ash80 Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Hi all, Have been struggling to find a decent Sydney mechanic and think the age of the motor might be an issue. I have a 1996 E'rude 200hp which needs some work. First mechanic clearly wasn't interested in fixing it, did a half a$$ed job which did not fix the issue and charged me $1k. Second mechanic told me on the day of the booking that he was too busy, third mechanic told me when it was being booked it in that "if it looks like a heap of $h!t I'll turn you away". Haven't been there yet, but I don't have high hopes. What is going on??!! I know it's an old motor, but it's still usable, and I'm not trying to cheap out on price, I just want it fixed! Are there any good mechanics that still happily work on old outboards? Keen to find a good one in Sydney Thanks heaps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquidMarks Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Hi Ash, I think the problem these days is that mechanics can earn more money doing the regular services (with their eyes closed) than spending hours troubleshooting/taking apart and rebuilding engines. (he can spend the day working on your engine and may not have it fixed, or he can be servicing 7-8 boats at minimum $400 each in the same day). I know which one makes more financial sense/ is less hassle. What part of Sydney are you in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XD351 Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Most mechanics will shy away from it because it is an old engine , getting parts can be problematic and they don’t want to spend time tracking down parts from wreckers . I was listening to Alan Blake ( Blake’s marine ) talk about this last weekend on the radio and he said 20yrs ago it was financially viable to recondition engines as back then parts were available and cheaper , nowadays old engines go to the wreckers . All you can do is keep ringing around and expect a hefty labour bill if someone does take it on . What is the issue with it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunc333 Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 hi ash before you get ripped off any more what is the issue .can you describe issue to us . we are all here to help people like you no to get ripped off cheers dunc 333 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant fish Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Sorry to hear you paid$1000 for nothing finding someone good and who you can trust isn't easy as Duncan said post what is wrong someone may have an answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Ranger Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 I have a good mechanic in Ingleburn. I guess it depends on how close you are 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 As mentioned, what's the issue with the motor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash80 Posted October 10, 2021 Author Share Posted October 10, 2021 Thanks all, yes thats what I was afraid of in regards to how simple it is to service a newer motor vs. diagnosing an issue in an old one. I have had the boat for appx 9 months. Has always run rough, the biggest problem is it has a tendency to stall when putting into gear. Even after what seems like an incident free morning, when I tried to fire up the engine in the afternoon, motor sounded fuel starved and bulb needed to be pumped to get home. Previous mechanic wound the idle speed up, which did help a little, but I really want the problem eliminated. One thing that may help diagnosing is that on ear muffs it idles at 2000, in water drops to about 1000. This seems like a big drop, so not sure if that is diagnostic Work done so far: -new plugs, Champion as per spec -new separator -new hoses from tank to engine -new primer bulb -pumped existing fuel in tank and polished with inline filters -VRO has long been disconnected. New fuel only pump installed by me -decarb with Seafoam -all cylinders within 12% of each other I haven't fully tested after the decarb, but keen to hear any other thoughts... Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Decarb is probably not going to fix anything, it's idling way too fast, it needs a proper carb clean and everything set as it should be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Agree with Noel .. if you suspect the carbs then you need to get a proper carb clean done... or do it yourself. Did you test the fuel pump after changing it? - disconnect the tube feeding the carbs and point it into a container and crank the engine... are you getting good flow? BTW, for comparison my old 1999 EFI Merc 200hp idled at 700-750rpm ... whether on muffs or lower leg submerged in water. The back pressure should not be affecting yours to the extent you are seeing. Cheers Zoran PS - I have sent you PM with details of a mobile mech that was recommended to me, but I have not had a need to use him as yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash80 Posted October 10, 2021 Author Share Posted October 10, 2021 Yes, proper carb clean was next on the list. Though I was thinking I'd just buy 6 kits and rebuild them all while I'm at it (since I won't really know what needs replacing or not). Agree regarding the high idle, cranking up the idle speed doesn't seem the correct way to fix the issue. My only concern is if I do the rebuild, how do I get everything (idle speed and mixture) back to default levels? I guess the manual states the correct settings? I'm worried I'll have to do a link and sync which appears seemingly impossible to do properly without hanging off the back of the boat at WOT at nightime while holding a timing light !!!! Thanks for all the help so far, I'm certainly learning a lot!