Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

[ncozzolino]

The boat I bought today is a 1989 Chaparral (sp?) 187XL....my first boat. Before I picked it up the dealer replaced the water and trim pump. So I picked up the boat and headed for the closest dock to go play. Me, my gf, and two kids were out for two hours. About an hour in I noticed there was a lot of oil floating behind the boat. At that point we headed in. When I pulled the boat out of the water the vent plug was missing and the lower drain plug was so loose I could turn it with my hand. When I removed the plug nothing but water came out. Needless to say I was besides myself. I can't believe someone could forget to tighten these up. Anyway...from the dock I brought the boat right back to the dealer. Of course they were closed, so I left it right in front of their shop doors. What I'm wondering is could the outdrive now be damaged? Could water flowing through it for around two hours ruin the seals and bearings?

Thanks!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

I`d think the dealer would atleast inspect the upper for damage.If you made it back ,you didnt blow it up so ??????????????
And make a note of it in case of future warreny issues.

 

[Don S]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

Sure it could ruin the drive. Water in NOT a lubricant.

BUT, find out what they say first, before you go off the deep end on anyone.
I cost the owners of the place I worked a couple of drive because of forgetting things. We aren't perfect, and S*** happens some times.
It's how it's handled by the dealership that makes the difference.

 

[ncozzolino]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

I`d think the dealer would atleast inspect the upper for damage.If you made it back ,you didnt blow it up so ??????????????
And make a note of it in case of future warreny issues.

Yeah, it didn't blow up and it didn't seem to be making any odd noises.

 

[ncozzolino]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

Sure it could ruin the drive. Water in NOT a lubricant.

BUT, find out what they say first, before you go off the deep end on anyone.
I cost the owners of the place I worked a couple of drive because of forgetting things. We aren't perfect, and S*** happens some times.
It's how it's handled by the dealership that makes the difference.

I'm going to be as calm as possible. They were really cool about fixing some of the other things. I don't think they'll give me a hard time. I'm more worried about long term damage.

As far as S*** happens, that isn't acceptable in this case and many others. You either do your job right or find another profession. Mistakes are acceptable when the result aren't catastrophic.

 

[Don S]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

As far as S*** happens, that isn't acceptable in this case and many others. You either do your job right or find another profession. Mistakes are acceptable when the result aren't catastrophic.

You have some learning to do.
Some of us that work in this trade, don't get to work year round, and are usually underpaid for what we do repair.
Unfortunately, marine mechanics are not as perfect as you.
Good luck with life ........ You are going to need it, cause you have a "Perfect" problem.

 

[JustJason]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

we are definitely underpaid....
luckily for me the last thing i fubared was 1 stinking float in a merc 225 OB. 1 of a six pack. I was lucky it came back "misfiring" and got out of it with just replaceing the plug and fixing the carb.... could have come back needing a whole new motor.

 

[hondon]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

I have had brand new units that are preped at the shop and run for a couple hours at the lake that is three hours away fail.We do not have a crystal ball and are certainly not perfect.This is a piece of machinery and machinery sometimes fails.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

Yep, sometimes people make mistakes. I mean come on, who would ever think to tighten the drive drain/fill plug and vent plug? They are never "loose".
My only question, is there going to be enough rust that starts in ncozz' drive to make a difference? It was full of water, now is empty, and is just sitting outside the shop's building, with the vent plug out, so air can blow right in. Or is overnight or a day or so not enough time for rust to start on the gears and such?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

Oh and congrats ncozz, you actually spelled Chaparral correctly! It's hard to do, but lucky for us, it tends to be written on the sides of our boats somewhere!

 

[cbavier]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

ncozzolino:
Welcome to I Boats. Although some of these guys came down kinda hard on you for a newbie. This really is a great place to post questions, read and learn. Most of the guys here are really helpful because they have a vast amount of experience and knowledge. Hopefully your dealer will be honest and take care of you and your boat. Again welcome aboard I Boats.

 

[ncozzolino]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

ncozzolino:
Welcome to I Boats. Although some of these guys came down kinda hard on you for a newbie. This really is a great place to post questions, read and learn. Most of the guys here are really helpful because they have a vast amount of experience and knowledge. Hopefully your dealer will be honest and take care of you and your boat. Again welcome aboard I Boats.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm not taking what they are saying to heart. I understand where they are coming from. However, I do find it odd that they feel it is ok to make mistakes like this. This is like going to get your oil changed and they forget to put the oil in or the drain plug. I'm sorry but that is not acceptable. S*** happens is locking your keys in the car or getting a flat tire, not something that can cause significant damage.

