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Outboard servicing


Coswecanfly

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Quick survey. Who does their Outboard service themselves and who takes it to the mechanics? I've just done the service on my Johnson 70 myself for the first time and it wasn't nearly as daunting as I always thought it would be. It's just a normal motor turned on its head. 

Over the last few weeks I also installed and wired a new bilge pump and lights. I don't know why I always thought boats are different to cars/bikes/trailers etc. Never thought of DIYing it like I do with everything else. Oh well.  We live and we learn. 

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1 hour ago, Coswecanfly said:

Quick survey. Who does their Outboard service themselves and who takes it to the mechanics? I've just done the service on my Johnson 70 myself for the first time and it wasn't nearly as daunting as I always thought it would be. It's just a normal motor turned on its head. 

Over the last few weeks I also installed and wired a new bilge pump and lights. I don't know why I always thought boats are different to cars/bikes/trailers etc. Never thought of DIYing it like I do with everything else. Oh well.  We live and we learn. 

Welcome to the world of knowing excacly what you did to your boat at the convenience of your own home/time and saving a motza in $$$$$.

I've never been to a Mechanic,Auto Electrician etc in my life for anything i own and don't plan to anytime soon.

Good on you for having a crack.

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Always pays in the long run to do it yourself, especially with any wiring, if anything goes wrong you will know exactly where the wiring is, the connections, what fuse/relay goes where etc.

Same as cars even if its simple audio wiring, you will learn a lot more doing it yourself, i do all my own car/bike/boat any engine services and wiring myself, i'm only a young whipper snapper but i can tune my old carby cars and bikes by ear faster and better than most of my qualified mechanic mates. (some people don't even know what a dizzy is...)

good on you for having a crack mate, you just saved yourself heaps of dosh $$$$

Edited by Squ!rt
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When it comes to the motor side of things, cars, boats, well you can call me 'passion fingers' 🤔... 😲... 🙄

So, I take them to the mechanic, because, quite frankly it would cost me twice as much to fix up in the long run.

Wiring, boats, audio, electronics, house, shed, etc. I seem to manage to make work and not die in the process. Does help having grown up as the lacky for an electrician.

NOTE: while 12v in boats n cars is basically harmless (when the alternator isn't running), the 240v in your house or shed is, well, a WAY more dangerous ... so don't go playing with power around the house or shed unless you know what you're doing! 

 

 

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Nice work @Coswecanfly, I love anything DIY that's even a bit of a stretch for your abilities.

To me it keeps your brain active & teaches you new skills along the way which cant be a bad thing right!

 

I am about to do a service on my 25hp Mercury Seapro & am gathering the parts & information to do the job, that's my winter project!

I also found out something interesting during me research in that my 25hp is basically the same motor as the 30hp with the same bore & stoke etc.

The only difference is the 25hp carbs are jetted & has a different plate between the carb & motor.

It increases the rpm's but it still falls within the 25's parameters at full throttle.

There is a kit available you can get so I am considering doing the job & was going to start a thread here to see if anyone has done it themselves.

Edited by kingie chaser
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6 minutes ago, kingie chaser said:

...

I also found out something interesting during me research in that my 25hp is basically the same motor as the 30hp with the same bore & stoke etc.

...

 

There's a few motors around like that, like the Mercury / Tohatsu 40Hp vs 50Hp (pre mix 2 strokes)

And, often the restriction is only a rev limiter. 

Sorry, off topic. 🙄

 

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2 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

Nice work @Coswecanfly, I love anything DIY that's even a bit of a stretch for your abilities.

To me it keeps your brain active & teaches you new skills along the way which cant be a bad thing right!

 

I am about to do a service on my 25hp Mercury Seapro & am gathering the parts & information to do the job, that's my winter project!

I also found out something interesting during me research in that my 25hp is basically the same motor as the 30hp with the same bore & stoke etc.

The only difference is the 25hp carbs are jetted & has a different plate between the carb & motor.

It increases the rpm's but it still falls within the 25's parameters at full throttle.

There is a kit available you can get so I am considering doing the job & was going to start a thread here to see if anyone has done it themselves.

I discovered that my Johnson 70 and the Evinrude 60 are the exact same motor. I got a service kit from Outboard spares (don't know if I'm allowed to mention names?) and they had excellent service. Kit was here in a few days and everything fit perfectly. 

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35 minutes ago, AP3 said:

I do it all myself. Youtube is your friend for all things engine related. I'm a huge fan of Dangar Marine.

God help you learning from him.I watched him years ago when his channel first started and had to switch off before his bad habits rubbed off on me.

Give him a axe and a piece of chewing gum and he can fix anything. Lol.

Nice chap though but i wouldn't want to be learning from him.

Hope his channel is going well.

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On 5/13/2019 at 3:25 AM, Fab1 said:

God help you learning from him.I watched him years ago when his channel first started and had to switch off before his bad habits rubbed off on me.

Give him a axe and a piece of chewing gum and he can fix anything. Lol.

Nice chap though but i wouldn't want to be learning from him.

