Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

[hillca74]

Okay, I'm coming up on 20 hours on my 4.3L MPI Mercruiser and I have a question or two before I ask my boat to turn it's head and cough...

First, will I have to have a service bay inspect the engine alignment or is that something that can be done by myself? And, can anyone explain what the engine alignment is?

Most everything else in the manual's recommended service seems like I may be able to tackle. Is there anything that anyone would recommend I NOT do myself that is part of the break-in maintenance?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[tommays]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

If you have a good relationship with you dealer (which you should ) it is really much better to have the shop go over the boat and check everything

Its kind of hard to ask them to warranty the boat if you do not have it serviced buy a trained person


It is the best time to find any defects or other problems with the boat


Tommays

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

You may need to take it to a certified Mercruiser shop for warranty purposes......
I would go with the shop this time around......

 

[hillca74]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

I'll have to find the most reputable Mercruiser service folks in my area since I didn't purchase my boat from a dealer. I bought an incredibly gently used boat from a gentleman who only put it in the water twice. I took it to a service facility in the city where I bought it to ensure that all was good-to-go and was informed that the motor only had 13.5 hours on it. So, that's why I'm asking about the 20 hour check up.

I'll research the service providers in my area and take it to them. I'm sure it's better to pay a little more for the service than pay WAY more for a screw up!! 8)

 

[Don S]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

There is no longer a 20 hour checkup that I am aware of. I know there hasn't been for several years now.
The only thing Merc recommends now is to change the engine oil and filter and the outdrive gearlube. No need to pull the drive or anything.
Everything else is now at 100 hours or yearly whichever comes first.

 

[ruf1967]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

I purchased my Sea Ray from a Marinemax dealer and there is a twenty hour check which Marinemax recommends. There is a list of items which are covered but I can't remember them all. Basically, they checked all the engine components, tilt/trim, changed the oil, changed the lower unit lube, checked the steering, all hatches, etc. Obviously, as with winterization, there is a price tag attached to the service but if anything is a warranty issue, it will get replaced/repaired. I had a glove box cover which warped due to the heat during the summer in Texas and that was replaced as a warranty item. Also, it's a good time to point out any quirks the boat might have developed within the 20 hour break-in period to the shop also.

 

[hillca74]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

There's a Marinemax dealer right down the street from my house. Even though I didn't purchase my rig from them, they may be able to perform a 20 hour inspection of my boat. It goes without saying that it will cost, but I feel it's better to go ahead and get it done so there's no major crisis over the summer boating season!

 

[RSHOOTER]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

Don, I just bought a new Glastron GT205 with Mercruiser engine. The manual that came with still calls for a 20 hour check up. Is that outdated? Since I keep the boat in the water it would be a pain to pull it mid-season. At 100 hours it would probably last to the end of season and I could do all the service at once.

 

[hillca74]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

Yeah, both my Merc manual and my Larson manual both call for a 20-hr check up. It may be a hold over from earlier years and less reliable technology, but in either case, I feel it's probably a good idea to get her looked at by the doc. Especially since I am such a newbie when it comes to boating.

 

[Don S]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

This "Manual" you are talking about, it that the BOAT manual or the Mercruiser Owners Manual?
Mercruiser stopped the recommended 20 hour Service (After Breakin) around 1998. The only thing they were then asking for was change the oil and filter. Not even the gear lube. Now I see in a 3.0L Owners manual dated December 2006 that they have added the gear lube change and the oil and filter at 20 hours. They do not say it needs to be done by a dealer.
Now if you are looking at the Mercruiser owners manual and it says do a full 20 hour service, then maybe Merc has gone back to it in 2007, I don't know. Dealers never get to see those owners manuals the customers get them.

 

[RSHOOTER]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

Don, I'm looking at the MerCruiser Owners Manual. It only calls for the oil, filter and gear lube change after 20 hours. I wonder if I could just do the oil and filter and keep it in the water? Does the Dealer need to do any other adjustments at that time?

 

[QC]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

RSHOOTER,

What year on your Merc manual? Which engine? I was surprised too, but the2001 carbed and MPI Manuals I am looking at do not call for even the oil change until 100 hours.

 

[RSHOOTER]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

2007, 135hp, 3.0L

 

[QC]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

Well there ya go, a 135 3.0 is tougher on an Alpha than a 502 is on a Bravo . . .

 

[sumcat1]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

I have an '05 boat with an '04 owners manual. It calls for an oil change after the 20hr breakin period and 100hr or annual maint after that with a few exceptions related to type of use. My dealer mentioned a 20hr checkup when I purchased the boat but that may be from habit or greed.

 

[tommays]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

IMHP not checking things like the drive aliment at 20 hours really puts you at the mercy of how good OR bad a day a guy on an assembly line was having.

Which may not show up until it is YOUR problem

When i see the boats stacked up at that crazy angle on the shiping truck and then get bounced around for a 1000 miles it is hard to believe it could stay good

Tommays

 

[uaw9fan]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

I agree with tommays. The 20 hour service although maybe not required by mercruiser is a good idea to have done. If the powerplant is going to fail, it would be most likely to fail in it's first 20 hours, after that you should be confident that the components were assembled correctly.Besides there are alot of other components on the boat that need to be inspected and rectified if problems exist. Not to pick on the layman that wants to service his own boat, but the mechanic that see's boats all day long is more apt to notice the problem before it gets out of hand

 

[hillca74]

Re: Mercruiser 20 hour checkup

Good point Tommays. And, I also agree with uaw9fan. I'm more of a "mechanically DISinclined" type of guy, so taking it in seems to be the best idea for my situation. Even if Mercury doesn't require a set 20 hour check up, it's probably not a bad idea to get it done. Some guys might think I'm wasting the money it takes to get it done, but I feel like I'm buying a little peace-of-mind. Thanks all!