how much do those usually run? I was quoted around $11-1200. Does this sound about right or should I get another quote?

forgot to mention it's on a 1986 200 hp Johnson GT.

HEY DAVE CALL RONNIE AT TEXAS MACHINE WORKS

Where's he located? I'm in the Temple/Belton area.

Not likly you can get by with just rings.

Why's that? what else could be wrong?

The reason that new rings won't cure a low compression motor. Is that the pistons are horizonal, gravity has been working on them big time. The cylinders are now egg shaped, By putting round rings in an egg shaped cylinder you will create an excessive blow-by effect that will basically put the engine out of sync. That is when the reeds have closed prematurely in relation as to where the piston is at in the cylinder and they are delayed to open as to where the piston is at in the cylinder. Either of which will make a very bad running motor. Plus the condition of the piston itself. One; the ring groove may be too wide or even crushed resulting in excessive blow-by. Two; The oiling grooves on the skirt of the piston may be wore out. Three;The wrist pin may be starting to chatter.
In my experience,,,,The one time that I made the fatal mistake of putting rings on a old piston. The engine ran progressively worse as the clock ticked on. I finally did a complete, rebuild when the clock hit 10 hours on the new rings. I still have the rings as a reminder as to my ill fated attempt to cure a low compression engine......

Wow! So what am I looking at in terms of $ amount on rebuilding this thing?

Or would I be better off finding another motor(Johnson) rather than rebuilding this one? I've already started looking for another one to see what kind of prices I'm looking at. Looking for a mid to late 80's model so I can just hook up the controls and be done.

I would get some prices on a rebuild just so you know what the best and worst case scenario is. Finding a better motor than having yours rebuilt might prove to be a frustrating task. Not many good, old motors out there.

You might check with the guy in the classifieds that does boat salvage. He always seems to have part for guys that ask him.

Good luck.

If your tilt and trim is good, your lower unit is good and your electronics are good.....Why buy someone elses motor when all you have to do is rebuild yours. If you do buy another engine, there is no guarantee that it is better or will even outlast your rebuild. Plus, I really doubt it if you get something better than what you got for $1200........it just don't happen to me.

Sounds good. The 1200 was the price for just the rings. If it needed to be bore out it was closer to 2k is what they told me.

PM sent

PM returned Mike.

Best of luck Dave! That's a pricey fix, bro!