210
5.0 Mercruiser Carbureted/Alpha I

Sell it as-is (disclose problems) and use repair $ to buy nicer boat that has been surveyed, or at least looked over by a mechanic and sea trialed.

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2006 Four Winns Horizon 200
Volvo Penta 5.0 GXi/SX

Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone used one of these in these boat motor?
"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AM8BCC/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_cr_x__a_w"
Restore 00019 8-Cylinder Formula Engine Restorer and Lubricant

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Kyle
1995 FourWinns 220 Horizon, V8 5.8L
Colorado

I've used that product before, although it was for a 6-cylinder. I had an old 240Z and the original engine was pretty worn out - rings, valve seals, etc. Almost everything leaked and it blew blue-smoke everywhere. The "Restore" helped with the rings, but it didn't do too much for the valve seals or the rear main seal.

I didn't expect much for the rear main. Once those go, that's it...time to replace. The valve seals...I was hoping for some luck, but those were easy to replace without a major tear-down. I did get lucky with the rings. I expect they were slightly stuck due to many years of sitting. The "Restore" most likely just helped to loosen them up enough to create a better seal. This was a project car at the time and I was planning a full rebuild in a year, so I wasn't really out anything for trying it.

You may get lucky and will help with your compression losses, but I wouldn't expect much more. Keep in mind, it's really just a band-aid fix.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
2013 Grand Cherokee 4x4 w/ 5.7 Hemi
San Antonio, TX

It depends on what you can actually get for it as is. If you try to sell as it you are giving it away. You will lose most of the 7800 you paid...and it may take long to sell it.
I might fix the drive this year if the engine runs well enough to use it but I think you posted on iboats that you seem to have a moisture in the oil issue. At that point if it is blown head gaskets it is repairable but $$$ for labor. If the heads or block are cracked you will need a re man set of heads or long block. I did this with my old 4.3 (blown head gaskets & cracked heads) and I did the work myself at a total cost of about $800 for the heads, gaskets and head & manifold bolts. Tough call, you need good/honest diagnosis of any engine problems

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I just picked it up this weekend and dropped it at a boat shop in Denver for a second opinion. Fingers crossed.

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Kyle
1995 FourWinns 220 Horizon, V8 5.8L
Colorado