LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

[Home Cookin']

My motor started a bad rattle in the LU this weekend comnig in from fishing, got worse. at lower speeds you could hear it and feel a sort of galloping motion. Prop was a little loose so I tightened it, no help. Pulled it out and pulled the LU drain screw, to find an inch-long icicle of metal flings on the magnet. Closed it up and dragged it to the shop; this repair is beyond my skill set and time quota.

Mechanic, just on the above info, guesses it will have to be rebuilt, and that it might be cheaper to replace the whole LU gear case; they'll give me the options once they see what's in there. This is a reputable shop, but expensive.

Any general thoughts on which would be better, if replacement is not that much more than rebuild?

If I replace, should I keep the old gear case? I don't want to have a lot of junk parts lying around, but it seems that the case itself should be fine and could be useful if I damage the other one (but how likely is that, in a sand/mud environment?) Other parts in there worth keeping? prop drive shaft, etc?

I think I'd rather not replace it with a used unit, although I do that some with my cars, but I may be able to get one, condition unknown, from a local used boat junkyard.

2003 150 Yam 2 stroke, carbed. I've put 270 hours in about 2.5 years; previous owners didn't use it much, so they say.

thanks!

 

[99yam40]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

I believe Rodbolt said in the past that he puts on aftermarket lower units. I would check them out

 

[robert graham]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Sorry to hear of your problems. The mechanic can take it apart and determine which bearings, gears, seals, etc. may need replacing. With the price of Yamaha parts and the mechanic's time, the price of the repair could be similar to a used/rebuilt lower unit. If it was my motor, I'd wait to see what the mechanic says. Maybe you get lucky and it's just a bad bearing, but whatever it is, it could put a dent in your wallet! Don't you hate stuff like this, right around Christmas too! Good luck and let us know what he says!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Haven't heard back yet from the shop, but I poked around the 'net for used/rebuilt lower units, running $1,000-$1,500.
They also typically want the "core" back, and pay about $300, based on the condition of the housing and two shafts only; they don't care about the rest. That answers my question about keeping it; I'd rather sell it back.

Well, there's Christmas.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Go to to www.sterndrive.cc/ and you can buy a NEW one for$845 plus $45 shipping and a 3 year warranty... PM me if you want a late model used like new unit

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

thanks--my dealer says that given the amount of filings on my magnet it's going to need a rebuild, and replacement is the better way to go.

He won't buy an aftermarket/rebuild but he'll install one I buy for about 1 hour labor--I think that's fair.

He and a couple guys in the shop know someone who has used Sterndrive Engineering, says they're Chinese built, and liked them at first but then has had several come back with problems. (I guess that's what the .cc means on the address?) OTOH at that price I can use three of them for the price of a new one!

So I'm going to poke around but I may end up going with sterndrive.

 

[robert graham]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Maybe better with a good used Yamaha lower unit than some Chinese Made unit that could leave you sitting somewhere down the river. Maybe call around some boat dealers who might have a motor with a blown powerhead and would sell you the lower unit at a good price. In fact I'll bet there's somebody on these forums who knows where one's at! Good Luck!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

I checked with one smaller dealer I do business with, and he didn't have anything. I may ask a couple more. The guy who has the motor now (large dealer) says the local used parts dealer often buys their left-over warranty parts and repairs them, so I don't want to go that route.

between the risks I think I'd rather get a professional rebuild or aftermarket with warranty than an unknown used one. The fact that my well-maintained motor did this means that a used one may not be far off from doing it, too.

 

[robert graham]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Wonder what caused this failure?, maybe water leaked in and caused the oil to lose it's lubricating qualities, or caused corrosion? If one part failed then the metal particals would circulate around and screw up the whole thing? I guess if your dealer rebuilt your unit the costs of the parts alone would make it prohibitive, cost-wise? They were going to charge you an hour of labor just to install the lower unit?...there's not much to doing that, maybe 5 minutes!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Nothing specific caused the failure (lube, water in LU, hitting something) it's just "one of those things". I understand they can analyze the metal shavings and find out what part it came from, but why bother. The metal particles do circulate but many are caught on the magnetic screw.

