service manuals

[57lawney]

this is just in my opinion, i have the 1992 omc j/e service manual,could not find exactly the info i was looking for, went to library found a seloc manual that showed step by step procedure to remove the part i wanted to remove.so unless omc figures that anyone who buys their manual knows exactly what they are doing, and has all their specialty tools. a is ok imho i find the omc omc mamual practly usless

 

[jtexas]

Re: service manuals

You hit the nail on the head...the factory manual is written for marine technicians who have or will acquire the tools they need, and have some basic level of training and experience, and will be working on their customer's motors instead of their own.

Seloc on the other hand, is written with the do-it-yourselfer in mind. It has some good general tips and special tool workarounds, and some good photography.

Unfortunately, those manuals cover so many different models, the pictures and diagrams might look nothing at all like your specific motor. I've known 'em to be wrong on a couple things, too. They don't know what kind of carbs are on my motor, for example.

On the other hand, in the OMC manual, the photographs and diagrams look exactly like my motor.

Forced to choose, I'd choose the factory manual.

Whatever you're working on right now, seloc is more useful to you but, hang on to that factory manual, you'll be glad you have it. Sooner rather than later, most likely.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: service manuals

this is just in my opinion, i have the 1992 omc j/e service manual,could not find exactly the info i was looking for, went to library found a seloc manual that showed step by step procedure to remove the part i wanted to remove.so unless omc figures that anyone who buys their manual knows exactly what they are doing, and has all their specialty tools. a is ok imho i find the omc omc mamual practly usless

You won't find many in agreement here.

 

[Fed]

Re: service manuals

I'd be curious to know what motor you have & what part you were trying to remove?

 

[57lawney]

Re: service manuals

i agree with both answers, will keep factory manual and just get a seloc for how to. was trying to change water pump on 93-40 hp. after reading factory manual it only cost me 700.00,so probably just have to leave it up to the techs.

 

[Fed]

Re: service manuals

I'd be curious to know what motor you have & what part you were trying to remove?

And where exactly you feel the OMC manual let you down?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: service manuals

not being rude, but 98% of the members here, could have told you the step by step procedure. that is one of the easiest newer motors to work on, i personally think it was mechanical ability and talent, and not asking a question here, that was the problem.

but you sure come here to bash the OEM manual. the Seloc, and Clymer have so much wrong information, and mis prints, imho, they are worthless.

 

[57lawney]

Re: service manuals

i posted a question on about the 8th. on the 8 hp. 4 stroke j8r4sr, as i thought the water pump was going out again, wasnt peeing water. jim told me to run a wire down tube worked great , then posted questions on how to go about removing lower unit and what this motor actually was,johnson or suzki, never got any answers, can only assume no one knows what it is. if there is something simple like changing a water pump, then i would like to beable to do it myself. on the 40 hp. i could not find even where to unhook shift linkage,maybe i didnt read far enough in the manual. anyway i have found alot of good info on this site, not complaining at all. just happen to be at library and found seloc manual,found it to be helpful. td glad to see you back on,my uncle whom i inheireted this boat from said you were the one to talk to. by the time i found you , you retired.

 

[F_R]

Re: service manuals

I only own one Seloc manual, the #1300 for 1956-70 Johnson and Evinrudes. I know that people like to bash the Seloc manual, but this one is packed with information on nearly every page that you will never find in the factory manuals. I'm speaking of information useful to the novice. If I were recommending a manual for a novice, this would be it, no contest.

The factory manuals assume the reader already knows all this stuff.

Yes, it has some errors. Probably errors that most people wouldn't even catch. But overall, it is a good book.

 

[57lawney]

Re: service manuals

i really wasnt trying to bash omc, as far as ability , these are the frist motors i have ever tried to attempt to service ,other gas,oil lower unit fluid, the manual came with the motor, all i was trying to say i just didnt work for me, the seloc manual had pictures with arrows pointing to what i was looking for. i dont mind paying a tech. as he has spent years learning his trade, but he is always at least 10 days out and i really dont want to wait that long, especially if its something i could do my self and save a few bucks. so thanks fr &jtexas for the support, or at least owning up to owning a seloc manual

 

[clanton]

Re: service manuals

I have OEM, and Clymer. I`m ok with both.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: service manuals

Given a choice between a) getting between a mother bear and her cubs or b) trying to sell TD on Clymer or Seloc manuals.....I think I'd go with the bears....

 

[Sixmark]

Re: service manuals

I know firsthand that the Seloc omits certain bits of information that can be very important, for example:

one of their manuals says to remove the lower unit on my 84 75hp, that you need to remove the 4 bolts that hold the lower unit and remove the shift rod bolt. They don't bother to let a person know about the other 2 bolts in the lower unit.

They generalize information to cover a larger number of motors, which is fine for some people, but I could see people start whacking away with hammers thinking their parts are stuck.

 

[Rick.]

Re: service manuals

Given a choice between a) getting between a mother bear and her cubs or b) trying to sell TD on Clymer or Seloc manuals.....I think I'd go with the bears....

Grizzly or black? You make me laugh with that one.
I was trying to change the water pump on my new to me 1995 40HP Johnson and I couldn't figure how to undo the shift linkage which was the first step in the OMC manual. I asked here on I boats and got an answer as to it's location the same day. I was looking for an access in the leg and it was up under the carbs.

Bottom line is, as a novice myself, we need this forum and an original OMC manual. I would never have the gumption to do my own maintenance without the help and guidance of the members of this forum. Rick.

 

[d.boat]

Re: service manuals

My opinion (worth what you're paying for it):

When I first started working on my little kicker, I found that having both the OEM and Seloc manuals was very helpful. I read both and used the OEM manual as the Authority and the Seloc just to get a different perspective, and yes, sometimes some very helpful hints that were not in the OEM. The OEM however was critical as others have said because the Seloc was sometimes unclear or erroneous for the specific engine and part of that engine I was working on. But again, in combination, it was very helpful as long as I could "orient" myself with the OEM authoritative version at the same time.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: service manuals

Ya know, none of us would have a problem if we all had USB ports in the back of our head, that way while we were fishing we could be downloading all of the information off the internet via wireless. By the time we got home we would have 60 years worth of info stored in our minds......now keep in mind that it may require larger amounts of beer to organize that info.