Hope his channel is going well.

He seems to be pretty successful does videos all the time and has quite a big fan base.  I like it, he speaks laymans terms.  Shows you real world sort of stuff.  Like if you cant get some parts to come apart he shows a few different methods.  The service manual just says "unbolt these 4 bolts and slide part off" which in real life isnt always the case.  Lol.

 

I plan to service my engine every year myself now and take it to the mechanic every other year for a checkup/engine scan etc.  I found mechanics sometimes don't follow the service manual correctly so in some cases "if you want it done right do it yourself" can apply.  

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On 5/13/2019 at 2:44 AM, AP3 said:

I do it all myself. Youtube is your friend for all things engine related. I'm a huge fan of Dangar Marine.

Stu is my main inspiration for the work and this post. I did it all with a beer in my hand. He will be proud. 😂

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Update on work done since this post:

-Service including compression test, new spark plugs, new water pump kit, gear oil change, new thermostat. 

- New prop 

- Bilge pump installed and wired

- LED Cabin and deck lights installed and wired

- 4 switch panel installed and wired for the above

- new negative terminals on batteries as old ones were rusted. 

- new solar charge controller installed and wired. 

So far everything seems to work (went for a nice run end of last week and it all feels tight as a drum). Hope it stays that way. 

Learned a lot about my boat over the last couple of weeks and would definitely recommend boat DIY to anyone that can pick up a spanner without dropping it on their foot. 

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some computer controlled engines do need dealer software or cables and laptops to see faults like, running time ,overheats oil pressure etc .these are the newer motors around since 2004 .but do have great electronic gauges as well .i treat my outboard  better than myself {family) oil changes  ,waterpumps etc on time every time and my outboard keeps me on the water and i know she will get me home .so answer is yes.I  would add if you want to service your own engine ,1st buy the real brand service manual in paperback form as the around  $40 spent will save you $100s and give you the knowledge if you are half handy with tools cheers dunc333

Edited by dunc333
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I recently serviced my 2001 90hp Honda myself and had no problems as it was quite easy.  I baulked at servicing the water pump impeller though and still can't decide what to do.  I may end up paying to be done if I can't find someone in my club to show me how.

Interesting thing was I was able to buy genuine oil and fuel filters from USA for about 1/3 the price here and I bought 3 sets due to postage savings.  Ron

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15 hours ago, campr said:

I recently serviced my 2001 90hp Honda myself and had no problems as it was quite easy.  I baulked at servicing the water pump impeller though and still can't decide what to do.  I may end up paying to be done if I can't find someone in my club to show me how.

Interesting thing was I was able to buy genuine oil and fuel filters from USA for about 1/3 the price here and I bought 3 sets due to postage savings.  Ron

Really?  I would have thought postage would have been killer from overseas.  

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I use a fully qualified Yamaha mechanic who happens to be mobile ( specialising in the comercial side of outboards). I've yet to have a service go over $200 on my f70, so it's really not worth me doing it myself. I've clocked up over 700hrs in just over two years which amounts to seven service. 

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For me it depends on what I am doing with the boat and the complexity of the engine.  If I was only staying local and puttering about ie. a breakdown is something that is unlikely to put me or the crew at risk, I might have a go at servicing myself (and have in the past).

I am currently spending a lot of my time offshore and sometimes coming in just before weather closes in.  An engine failure could turn out to be a major (safety) issue for me so I would want to minimise the chances of that happening by using a qualified mechanic.

For example, at my last service the mechanic picked up a failing starter which would have stopped the engine running.  I would not have picked that up....

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14 hours ago, JonD said:

I use a fully qualified Yamaha mechanic who happens to be mobile ( specialising in the comercial side of outboards). I've yet to have a service go over $200 on my f70, so it's really not worth me doing it myself. I've clocked up over 700hrs in just over two years which amounts to seven service. 

thats a killer price, id pay 200 a service for someone to do it. Sometimes the parts cost more than that for me.  haha

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18 hours ago, JonD said:

I use a fully qualified Yamaha mechanic who happens to be mobile ( specialising in the comercial side of outboards). I've yet to have a service go over $200 on my f70, so it's really not worth me doing it myself. I've clocked up over 700hrs in just over two years which amounts to seven service. 

That's a crazy price!

I got charged $360 for a $2700 new 25hp Merc by an authorised dealer which was the yearly service charge, at this price its just cheaper not get it serviced by the dealer & just do it yourself when required.

Obviously not getting the scheduled services voids the warranty but the money saved means I could just by a new motor every 7.5 years.

Then again I am only doing around 10hrs a year, even less some years.

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My 12 Monthly Service I do myself includes new spark plugs, cleaning of the Fuel & Oil filter strainers as I have oil injection, I also replace the Impeller, Greasing of all grease nipples and linkages. Fluid level check on Hydraulics and Gearbox Oil Replacement. obviously newer tech engines would be different. anything else that comes up between I would just deal with at the time. I.E Carby Cleaning /  Adjustments as these should not need to be done unless you have bad fuel or worn out components on the carbies, I also want to have a go at checking the timing on the Motor but need to get my head around this process, I have a Clymer manual which explains everything but I just need the time to read through it and get myself familiar before attempting it you can also replace the anodes but I have never bothered. also when I replace the impeller I like to remove the prop and clean any debris out and apply some grease to the shaft. 

