Power Pack Question

[AguaSki]

I had a thread running a week and a half ago about a loss of power and RPM. The thread is:

http://forums.iboats.com/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=28;gtid=1164011

I was not able to solve my problem so I took the boat to a local Johnson/Evinrude dealer for service. When I called the shop today for a repair status, the owner said “Yeah, the boats ready. You can come pick it up anytime.” I then asked what problem was discovered. The owner told me the Power Pack was bad and that my bill was $400. Ouch! I was a bit amazed that the work was already done without the shop checking in with me first. Usually shops want to get verbal approval before performing costly repairs.

This opens up more questions.

• Do the symptoms in my earlier thread lend themselves to a failed Power Pack?
• Is $400 reasonable for parts and labor?
• What causes a Power Pack to fail and is there preventative maintenance for a Power Pack?
• How long should a Power Pack last?

The boat is a 1978 Glastron SSV-188 with a 1978 140 hp Johnson. I purchased the boat and motor from this dealer a couple years ago, and I have had regular service completed by the dealer. I always felt the dealer to be reputable and honest, but this instance of costly work being completed without contacting me has me questioning my past experience.

I will not be paying for the repairs and picking up the boat until later this week. If the repair cost is not reasonable, I would like to try negotiating something. Assuming the cost is fair; I will swallow hard, pay the bill, and get back on the water.

 

[rwash91]

Re: Power Pack Question

I can tell ya what I would do ! I would pay the bill with a check and inform the service manager that I was heading straight to the lake with the boat. If all is well...then 400 (even though a lot to a poor guy like me) is worth it, and we have no problems. If the boat is still not running right I would immediatly take it back and tell them it's still not fixed and that you don't feel responsible to pay for a repair that didn't fix it. If they won't make it right then cancel the check with your bank. It's a sh***y way to do it, but effective. It's so hard to tell if a outboard is really fixed untill it is on the water running with a load. ...Good luck !

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Power Pack Question

A 1978 140 has 2 packs so we'll assume they replaced both. The BRP packs list for about 110.00 and a CDI pack is about 98.00. So assuming they did replace both that's 1/2 the bill.

If they get 85.00 or so an hour and took one hour to troubleshoot the ignition, that's another good portion.

Lets further assume that they put it in the water and ran it. That would account for the rest. If they just ran it on the hose (not under a load) they may or may not have fixed it.

In your other thread you talked about lack of water pressure so can we assume they replaced the water pump and did a cooling system service too? If so, that will be a good part on the 400.00.

All this involves a lot of assuming. And it depends on exactly what you told them when you took it in and how they took what you said.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Power Pack Question

I think it prudent to be prepared that any time you take anything in for repair you are going to be out a sizeable chunk of cash.

Like D says, parts cost money.

You have admin fees to handle processing of the boat, parts procurement, and financial transactions.

They are in business to make a profit......as we all are/were in the business world.

The mechanic has to evaluate your problem cold. He normally has never seen your widget before and knows essentially nothing about it's history.

Numerous things can take time to sort through.

Some symptoms have diverse causes and they have to be handled one by one till the problem is resolved; till there is HOPE that the problem is resolved.

My 2c.

Just had my '97 Tahoe in the shop (authorized dealer) for not starting. Would spin up but not start. They had it for over a week (I was in no hurry....wanted it fixed).

Went through numerous things and we talked on the phone several times. Found ignition problems that I should have fixed in routine maint, but just didn't think about it.

Problem turned out to be a weak fuel pump (in the tank) requiring the tank to be dropped (I did replace the fuel filter prior to going to them). I did think about a problem in the tank but didn't want to drop it myself.

The bill was $800.25 TTL. I thought that was extremely reasonable. I had expected twice that. I am a very happy camper and the vehicle runs great.

Hope they got her fixed for you.

Mark

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: Power Pack Question

I don't know how many time's, I have had a customer mislead me with there problem. Such as, " Did you hit anything with your gearcase" The answer will be no, even though half the skeg is missing. This does not make for easy trouble shooting. I think some must feel if they tell me they broke it, I won't fix it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Power Pack Question

You asked what causes a power pack to fail. Its an electronic component. Just like a TV, VCR, or your car, it can fail. How long do they last you asked. 45 days (called infant mortality) to infinity (they never fail). You also asked If there is any preventive maintenance that can protect the pack. It's an encapsulated assembly. Protecting it from heat and electrical surges is all you can do. As for the cost of your repairs, consider it a bargain. Remember that the person doing the repair gets a salary and the owner gets a profit. The remainder of the cost is for parts, equipment, the building, taxes, insurance, theft, and the other overhead.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Power Pack Question

I think the best pm you can administer is proper heat sinking.

The white alum oxide thermal grease that is usually under solid state components should be replaced every several years.

It dries out and shrinks thus no longer touches both the component and the heat sink (an alum plate addedby the mfgr for that purpose, or some part of your engine).

Sometimes the overtemp is not too severe and the component can survive repeated cycles yet not operate when in the hot portion of the cycle. Other times the component is stressed above it's ability to recover and it fails. Fails due to temp are usually shorts.

Simple to apply, couple of bucks a tube, and Radio Shack has it. Just unscrew the part from the sink, wipe off the old and reapply new preferably enough so that it squishes out a little when the component is reinstalled.

Mark