1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Hello, I have a 9.9 Merc. Its always been a tremendous motor until I couldn't get it running right one day. Took it originally to an " outboard mechanic school " because a friend was attending. He told me they would check it out. Reply from the school was bad compression in one piston. Piston scored .

My response was of disbelief but it is what it is I guess. I think if thats the case one of those morons scored it. At any rate, I took it back to the Mercury dealership where I bought it. They weren't very kind and called me back and said I was looking at 1,300 dollars to fix it. I paid 900 dollars for the motor new I told em.

I said, I will pick the motor up. I can't afford that ridiculous estimate. They said for 1100dollars we have a long shaft 2005 we will sell you, if interested. I wasn't at all interested and showed up to pick my motor up. They charged me 110 dollars for taking it apart. They handed the motor to me in a box of mixed parts. They said , another 110 dollars to put it back together. WTF !

Is this normal business practice and can I get this motor fixed reasonably. The thing doesn't look bad at all. Thanks.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Oh, I should add. I'm not mechanically inclined. How in the world do I know if everything to my motor is still there? Also, how do I know thats my motor in the box ? Will it be difficult to fix now ? Friend looked at my motor piston and said with eyeball it doesn't look scored in the first place. I'm totally lost now. Can I just sell it the way it is ?

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Dude you made some bad decisions. Can't undu.
why didn't you post here earlier with your problem?
Sell What? a box of Parts?

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Mi duckdown said:

Dude you made some bad decisions. Can't undu.
why didn't you post here earlier with your problem?
Sell What? a box of Parts?

Click to expand...

The box of parts is my outboard. Most likely, it is my outboard. Why don't you elaborate on my bad decisions, Dude. Taking it to a professional mechanic is a bad decision, Dude.

If you were standing here right now, I'd beat you in the head with the box, Dude.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Lucky, most of the people here know just how you feel, we've all been down with the outboard/boat bummers. Perhaps the best thing to do is cut your losses and find another motor. Depending on your area, there should be plenty of inexpensive small outboards available.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

If you were standing here right now, I'd beat you in the head with the box, Dude.

I'm Thinking NOT.

But Took it originally to an " outboard mechanic school " because a friend was attending. He told me they would check it out. Reply from the school was bad compression in one piston. Piston scored.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Put it back together, get a manual and rebuild it. Or part it out on ebay, not much else to be done.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

The lowerend in good shape is worth 250 in my neck of the woods

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Noticed not one word about taking the motor apart and returning it to me in a box from the Mercury dealer's end ?

Here's my plan, small claims court if they don't put it back together the way it arrived. I wonder if they want to push the issue ? I'll be bringing the motor back to the general manager before I scrap it.

Hopefully, he will insist on me leaving with my motor they way they gave it to me. I like my chances in civil court.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

I hate to tell you this but almost all dealers I know pull the motor apart to inspect it, if it's showing low compression on a cylinder there is no magic to tell the mechanic what is wrong with it. You paid them to diagnose it which means you paid them to dissassemble and inspect it. You will lose in court cause that is their defence, "judge he paid us to tell him what's wrong with it which envolves disassembly, not to take it apart and assemble it which would be another $110.

I have a buddy who owns a merc dealer here in town, a guy brought him a 9.9 johnson with a twisted driveshaft, needs a crank as well. It's sitting in a box on his shop floor, he called the guy with the quote and he elected not to repair it. Guess what, the motor is still in a box on the floor, why would he put it back together on his dime to hand it back to the customer, doesn't make sense as far as hourly rate shops are concerned.

Now my advice- pay the $110 to get it back together, buy a manual, scour the globe for a used powerhead and change it out yourself. It's not rocket science, it's nuts and bolts tools and grease. That's why we men are men, to do the impossible, try it, you might surprise yourself.

I was given a 6 hp merc last year with a seized powerhead. I got a used powerhead shipped to my door for $75, I put another $100 into it for the magneto. I waited 8 months to find a stop switch for it but I found one, persistance pays off. It runs like a dream and cost me next to nothing cause I took the time to fix it, you can do it to, we are here to help.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Get the cylinders honed out to over sized rings and put the new rings on the old pistons. Put it back together and you got a like new engine.or light scores on a cylinder wall can be easily fixed. you could do it your self with a Hone and some cutting oil make sure you clean it very well after honing to get all metal out of the cylinders. Go to the auto parts store and buy a hone. a micromiter would be useful as not to go more than 3 thousands of an inch.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

ooo

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

You don't have to rip an engine apart to tell if it has low compression. There job requires them to tear it apart then thats they're tough luck. Not mine. I imagine standard business practice won't mean crap to the judge.

