List of problems on 150xp

I have a 1989 Evinrude 150xp that I just took to the shop, heres what they said>>>>
1. Bent prop shaft. How hard is it to replace?
2. Rebuild the carburetors. Can an intermediate mechanic do this?
3. Motor Mount is bad.
4. Water Temp gauge is not working.
5. VRO is possibly leaking.

I'd appreciate any advice on this because the shop had said it would be +5k to fix, and I really dont have the salary for this

Re: List of problems on 150xp

1) Lower unit disassembly is required and some special tools may be required. A service manual is essential. Verify it is actually bent. Put the engine in neutral. Use a pencil or any other pointed object as a pointer. Clamp or fasten the pointer to something that will hold it stationary while pointed exactly at the center of the prop shaft. Turn the prop by hand. Any wobble of the shaft will indicate the shaft is bent. A used lower unit would solve the "I don't know how to do this" issue.

2) Carbs can be cleaned, inspected and reassembled with new kits by an intermediate mechanic. Float level adjustment is required. Service manual specific to your engine is again suggested.

3) Bad motor mount is a mechanical remove/replace activity. Again, ensure it is actually broken. Service manual suggested.

4) Water temp gauge is very likely NOT broken. Wiring and temp sender are far more likely culprits. Troubleshoot and repair.

5) VRO is "possibly leaking?". It either is or it isn't. Determine If/why/where it is leaking. (If you are an intermediate mechanic this should not be an issue). The VRO pump is rebuildable but not for an amatuer or in many cases not even for someone who has never done one. If the pump is indeed bad, you have two options. Disable the oil side of the pump and then pre-mix fuel and oil, or replace the pump with a fuel only pump and pre-mix fuel.

In my view 5K is outrageous and more than the engine is worth in good running condition. You need to find a more reputable repair facility.

Re: List of problems on 150xp

Silvertips right on the money on everything. That engine (in good running condition) is worth somewhere around $2K give or take, $5K in repairs is ridiculous.

As far as the lower unit, I recently had mine apart (1990 Johnson 200) and (with the help of a factory service manual) it wasn't too bad. There's a special wrench to grip the splines at the top of the driveshaft while you loosen the pinion nut - I was able to make a suitable tool on a waterjet at work. You'll also be removing some very hefty snap rings, so will need large ratcheting snap ring pliers (I was able to borrow some). If you end up having to buy those tools I'd guess a used lower unit would be a good option (be careful of what you buy though, I had bad luck buying one on ebay).

Re: List of problems on 150xp

anything can be acomplished if you have the desire to do it with factory servise manual and proper tools somethings are harder than others but most can be done by doing your homework .read read read and learn the cost of the manual will offset what you have learned

Re: List of problems on 150xp

Depends on which motor mount. If either of the two lower mounts (at the bottom of the midsection) need to be replaced, you can probably do that yourself. If the upper mount is bad, you will have to pull the powerhead. While not really all that hard, it is a major task which will take probably 3-5 hours. You'll need some type of lifter for the powerhead. With a factory service manual, you can do it. Obviously, make sure the powerhead has good compression before you sink any $ into it.

Re: List of problems on 150xp

I appreciate all the help, you guys are offering. I went and got it from the shop and after looking at it, the compression is 103-105 across all the cylinders. I'm not sure how to tell if the upper mount is bad, though I can say there is alot of slop in the motor.

The propshaft does have alot of up and down wobblem which leads me to it could be bearings, or the shaft.

Is there any way that the propshaft can be removed without dropping the lower unit, when I look at the schematics it almost looks like the shaft itself is only held in by the bearing housing?

I was able to pull up the schematics from an evinrude site and the carbs seem quite straight forward. They even gave me a schematics of the linkage which the mechanic said was off from whoever worked on it before. If anyone is looking for that site, it's boats.net, they gave much better schematics then the Seloc manual I have.

When I spoke with the shop, they said it was because they were using all quality OMC parts, not the OEM parts, but after looking at the parts list, I also found they were charging MSRP for all the parts as well.

Unfortunately, I learned alot last year, while naieve I paid 1600 for the stator, timing cup and a power pack to be replaced, therefore I am trying to be more careful with what I have them do.