You really won't know unless you take the whole thing apart. Yamaha often makes them take it apart on a warranty job to be sure it needs replacing and to see what went wrong, but it is seldom if ever "worth it." Once you buy the replacement bearings and gears, reinstall, set-up and shim everything, you have right much time in it.

In another discussion we talked about the 30 minute "book rate" to change a battery. Stuffing a LU that is sitting on the floor next to the boat may take less than an hour, but there's more to it, including checknig the work, from start (bring the boat around, unpack and inspect the part) to finish (refill the LU). I'll pay it to have it done right and to have someone to stand behind the work.

 

[robert graham]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

So the lower unit just did it?....maybe a faulty part or bearing. When you removed the drain screw did the fluid look milky or contaminated? A lower unit is really just a sealed gearbox and barring leakage, prop strike damage or abuse it should last about for decades. Well, good luck!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

I, too, have other motors that have lasted for decades w/out problems.

fluid was fine; no water/discoloration. recently filled. And I don't think a "prop strike" short of something catastrophic would cause it, having put my other motors through decades of prop strikes, too. My SS prop is OK--we use SS here because the bottom is soft; I know some rock-bottom boaters perfer aluminum so that the prop breaks before the drive shaft. But if you hit something hard enough to break the shaft or gears, (a) you'd know it and (b) the prop would show it.

Mechanic said sometimes they just do that. Or as a friend said, "If you have a boat, you have a problem."

 

[99yam40]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

yep, boats are just holes on the water that you throw money into.
But everyone needs at least one

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

I find with my varicose boats (broken vessels) it's best to have several, so at least one is running.

 

[robert graham]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

yep, boats are just holes on the water that you throw money into.
But everyone needs at least one

Yep, as the old saying goes, "if it's got tits, tires or transom, you're gonna have trouble", but we love 'em, don't we?:

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

I ended up with the SEI and just got in the water yesterday. Now I have break-in 5 hours of low speeds, so I guess I'll spend the weekend trolling around near the house. There go my carbs! Gave it two hours last night looking for fish.

I had a couple replies from my local fishing forum but their parts didn't match.

I have the old one and will try selling ithe "core" to a remanufacturer. I think I'll practice on the water pump first since I haven't done mine myself yet.

 

[99yam40]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Good to hear you are back on the water.
I did not know they had a low speed break in period.
Not sure what you mean by there goes my carbs, low speed operation should not hurt the carbs.
Did the SEI come with water pump installed?
What was the total price?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

They come with the water pump but not the annode fin, fully assembled. Price was about $845 plus about $60 shipping. I already had it in the shop, so they charged me an hour plus the LU fluid (it comes empty) which was OK with me, since I'd rather know it was done right and tested, plus they gave me their opinion on the old one, etc., took in the shipping, and kept my boat in the meanwhile.
There is a 5 hour low speed then another 5 hour varied speed w/ prefered max of 75%. After 20 change the oil.
Running low speed loads up the carbs with carbon, and I can't blow them out for 5 hours.

 

[robert graham]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

Sounds like you're in good shape and back on the water for under $1000?...not bad! That failure should be a very rare event, probably never happen again to you...hopefully! Don't worry about that water pump job...it's not that difficult. Check: SIMYamaha Andy's tip for step by step instructions with photos on the water pump! Good Luck!

 

[stylesabu]

Re: LU rebuild or replace; parts salvage; suggestions?

put a lower unit and a power head on my johnson 150 last summer, i was told to break in power head 10 hours and lower unit about 2-3. keep us informed on that lower unit. I paid 1800 for my rebuilt lu and 3800 for the power head. hope I never go through that again. I did all the work so I saved on labor cost