I will probably not bother servicing my outboard this year as I would be lucky to have done 3 engine hours since it was last serviced in November however I pull it out of the garage once a month and run it for about 15 mins and give it a visual and never keep the fuel sitting in it for more than a month it gets used on my mowers and cars.

 

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12 hours ago, Fishop said:

thats a killer price, id pay 200 a service for someone to do it. Sometimes the parts cost more than that for me.  haha

 

8 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

That's a crazy price!

I got charged $360 for a $2700 new 25hp Merc by an authorised dealer which was the yearly service charge, at this price its just cheaper not get it serviced by the dealer & just do it yourself when required.

Obviously not getting the scheduled services voids the warranty but the money saved means I could just by a new motor every 7.5 years.

Then again I am only doing around 10hrs a year, even less some years.

 

There are many things that are simply overkill which dealers charge for. If you have an inline  fuel filter then why change the small expensive one under the cowling.  Plugs are replaced every 500- 600 hrs ( not every service) genuine Yamaha impellers are good for at least 200hrs on regularly used outboards. Anodes on the powerhead are cleaned on each service but yet to be replaced, the other anodes are getting close to a change. He works very efficiently, oil, filter and gearbox oil replaced every service and leg dropped to lube shafts and replace impeller every second service.

I had a steering cable seize which he replaced in 10-15mis with no charge ( labour). He did my mates 300 Suzuki which normally runs to $1300-$1500 per service, his price $450. 

 

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1 hour ago, JonD said:

 

 

There are many things that are simply overkill which dealers charge for. If you have an inline  fuel filter then why change the small expensive one under the cowling.  Plugs are replaced every 500- 600 hrs ( not every service) genuine Yamaha impellers are good for at least 200hrs on regularly used outboards. Anodes on the powerhead are cleaned on each service but yet to be replaced, the other anodes are getting close to a change. He works very efficiently, oil, filter and gearbox oil replaced every service and leg dropped to lube shafts and replace impeller every second service.

I had a steering cable seize which he replaced in 10-15mis with no charge ( labour). He did my mates 300 Suzuki which normally runs to $1300-$1500 per service, his price $450. 

 

If you go to the effort of dropping the leg you may as well go the whole hog and replace the impellor.

it's like dropping a manual box in a vehicle,changing the clutch and not machining the flywheel and changing the spigot bearing, slave cylinder etc while your there.

MY opinion only mate but i understand where your coming from.

I can change the brake pads on your car for x amount of $$$ in 15min flat or i can change the brake pads, service the calipers,machine the discs etc for x amount of $$$ and take alot longer to complete the job.

When you look at cheap guys factor in what your getting for the $$$ spent and whats important to you.

Again,i undestand where your coming from mate as there's always a few routes that can be taken when fixing things.

Cheers. 

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Each to their own, but one thing id be doing if I was to get my work done is ask for the old parts back. As no matter what they say you can not be certain that they are actually changing the parts some of the mechanics do this already and I think it is good practice.  

Obviously brand new outboards, you have no choice if you want to keep your warranty (Not a concern for me but many would disagree) 

The other issue a lot of us have these days is time, depending on individual circumstances etc so its just more economical to have someone else do the work for you

one day if I can afford to and trust the mechanic enough, I may just let them do the work for me but I do not see that day coming anytime soon.

The good thing about doing work yourself I have found is you always learn something each time and you will be able to identify other problems, when I cleaned my carbs I found 4 bolts missing from my manifold, would have never known about this if I did not do the work and as this is not part of a service unless you request it the bolts would have remained missing for many years to come.

Best of luck to you all and happy boating!!! 

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13 hours ago, JonD said:

 

 

There are many things that are simply overkill which dealers charge for. If you have an inline  fuel filter then why change the small expensive one under the cowling.  Plugs are replaced every 500- 600 hrs ( not every service) genuine Yamaha impellers are good for at least 200hrs on regularly used outboards. Anodes on the powerhead are cleaned on each service but yet to be replaced, the other anodes are getting close to a change. He works very efficiently, oil, filter and gearbox oil replaced every service and leg dropped to lube shafts and replace impeller every second service.

I had a steering cable seize which he replaced in 10-15mis with no charge ( labour). He did my mates 300 Suzuki which normally runs to $1300-$1500 per service, his price $450. 

 

Wow whats his number, does he service the whitsundays area??  :)

Yeah my manual says to just inspect plugs, fuel filters, anodes every year and change if neccessary.  grease prop shaft and a few nipples for tilt and trim, and gearbox oil yearly.  Impeller every 3 years.  Plugs are what 80 bucks for a set of 4 NGK and I only do 50-75 hours a year so I don't think they need changing every year even though the merc dealer suggests it.  :)

 

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