2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

rodbolt

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
20,066
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

I gave you a professional answer. I pointed out some facts from the service manual. I dont make 110 an hour. I do bill the public at 75 per hour and any marinias I contract for at 45 per hour. uncle same grabs 35% right off the top. just like cream on milk. the state grabs another 12% or so and the locals have their hand in the pot as well. time I am done I actually keep maybe 1/2 of what I work for. then the sears store,snap-on man and matco has there hand out. see all them fancy dealer tools hanging on the wall? guess what pally pal, aint a single one was free. I pay for each and every tool. I even pay for the ones volvo or yamaha deems as "essential" and have no choice in ordering. ya actually think all this killer diagnostic computers PDA';s and software is FREE? I want some of what your smoking. <br /> myself I dont care who buys the parts. but if anything fails the only warrenty I give is that the parts supplied were installeds correctly. maybe DonS can tell if any 290 uppers were made without the crush sleeve. what I said was if it has a crush sleeve and the sleeve was dissasebled to acess the ujoints as per the tech manual and a new sleeve and bolt were not used as per the manual odds are your looking at an upper bearing box failure. I work for one marina that has had two bravo failures and will have many more. the lead tech never replaces the load ring when reassembling the lower and he never heard of timing the gears in the upper. his bidness card says he is a mercruiser master tech. I have known him for 15 years or so and about all I can say is he does have a box full of tools. some of the old school techs never pick up a service manual and wing everything. its amazing some of the shops I have worked for.<br /> so maybe your man actually opened the manual, maybe he did not. but if its assembled improperly it will self destruct and you will still be out the 2 hours. I had an upper on a DP fail a few years back after I replaced the yoke. the man brought me just the upper. I resealed it and replaced the yoke. about 6 weeks later he shows up with the boat, the recipt and threats. I pulled the upper and low and behold no shim under the bottom bearing. I found the lower bearing shim in his parts box he brought back. he did not know it was a shim so he did not reinstall it. I did not warrenty jack squat.<br /> so dont flame us all. I just pointed out facts and left no opimions. its not my fault boating got so expensive.
 

Wotknot

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 6, 2002
Messages
310
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

screw all of you for being jerks
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: <br /><br />OOOOO lawdie, heeeeere we go again......<br />can you say Troggggg?? :D
 

CATransplant

Admiral
Joined
Feb 26, 2005
Messages
6,319
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

bigbad4cyl,<br /><br />Well, now...That was uncalled-for. You don't like the answers you get here, so you blow up at the folks who are giving you free advice.<br /><br />Two hours is not excessive. $110/hr. is high, but you're in California, after all. Those were some of the first things people said to you.<br /><br />This is a terrific forum, with experts handing out free advice to all comers. You got an answer to your question. In fact, you got several answers, plus some useful information, to boot.<br /><br />And guess what...nobody charged you a penny. Say thank you.
 

Capt Ken

Commander
Joined
Jul 30, 2002
Messages
2,270
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

Hey, I've been called worse by better men. Gee, this is more fun than sitting at the boat ramp watching folks launch and retrieve their boats.
 

bigbad4cyl

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Dec 28, 2004
Messages
386
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

thanks for all your answers dead horse laid down...two hours paid to "must have alot of schooling /lawyer wage - had to call his buddy to find out how to fix, machinest,
 

Trent

Captain
Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Messages
3,333
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

Hey Ken... Wonder what he would say if you really told him what you really thought?? You wose.. You went easy on him!! :p
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

Bigbad4cyl<br />Well, we already found out what you are really like and the type person you are, so before you make thing even worse, you probably better go find a forum where someone will help you. Of course you don't want help you want people to supply you with answers you want, which has nothing to do with the truth.<br />So just get in your truck and drive around till you find some place that really gives a sh1t about your problems any more.<br />I thought my people skills were bad, but man, you make me look like a peace keeper.
 

RubberFrog

Rear Admiral
Joined
Apr 9, 2005
Messages
4,268
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

Just for the record, not every one from San Mateo is an illiterate.
 

jeff13601

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
593
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

Big Bad,<br />Some of the things that you say make no sense. We all tried to save your feelings but we all held back the truth. The truth is your mechanic ripped you off for 15 minutes. It really only took him one hour and fortyfive minutes, but he could tell by looking at you and your mother that he could get you for that extra 15 minutes which adds up to 27.50. You need to get a lawyer and sue your mechanic. He can help you in more then one way. Not only will you have someone new to whine about, but he will screw you so bad you will forget all about your mechanic
 

DHPMARINE

Captain
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
Messages
3,688
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

Good Idea about the truck drive,Don.<br /><br />Guess BB4cyl thought we were into anger management.He was at least looking.I doubt it it was for help,though.<br /><br />DHP<br /><br />(how'd you know he had at truck ! !)
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

DHP<br />It had something to do with his post back on the 8th. And he can't edit it out now.<br /><br />
Truck%20driver.png
 

rodbolt

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
20,066
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

wow<br /> therapy :) :) <br /> man they outa put a tech therapy forum on the board :) . I got some killer stories over the past 30 years or so :) .<br /> bigbad. I did not unload on ya. I have no beef and dont think ya flamed anyone that badly. I understand the frustration. I put a set of ujoints in a twin set of DP's a week ago. cost 105 per cross kit x 4 cross kits. took me about 6 hours and a set of bellows at 69 dollars each. at 75 per hour and the cost of the parts its staggers even me. but after I was done he said something about the hard steering. took me 9 hours to remove the strring fork assemblies. now I have to remove the upper housings to install the new style forks and tillers. the fork is about 625 and the tillers(spindles in swedish) are 255 and the bushing kits are about 40. then I can fix the leak on the upper helm station. I still have not repaired all it originally came in for. I told him not to buy the boat last january. he did anyway. if he leaves for less than 10K I will be amazed. so no I did not unload, well maybe a little. but I am not aiming at you its just the frustration goes on both sides of the counter.
 

John Carpenter

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
336
Re: 2 hours labor to replace u joints on a 290 vp out drive

No BigBad...this is weak<br /><br />"screw all of you for being jerks......in good old calif it is very hard to find a place to work on a boat ,,,,and maybee i relize im not good at saving money so if over time i buy the parts and then save up the money for the insillation it is my way of doing things ,,,big jerks......and i dobt you could resist the temtation of being a jerk you would have to answer ,,, none of you have realy offered any help just wasted evryones time with your cage rattling ....im not rich or i would just buy a new boat.....................and im not here to support a mechanic who wants to make more money in parts ,above and beyond his 110$ an hour ....go suck an egg...............no one has realy givin a professional answer to the question posed .....just like boatmechanics ,,,,the confused is he buying it charge the bozo more dance.."<br /><br />I trust you have gotten all the advice you need.
 
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