Probably already covered on here but...

[tree96]

so my first trip out this year i have a major problem. i followed all the steps my mechanicgave me for starting up after being stored for winter. i let it run in the driveway with the ear muffs. everything seems fine. i take it out on the water and run for maybe 8 minutes and it quits. i open engine compartment and to my suprise the oil filter has backed off almost all the way to the end of its spindle. oil is now floating in the bilge area. engine will not turn over. but it will turn a few centimeters. anyway, im assuming its seized, and in need of a rebuild. any suggestions on what i should do now? i talked with the guy who has been taking care of my boat for the last five years and he is giving me the run around. its a shame because we had became quite good freinds. not sure whatdirection i need to head in any advice would be helpful.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Sounds like you ran it without oil pressure until the engine seized. First you need to verify that the engine is ruined. After that, looks like to me your options are (in order of cost):

1) $0 - Get the guy who "takes care" of your boat to agree to repair it.

2) $1000 - Pull motor and rebuild it yourself ($1000 is ballpark depending on motor).

3) $2500 - Buy rebuilt/crate motor and install it yourself.

4) $4000 - Buy rebuilt/crate motor and get someone else to install it.

5) xxxx$ - Take the guy who "takes care" of your boat to court - at $175/hour or so for a lawyer, good luck with that one!

 

[Don S]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

You mean you just started it up and didn't even look at the gauges or look at the engine to make sure you didn't have any water or oil leaks after it sat all winter?
You need a new engine, and then you need to learn how to do some basic engine maintenance inspections each time you start your boat.

 

[JustJason]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Nobody ever does it.... (except for me and maybe a few others)
But it should be standard operating procedure to pull the hatch and look for leaks before you start the boat. Not every time during the course of a day, but certainly once every day.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

^^^^Every time it floats off the trailer, and as part of the reload and pull out procedure.......................................................................................... As for the OP, a remaned marine long block is the fastest and most economical way back to the water. And you might want to add a low oil pressure and over temp alarm....................cheep insurance to avoid a replay.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Got all the papers he gave you. Small claims court most states now 5,000.

If he's reputable he will do the right thing. Tell him your gonna put a ad in the local paper after you sue him detailing what happened! Truth is a total defense.

Oh you said he's a friend- hate to know what your enemy's are like.

 

[tree96]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

i did give it a once over, but saw no obvious signs of trouble. it ran for a while with the earmuffs in my driveway before i took it out and no oil in the bilge or anything like that.

im fine with a mechanical breakdown. its partly my fault for not being thourough enough in my pretrip. i can handle thatt. what i am not fine with however is the runaround i have been getting with him. but you live and you learn. i know now to be more careful and observant.

how hard is it to pull this motor out and rebuild.

 

[freak007]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

as an auto mechanic... I will tell you that you will be hard pressed to take the mechanic to court and prove liability for the damages... especially since it is just now coming out of storage...

Can you prove that he is the last person to work on it? - Receipt only proves that he worked on it, not that nobody else has worked on it since.

Can you prove that this is the boats first trip out since he serviced it? - Storage slip is not valid proof unless you had to sign something to get it out of storage.

Can you prove that nobody else tampered with the boat?

Can you prove that you did YOUR part to ensure that you didn't blow the engine up? - IE check fluids, check for leaks, watch gauges etc...



In your case, it is nearly impossible to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that your mechanic is liable... as such taking him to court will be a losing battle...

 

[45Auto]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Assuming that it is the Mercruiser 3.0 that's in your profile you're talking about, it's very simple to pull. Took me about 2 hours to pull mine and an hour of that was getting the hoist beam set up on my garage. Download the appropriate Mercruiser manual from here:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=251571

and follow the directions.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Did you put your hand on the filter to see if it was tight? Can't be. So, you want to sue the tech because you failed to do a proper inspection of YOUR boat before you headed to the water. Because you didn't want to get your hands dirty, you'll have an expensive lesson............... don't assume anything.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Did you put your hand on the filter to see if it was tight? Can't be. So, you want to sue the tech because you failed to do a proper inspection of YOUR boat before you headed to the water. Because you didn't want to get your hands dirty, you'll have an expensive lesson............... don't assume anything.

Using that logic, you'd have to recheck every nut bolt and component the mechanic serviced................

 

[tree96]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Did you put your hand on the filter to see if it was tight? Can't be. So, you want to sue the tech because you failed to do a proper inspection of YOUR boat before you headed to the water. Because you didn't want to get your hands dirty, you'll have an expensive lesson............... don't assume anything.

im not wanting to sue. my point was the mechanic and i were freinds. if you read my post i take full responsibililty for not following up myself. i am dissappointed at the way he has handled it. im not asking for a hand out just him to fix it for me. i will pay. i have accepted that fact.

on the oil filter he did put the date that he changed the oil filter and oil. but it doesnt matter. i wouldnt sue him anyway. he and i have been freinds for several years. i am now weighing my options as to what i should do. i dont have much money invested in the boat to begin with. its a mid eighties boat so im at the point to where the investment would not be worth the return.

thanks for the link to the manual. it looks to be very helpful

 

[freak007]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

a few questions you should ask yourself...