It was done to push that other piece of junk on me. My paperwork doesn't state what the mechanic found wrong with my motor. Just says disassembly . What on earth does that tell me?

The mechanic was supposed to show me at the very least what the issue is with the motor? Telling me 1300 dollars for new rings will have to be justified to the judge too. Good luck to them. I'll spend a 160 dollars to make a fool out of myself if thats they're defense.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Ok so you take it to a school (which you blame for the issue) , they tell you it has bad compression then you take it to a certified marina to tell you it has bad compression? So why did you take it to the marina, for them to hang it on the rack so they can admire it???Your story doesn't add up, surely to god when you took it to the mechanic you told him it has bad compression, what would be the obvious next step (test compression and then take the thing apart)....sorry....I don't know what else to say to you,at this point it is your tough luck that a mechanic has to take it apart to inspect the damage. They didn't take you for a ride or screw you over, they took it apart to verify what the problem was. I'm sure they informed you of an hourly rate or did you assume estimates are free???

I don't take pride on getting into arguements on the board, i'm not being hostile i'm just stating the facts. Like I said in my last reply, have them assemble it and find a powerhead and head back to the board for help. OR you could go back to the marina and state that they didn't give you a rate or quote if that's what they did and threaten to sue them. People get screwed over all the time, me included. The world is made up of good and bad, welcome to the world of boating, it isn't a cheap one.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

LOOSERS FIRST POST

(My response was of disbelief but it is what it is I guess. I think if thats the case one of those morons scored it.)

the kids Scored it? WTF

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Done

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Oh ya and to add to it, the estimate is quite fair, they will probably replace the entire powerhead at whatever the cost is plus assembly. Very few shops nowadays pull pistons and line bore and rebuild, they don't have the equipment and they don't want the thing returning cause junior forgot to put in a needle bearing. Think about it, when the control board in your furnace breaks do they bring out the soldering iron and resistor and solder on a new one for 10 cents or do they replace the board at $300 and charge you $200 to diagnose and replace the part but being that your furnace is 13 years old they might try to sell you a new one, sorry and I'll say it again, they were doing their job.

EDIT: ok so I'm lying awake in bed working this out in my head:

1- you said you bought the motor from this place and this is the first time you've ever brought it in for service, cause if you had of before I can bet money they gave you a bill. However I am willing to bet you've never had it serviced, maybe the carb is dirty and ran it lean, maybe the water pump failed and it overheated???

2- They did you a favour, could you imagine if they took it apart and put it back together and said the wall was scored and that you owed them $280 instead of $140.

3-Do you even know how to do a compression test? You screw in a compression gauge and pull the rope 5 or 6 times then it produces a number. If these students had any brains were taught how to read compression, it's the most fundimental thing in dealing with small engines. And to suggest they scored it?? 1- what's in it for them, does one of the students dad own the marina and this is a conspiracy? 2- did they pull the powerhead apart and run a dremel tool along the cylinder wall???


Think about what you are stating.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

have to agree here that Blame is on you for first of all bringing it to a shop in a school full of inexperience kids mostly just tjere to be there not to learn. Having said that one of them god knows who did damage to an engine you were willing to lend to the school for knowledge sake in hopes of getting something free in return when in fact you got screwed. Now you bring it to a dealer who charges at least $50.00 and hour to diagnose with the story of how damage was done and what you thought the cause was. whatever words transpired between you and the dealer we don,t know but apperently permission was given to investigate the diagnosis you gave them. a reply was given after that investigation occured and at that point you choose not to move forward on the pending service. therefore you get back from the point of refusal to repair the unit as is. You might be better off they didn,t reassemble a broken engine that needs repair. It would cost you more to strip it down when you do decide to repair it. Alll BS aside make a decision what your gonna do with the engine and move on

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

Fortunately for me I'm a little mechanically inclined.. and know how to read. I've never taken a boat engine or vehicle engine to someone else to work on. So far I've pretty well figured them all out by myself... not always easy! With the help of this forum and few others I pretty well get all the help I need.... and never have I been to any kind of school on outboards or any other kind of engine tho' my dad was a mechanic and I worked in his shop in my high school years.

Re: 1998 Mercury 9.9 HP Outboard taken to shop returned to me in a Box !

RandyJ .
this is what the site is all about.
Helping people fixing things to the best of there knowledge.
Take it with a grain of salt.