I'm far from perfect, never claimed to be perfect. I believe it is better to slow down and do a job right the first time then screw it up. I didn't always believe that...I used to think the faster the better. Obviously, if you have to go back and fix something you end up wasting more time. The fact of the matter is we live in a very small world and bad news travels fast. If you're going to throw s*** to the wind it will blow back in your face. That reputation will precede you. I'd rather be known as the person that does the job right than having a tendancy to make mistakes. Well that is just my two cents. Take care and happy boating!

 

[45Auto]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

As far as S*** happens, that isn't acceptable in this case and many others. You either do your job right or find another profession. Mistakes are acceptable when the result aren't catastrophic.

I hate to tell you this, but in the big scheme of life, even if your outdrive is TOTALLY destroyed (which I doubt), the loss of a $1300 (brand new SEI replacement cost, assuming it's an Alpha) outdrive on a recreational toy would not be considered a "catastrophic" event by 99.9999999999999999999999999999999 percent of the people in the world.

People are NOT perfect, no matter what their profession.

I believe it is better to slow down and do a job right the first time then screw it up. I didn't always believe that...I used to think the faster the better.

So exactly how long ago did you slow down and start doing everything perfectly? How long has it been since you made a mistake? If you had done everything right, you would have slowed down and done a complete inspection of the boat (including the outdrive drain screws) BEFORE you took it out. I wouldn't think of taking ANY boat (brand new or used) out for the first time without doing a minimum of verifying all fluid levels, which would have meant loosening the vent screw to make sure fluid ran out, and cracking the drain screw to make sure there was no water in it.

The shop was definitely responsible in your case and should take care of any problems for you. But if you expect to find perfection in ANYTHING built and maintained by humans (especially an 18 year old boat ......) you might as well sell your boat now and save yourself a bunch of aggravation!!!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

However, I do find it odd that they feel it is ok to make mistakes like this.

Ayuh,......

I think you're misreading the comments,....

Nobody has said making Mistakes is OK,.....
Just that Mechanics are Only Human,+ We All make Mistakes......

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

Ayuh,......

I think you're misreading the comments,....

Nobody has said making Mistakes is OK,.....
Just that Mechanics are Only Human,+ We All make Mistakes......

Exactly...

 

[Maclin]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

...or you get interrupted for another "emergency" fix and someone else comes over to look at it because the customer is at the counter and wants it right away and the other person thinks it looks ready because they checked with you an hour ago and you said it was about ready so they take it out give it away then you come back and say "Where the heck is that boat" and they say "well it looked done and the customer was here and you were not around right then so we took it" and you say "well I hope it does not go in the water right away or it will be right back in here" and then.....


Lots of reasons this can happen, now you will know how good the dealer really is by how they respond.

I had a new tie rod fall off first trip the next morning after picking the car up. It was a very good shop, so I can only imagine what could have happened. One call, they came and got it, took me to work, and delivered it back before I needed it at lunch, and said free rotaion or oil change or alignment next time, stuff like that. They were glad to do it because that could have been a big liability and all were lucky that it was on a side street.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

So exactly how long ago did you slow down and start doing everything perfectly? How long has it been since you made a mistake? If you had done everything right, you would have slowed down and done a complete inspection of the boat (including the outdrive drain screws) BEFORE you took it out. I wouldn't think of taking ANY boat (brand new or used) out for the first time without doing a minimum of verifying all fluid levels, which would have meant loosening the vent screw to make sure fluid ran out, and cracking the drain screw to make sure there was no water in it.

The shop was definitely responsible in your case and should take care of any problems for you. But if you expect to find perfection in ANYTHING built and maintained by humans (especially an 18 year old boat ......) you might as well sell your boat now and save yourself a bunch of aggravation!!!

Sounds like somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

years a go when I was an apprentice, the guy I worked for had a great mantra.

"If you put a plug in a hole, even for a split second, TIGHTEN IT - If you aren't going to tighten it, put it in your pocket"

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

The only mistake I ever made was when I thought I made a mistake...but I was mistaken.

If they left the plugs out and your drive is damaged they should repair it for free. Yes, mistakes happen...but it was their mistake and they should correct the outcome of their mistake.

 

[PINESOL]

Re: Just bought a boat with a 4.3 Mercruiser I/O....problems already

1st mistake ... you irritated dons ... 2nd mistake if you would have slowed down long enough you would have found the loose plugs.
3rd mistake is thinking they should not have missed it ...
fact of the matter is even the best techs make simple and very obvious mistakes ... if you dont like it you can always gather up the special tools needed , take your time and do it yourself .. that way its done perfect , just how you like it ... happy boating