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 (edited) THe carbs are easy to do, but, they need to be done properly, just spraying stuff or washing them is not good enough, they need every passage (not just the jets) cleaned. Buy genuine kits rather than cheap after market, resetting them again is not that hard. The big issue is making sure the butterflies are fully close at idle, just a tiny bit open will cause drama, as will a blocked idle circuit in the carb/s, all gaskets and O rings need to be replaced, float bowls checked for flatness (not warped) Edited October 10, 2021 by noelm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 I presume that with a motor of that size you have a subfloor fuel tank. @2218’s experience just reminded me that you should also check the fuel tank breather hose. Early on when I had a 225hp Yam carb model it would occasionally stall at low revs when shifting in reverse… the previous owner told me it was a feature of that motor - however I eventually found the tank breather hose was kinked and when I replaced it the stall issue disappeared. I concluded that when in the water the boat sat at an angle that trapped some fuel in the breather. The kink plus the trapped fuel prevented proper fuel supply at low revs. cheers Zoran 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash80 Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 9 hours ago, zmk1962 said: I presume that with a motor of that size you have a subfloor fuel tank. @2218’s experience just reminded me that you should also check the fuel tank breather hose. Early on when I had a 225hp Yam carb model it would occasionally stall at low revs when shifting in reverse… the previous owner told me it was a feature of that motor - however I eventually found the tank breather hose was kinked and when I replaced it the stall issue disappeared. I concluded that when in the water the boat sat at an angle that trapped some fuel in the breather. The kink plus the trapped fuel prevented proper fuel supply at low revs. cheers Zoran thats interesting. I have not replaced the breather hoses, and they do look pretty bad. Maybe a kink, but also maybe delaminated inside causing a blockage? I'll swap them out (do I just use regular fuel hose?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 16 minutes ago, ash80 said: thats interesting. I have not replaced the breather hoses, and they do look pretty bad. Maybe a kink, but also maybe delaminated inside causing a blockage? I'll swap them out (do I just use regular fuel hose?) Yes regular fuel hose works - you may need a wider ID as in my experience the breather spigot was larger than the tank spigot and can be a b*tch to push the hose onto especially if its in an awkward spot. Cheers Zoran 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey55 Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 On 10/6/2021 at 4:52 PM, Sea Ranger said: I have a good mechanic in Ingleburn. I guess it depends on how close you are If Sea Ranger is talking about South West Marine, I too can voucher for their work. The owner (without mentioning names) is very good and knowledgeable. His reputation from here and where he previously worked before starting his own business is first class Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJames Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 If there is a question mark over the fuel hoses, the simplest test would be to hook up a small fuel tank with its own hose. If the problem persists, then its not a fuel tank/hose problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowjigger Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 On 10/10/2021 at 4:58 PM, ash80 said: Thanks all, yes thats what I was afraid of in regards to how simple it is to service a newer motor vs. diagnosing an issue in an old one. I have had the boat for appx 9 months. Has always run rough, the biggest problem is it has a tendency to stall when putting into gear. Even after what seems like an incident free morning, when I tried to fire up the engine in the afternoon, motor sounded fuel starved and bulb needed to be pumped to get home. Previous mechanic wound the idle speed up, which did help a little, but I really want the problem eliminated. One thing that may help diagnosing is that on ear muffs it idles at 2000, in water drops to about 1000. This seems like a big drop, so not sure if that is diagnostic Work done so far: -new plugs, Champion as per spec -new separator -new hoses from tank to engine -new primer bulb -pumped existing fuel in tank and polished with inline filters -VRO has long been disconnected. New fuel only pump installed by me -decarb with Seafoam -all cylinders within 12% of each other I haven't fully tested after the decarb, but keen to hear any other thoughts... Cheers! Could be a vapour lock in the fuel line. It tends to show up towards the end of the trip. Heat sinks into the fuel line when the engine is stopped after a decent run. The fuel vaporises in the line and the carbies are deprived. It often manifests as stalling when put in gear. It can be tricky to fix, but I would first check if the fuel line is close to the engine block. You might be able to reposition it a bit. Also there are heat shielding tapes available which can help insulate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cladone Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 I've sent you a pm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 There is also a very good one at Arndell Park NSW They also have a shop there that sells boat parts and marine stuff "Our aim is to provide quality products, and service that is second to none. We were established in 1981 and are a small, family-owned business priding itself on offering the best service." PM me for details and mention you are a fishraider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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