Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

[MRneatfreak]

I asked the service department at one of the local marina's how much they would charge to due a sync and link on my 1977 johnson 85 horse outboard. Originally they said starting at $170, but to make sure they called to the back and the back room said they wouldn't do it because it was hard to get parts for the carbs and the linkages.

I was pretty shocked. Its something I think I can do. The carbs look like they are in fantastic shape. I was just hoping to have a professional do it.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

Looks like you live in Florida . . . the boat capital of the U.S. . . . there is probably another marina or boat shop that would do it for you.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

You can do it youself ONLY if you have the factory service manual for your specific engine and can follow procedures to the letter from start to finish. This is not a couple of steps but rather several procedures each with multiple steps. Screw up one step and you start over.

 

[CV16]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

Search for the procedure for your motor. I got lucky with all 4 of my motors and did it with no factory manuals around.

 

[JB]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

I agree with Silvertip.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

lots of smart marine mechanics won't work on old motors unless they know the owner and the owner is ready to pay more in respairs than the motor is worth. Especially in salt water. There is no "flat fee" with old motors.

Some won't work on an old motor because they know the owner, too.

 

[F_R]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

What does it need besides link & sync? No parts are required for that. Besides, most parts are available anyway. Snap it on the back bumper of your car and haul it by here and I'll sync it for you for that price. Oops, better watch what I say, I'm not looking to get back in the business.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

You can do it youself ONLY if you have the factory service manual for your specific engine and can follow procedures to the letter from start to finish. This is not a couple of steps but rather several procedures each with multiple steps. Screw up one step and you start over.

That goes for any older motor but.... You forgot to mention the part about parts.. Most of the parts are NLA (no longer available). The marina probably doesn't want to promise you something they can't deliver on and have probably had enough problems with customer expectations of them being able to take a 30+ year old motor and make it run like new. After all, how often to you get a new car and why.

If you do find a marina that say's no problem, we can fix anything! Be very cautious about hiring them to do the work. A statement like that tells me they don't have much experience.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

Parts for that motor are readily available at this site...
http://www.laingsoutboards.com/newpage4.htm

I was told..."If you're gunna own one of these Old Timer boats, You better learn how to work on em, cuz nobody else will!!!!"

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

I once was ready to break down and have my local OMC dealer work on my engine. They hemmed and hawed and finally told me they really didn't like working on engines that old (hell, it's only a 1990 - that's not old !!!) My impression was that they wanted to work on the new stuff so they could simply plug in a computer and have it do half the work for them.

The great thing about JohnnyRudes is that parts aren't too difficult to come by. I recently repaired a 1973 7.5 Merc, there were a lot of parts no longer available that I either had to make myself or buy used on ebay. Parts for a Johnson of that age would have been a lot easier to come by.

Find yourself a factory service manual and don't be afraid to ask questions. There are guys on iboats with a ton of experience working on these engines.

 

[MRneatfreak]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

Thanks, I just found it odd that a shop that I had been spending a chunk of change at recently on parts, resin, and gelcoat would refuse more business. I have the service manual for this year and hp model, was starting to get burnt out on the boat. I think I can do anything, thanks for the vote of confidence. I was just hoping to have a set of professional eyes look it over before I trust mine and my families life out in the big water.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

Parts for that motor are readily available at this site...
http://www.laingsoutboards.com/newpage4.htm

I was told..."If you're gunna own one of these Old Timer boats, You better learn how to work on em, cuz nobody else will!!!!"

That's true but what if the shops consider their time better spent working on motors with a quick turn around rate. I'm sure you've sat and waited for parts before, you don't get paid on that time or the parts until the job is done and it can take more than just a couple of weeks. In this economy a marine mechanic needs to get paid just to stay alive. You also risk the customer bad mouthing you because you're taking so long to get the motor done. I guess if you really stop and think about it, there's a lot of good reasons not to work on older engines.

 

[CoffeeHound]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

I have a gut feeling on this one MR -- if you follow the book to the T as said earlier, you will have no problems .
I find,, me trust me more than me trust them wiith wall-paper and little experience .
I take my family out for weekends with confidents that we will make it back to the trailer with no problems .

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

Thanks, I just found it odd that a shop that I had been spending a chunk of change at recently on parts, resin, and gelcoat would refuse more business. I have the service manual for this year and hp model, was starting to get burnt out on the boat. I think I can do anything, thanks for the vote of confidence. I was just hoping to have a set of professional eyes look it over before I trust mine and my families life out in the big water.

Freak, I know a great mech just outside Milton....PM me if you like.

 

[Skeeterbait]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

This guy has supplied me parts and advise for years and he is in Milton. www.maxrules.com

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

That's just crazy!

There are so many shops around here that would do that job in no time.

Find another shop, check out Richard's guy or Skeeter's.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

sounds like they suspect there is more to it than just a link and sync. If the motor is having fuel path issues, and L&S doesn't fix it, then what? You're not going to be happy paying $170 for a repair that didn't fix it; they want (and deserve) to be paid. Then what about the next step(s) to fix it? When do you say "enough" to fix your $600 motor?

That's why shops steer away from "simple" jobs on old motors.

 

[duckland23]

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

I had the same problem In finding a mechanic to fix my motor , But most evinrude dealers in wisconsin wont do it . They Told me its to old to work on that parts are hard to get and if a bolt breaks it imposible to find anymore . So I had to fix it my self . Im suprised how many parts there are for evinrude fleetwin from 1957 alot of them . I was going to buy a 6 hp mercury but changed my mind and bought a used evinrude fleetwin 7.5 hp from craigslist for 125.00 dollars . it has new coils and new wires and so forth . It had a problem starting and stay running but that was a bad seal on the pressure tank thats leaking air . Im in the process of fixing that as Im speaking . But for the most part its not a bad engine after I fixed the tiller handle that was taken apart by someone that assembled it the wrong way . Now it turns smooth and nice now . So if you buy a manual for a older motor you can fix it your self if you have some experience in doing so . But most shops wont fix them and the ones that will watch out for them , you can get a crook that wants to rip you off and charge you for things you dont need at all . So be carfull on finding a mechanic for a marine engine . always check his work out with references from people he did work for . somone you may know as well .

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Marine refuses to work on outboard due to age

and if you totalled up all your time spent on the project, including time to search the internet and order parts, x $95/hour, plus $125 for the parts motor, you will know why shops won't touch them, and rightly so.

Once you got in it, the problem you would have taken it in for increased with a tank problem--simple fix but time to find and troubleshoot--and a tiller arm rebuild.

Now, there's nothing wrong with spending way more time fixing something than it's worth when you consider the "hobby" value: better to be wrenching on something than watching the idiot box and you get personal pleasure from bringing something old back to life. Not so much when it's someone else's and you have to pay the rent.