freakin ebay motors......

[jvb]

i have recently purchased two motors off of ebay, both claiming to be in 'perfect' condition. long stories short, i am still without a good working motor. i need some advice for the next gamble: should i go with a 1988 60HP johnson, or a 1973 85HP johnson? once again, they both are said to be in great shape/running well/good compression/blah blah... i would like the extra power, but the newer motor may have less problems, but its 3 times the price. any suggestions???

 

[JB]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Glutton for punishment, huh, jvb?<br /><br />What have you got and what is wrong with them?<br /><br />I would be inclined to fix them and not start a bigger collection of broke engines.

 

[jvb]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

i have a merc 950 with some major electrical problems. something is shorting out and sparks fly around under the cover. this causes the motor to cut out immediatly. it also has a bad power harness connector, one of the pins is broken. also, its a bit too heavy for my boat. i just picked up the second motor yesterday. within the first couple mimutes on the water, HUGE banging sounds coming from the motor. sounded like somebody was hitting it with a sledge hammer. at slow speeds it seems to be less of an issue. faster throttle really caused problems. after a short while, motor completely stopped, feels like it is seized up. i probably had 10 enjoyable minutes on it... the highlight of the day was getting towed back to the launch with full police and coast guard escort. both of these motors are beyond what i can work on, so i am trying again...

 

[JB]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Get Manuals on both engines and acquaint yourself with our tech help fora.<br /><br />If you don't want to work on your engines, don't buy used.

 

[McGR]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Given your track record of bad luck with ebay used motors, maybe you'd do better buying locally where you can "kick the tires" before you buy. Dealers often have good used motors on hand that they may even offer a warranty with.<br /><br />If you choose to buy from a private party, perhaps you can request a test run first. If this is not possible, at least see the motor run prior to any purchase. Also, before you hand over the money, check out the the motor by performing a compression test. A compression test is a fairly good overall indicator of the condition of the powerhead. Also check to make sure the lower unit shifts properly. Doing these sort of things up front can save you from a lot of grief later.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Iboats has a line of new and rebuilt engines, with warranty. You might want to look at them.

 

[JB]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Yes. What McGR said. I should have said don't buy used from a private party and sight unseen.

 

[jvb]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

in both cases compression was good, lower units good. i guess people's definition of 'perfect condition' can vary. i have been looking at the iboats boats. i may be best off working on the merc with electrical issues.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

in my experience in about 35+ years of dealing with mechanical devices, if it runs at all it runs well and just gets better from there. most the nmotors I have seen that were purchased on e-bay were and are total junkers. most were not suitable for parts donors.<br /> maybe50 motors over the past 2 or so years. its amazzing the stories they will tell. ran greaat, less than 50 hours blah blah blah. my advice is to purchase a decent reconditioned motor or decent used from a reputable dealer in your area. stay away from motors on e-bay and the trading post. I know several individuals that make a living selling junk motors aas decent ones in the trading post. once you buy it from a private individual the only warrenty you may haave is that when it breaks you own both pieces. so while there is an occasional good deal most the time the only reason that used motor is for sale is because its a problem child. you would not believe the amount of people I get that ask if I can patch it long enough for them to sell it. I wont. if its at my shop its fixed correctly or I will load the parts in a box and you can haul it off. its no skin off my rump if you haul off the parts. but if I patch it by the time the seller is done with the story its been rebuilt. I have done this long enough to realize how dishonest most people actually are. I have found a rebuild can mean anything to it was painted to it was actually reconditioned. I look at them everyweek. if its being sold as a rebuilt and I am looking it over I will require a parts list of the rebuild. that way I can determine were at least all the parts billed for(still no warrenty they were actaully used) and to see what shop did the job.

 

[MGuckin]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Everything I buy on eBay, I pay for via Paypal. If the item has been misrepresented, it is time for a chargeback. As is does not cut it. If the item is advertised in a condition that it is not received in, the seller is liable by default.

 

[ratracer]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

The key with an eBay dispute is that the item has to be "significantly not as described", which eBay defines as if the seller "clearly misrepresents the item in a way that affects its value or usability."<br /><br />Unfortunately for MG, section 4 of Paypal's buyer protection policy explicitly states that an item is by definition NOT considered 'significantly not-as-described' if the listing states that the item is being sold as is i.e. if the item is offered for sale 'as-is' the default is that the seller is NOT liable.

 

[reka12]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Thankfully I had a good experience with my ebay '03 merc 25. Just my experience though...

 

[MGuckin]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

 

[SeaHorse]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

According to Ebay, these two are the same:<br /><br />"Mint, pristine, as new outboard, runs perfect, 99 on scale of 100."<br /><br />and<br /><br />"POS, saltwater siezed, corroded, boat anchor, not even suitable for parts outboard."<br /><br />Notice how they both have "outboard" in the description--ergo, they are "about the same."<br /><br />That's what Ebay told me when I received the latter above. Don't count on EBay or Paypal to protect you except for small dollar no ships.<br /><br />However, I have sold 3 very good deal outboards and bought three others and all were very, very good motors.

 

[MGuckin]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Seahorse,<br />Had same problem with them myself. Their policies look good to new members but mean about as much as feedbacks. Gotta cover your own butt. <br /><br />Off subject here but I get a kick out of the info links for sale and I was wondering if I could sell the link to this forum as "Repair Any Outboard".

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

ive never had this problem. i buy and sell outboards all day long on ebay.<br /><br />ive probably either bought or sold close to 100 motors in the last 2 years.<br /><br />ive never bought a dud, and ive never had a seller complain that i sold a dud. <br /><br />if you know what it is your looking for and what your looking at, combined with pics of it running, shifting, pee-ing, tilting, etc... and combined that with the fact that your handy, your golden.<br /><br />but if you buy a motor just because it says "good runner" and you dont ask any detailed questions or see any actuall photos or videos of the motor running, youre gonna get a bunch of broke motors.<br /><br />but back to the first post....<br /><br />what is wrong with these motors that you bought? do they not run, do they not turn over?<br /><br />most motors on ebay could , or should get a waterpump change and carb cleanings when they arrive. i however do this before i sell them, and i guarantee all of my running motors( i also sell parts motors) to run perfect the first time or i will pay return shipping and refund your money 100% !!!!<br /><br />BEAT THAT !!!!

 

[NMplayer]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Sounds to me like that merc could be fixed in a day with a good manual. Wires are just rotted or cut up and spliced. Plug could be bypassed or a new one put in. 'Course there could be more wrong with it too, hard to know If you don't want it email me. I might<br /><br />alexburks@hotmail.com

 

[MGuckin]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

myoutboards,<br />Great selling policy. I know of a few others in this forum that do the same thing.

 

[jvb]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

i know the merc would be an easy fix. i think the problem is the electronic controller at the front of the motor may not be gorunded well and is shorting out. i am sure this is an easy fix, so i will work on it when i get a chance. i just picked up a 1973 chrysler 70 hp that runs great, so its time to get back in the water and stop looking at broken motors for a change.<br /><br />regarding the reply about chargebacks, paypal does not allow the buyer to issue a chargeback for an item in dispute. its stated right in the user agreement. once you sign up, you forfeit this right. if you issue a chargeback to your card company, paypal will say you are in violation of their terms and will close your account. so, you can issue a chargeback, but after the first one dont expect to ever use paypal again. check out paypalsucks.com for more ugly details.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: freakin ebay motors......

Buy your stuff on ebay from reputable sellers. Lots of stars = great place to buy and with few, if any, negative feedback.