Do you really want someone to work on your boat, when they don't want to? Even if you are paying... A disgruntled worker isn't necessarily one you should trust to do it right...

If your friendship is worth anything, write it up as a honest mistake (on your part as much as his), salvage your friendship... but find a new mechanic. Never do business with friends or family, it is too easy for someone to get burned and destroy a relationship.

You say because of the age of the boat, that the investment of a replacement engine would not be worth the return... Could you replace the boat with one similar to the one you have for the cost of the engine swap + the sale of your blown up boat? Unlikely... Plus you know the "quirks" of your boat... Do you REALLY want to get rid of it and find yourself a whole new set of problems?

 

[danond]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Totally agree with Freak. Additionally, if you're going to own an old boat, you should know how it works and how to maintain it properly, or you're setting yourself up to fail again.

 

[BAYLINER185]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

I donthtink hes blamign the machanic as hes takign responsibility....Besides that why every oen so fast to point fingers at the machanic thats so not right! Everyone always lieks to point fingers and get all sue happy.....JEEEEEZ it takes a bigger man to take responsibility and so hard these days to find people that will...

The only thing Im woundering is, What run around is the OP talking about? Theres definetly information missing here wouldnt you say?


Like everyone else has said....Gauges on the dash are not there just to look pretty at night. I constantly monitor oil preasure and water temp RPM and speed as my engine is running in the water or not.

And im not picking on you about suing as you already said you take the blame Im just kind of supprised how fast some posters are ready to take the machanic on a one way boat ride with quick drying cement on board.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

What if it were your car instead of the boat?

Quick one here: i had a brand new 1983 trans am before I was married. Had alot of things BEFORE i was married. Anyway took it to the new car dealer where i bought the car from for the first oil change. They didn't put the right oil filter on was leaking when they pulled it out to me.

Was that my fault. Should i crawl under the car every time someone does work on it.

PS-No one does any work on my cars in 25 years. Even do my own oil changes.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Did you put your hand on the filter to see if it was tight? Can't be. So, you want to sue the tech because you failed to do a proper inspection of YOUR boat before you headed to the water. Because you didn't want to get your hands dirty, you'll have an expensive lesson............... don't assume anything.

i think your outa line on this one.
i'v been a mechanic for 30 years and i would hate to think any customers i had changed oil for had to come back and make sure i got the oil filter on right. by all rights the mechanic sould have started it and made sure there wernt any leaks and then checked the oil level and topped it up if need be.
if he didnt, and it cost an engine, he should bear the some of the cost or labor to change said engine.
i see no shame in hiring a mechanic so YOU dont have to get YOUR hands dirty.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Totally agree with Freak. Additionally, if you're going to own an old boat, you should know how it works and how to maintain it properly, or you're setting yourself up to fail again.

i think this is 2/3 mechanics fault and 1/3 owner.
as far as knowing how to work on what you run???????????
i'v worked on a lot of equipment that the only thing the operator knew how to do was start the engine. the same with cars and trucks.
he trusted the guy to do a job. a mistake was made and the mechanic should step up and work it out with out having to be threatened.

 

[freak007]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

i think this is 2/3 mechanics fault and 1/3 owner.
as far as knowing how to work on what you run???????????
i'v worked on a lot of equipment that the only thing the operator knew how to do was start the engine. the same with cars and trucks.
he trusted the guy to do a job. a mistake was made and the mechanic should step up and work it out with out having to be threatened.

Absolutely!! Except I think the fault is more 50/50... but that is irrelevant...

The mechanic should make it right IF he made any mistake at all... I have run a shop for several years, and it is a regular occurrence to have a customer CLAIM you were at fault when you weren't... alot of people that only know how to operate the vehicle assume anything that goes wrong is the fault of the last person working on it...

For example we did an oil change on a older Ford Ranger... 3 weeks later the manual transmission went out... we were taken to court over it because I would not pay $1500 for a NEW transmission in a 1983 truck when we were not at fault... We use a IR tamper seal on all plugs/bolts/filters that we touch, and everything done is verified by at least one other person, all work is also recorded on security camera. I have had people call when their engine blew 2 days after an oil change. When I drive out there the first thing I do is pop the hood and check the oil... Oil is not on the stick, look at the plug/filter... Tamper seal broken... not my problem...

As I said in an earlier post, the damage is done, chalk it up to a learning experience

 

[JustJason]

Re: Probably already covered on here but...

Freak... do you have a link to this so called tamper seal?
Or are you using nail polish?