why do people not maintain their outboards?

[nwcove]

why do people look after a $200 lawnmower better than they look after a $2000+ outboard??? i just dont get it!!!
a guy dropped off a 4hp omc yesterday, his thought was carb kit and impeller and it would be good to go. ( motor had been in his family since new). well...let me tell ya.....his family must have been from the lost city of Atlantis!! it took me 15 minutes to get the cowl latch to open without breaking it. once the cowl was off.....it looked like the block was wearing a white fur coat!! i then proceeded to rotate the flywheel by hand , and i could feel the rings grinding through the rust.
called him and told him my thoughts......then he asked me where he could get a cheap good working motor? i asked whats your budget? his reply was ....$100 range!!!
i just dont get it.....why let your ob fall apart when basic maintenance will keep it working well for years!!! ( sorry for the rant lol)

 

[JB]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

Ignorance and the fact that most outboards, particularly old OMC twins, will tolerate a lot of neglect and abuse and continue to run right up to the point they become unrepairable.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

I doubt that guy looks after his lawnmower either. People are used to maintenance free stuff and instant on. It's no different with cars, computers or houses. And it's always been that way.

 

[robert graham]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

Lots of younger folks don't know or care about preventive maintenance of anything....just buy another one! I learned preventive maintenance as a little kid watching Granny take that tiny oil can to lubricate those journals on that old Singer Sewing Machine....I loved to hear it run! Now I like all my stuff to run like that Singer!....The Geezer

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

To perform maintenance or not at all could be related to how much you like engines in general, a lawyer probably won't be intersted in performing any maintanance issues compared to an engineer or a more hand skilled person. Some are like most ladies, gas/oil and that's it. Personally I'm a preventive maintenance and lubing maniac, of the idea that everything must work smooth and properly. That's whay people that knows me look after my personal boats and engines to purchase them as second hand, my boating stuff is always in inmaculate working condition.

Happy Boating

 

[RMasters]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

Yeah, simple, laziness at first, and then carelessness, etc. etc. etc.

I see "boaters" every time I go out, starting their motor, maybe cruising out the dock for 1 minute and then "flooring" it.

Pretty much every manual states that you should run your motor at moderate rpm at least for 5 minutes before full idle. This gives the oil time to reach operating temperature.

But you can't fix stupid, some say "well my temperature gauge said it was warm". That's the water temperature which goes up much faster than oil dumbo!

 

[robert graham]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

It's the new "run it 'til it breaks,then grab your cell phone and your credit card" mentality....."screw the preventive maintenance/let somebody else fix it" culture....If you don't know and aren't willing to learn at least some basics, then maybe boating is not for you!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

...Pretty much every manual states that you should run your motor at moderate rpm at least for 5 minutes before full idle. This gives the oil time to reach operating temperature.

But you can't fix stupid, ...

what oil?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

Lots of younger folks don't know or care about preventive maintenance of anything....just buy another one! I learned preventive maintenance as a little kid watching Granny take that tiny oil can to lubricate those journals on that old Singer Sewing Machine....I loved to hear it run! Now I like all my stuff to run like that Singer!....The Geezer

It's the new "run it 'til it breaks,then grab your cell phone and your credit card" mentality....."screw the preventive maintenance/let somebody else fix it" culture

I'm with you , geezer, but I have to add that the new stuff (except outboards) doesn't last no matter how well you take care of it and it cannot be repaired (not even opened to do repairs). My daughters "need" replacement cell phones every couple years, yet I have my parent's black rotary phone from the sixties doing fine. I've replaced my brand-name coffee pot/grinder 3 times yet my grandmother's electric skillet is cranking along. I have my electric train from the early sixties; none of my children's electric toys have lasted.

I broke the pot to a Mr. Coffee. I can get a replacement pot sent to me for $32. I can buy a whole new unit for $28. I can do that math.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

People don't do maintenance because most don't know which end of a screwdriver to hold. And when they do figure that out, they don't know where to put the pointy end or what "righty tighty - lefty loosey" means. I doubt half the drivers on road don't know how to open the hood on their car, couldn't find the dip stick, the oil cap, brake fluid resevoir but maybe they might find the windshield washer fluid resevoir. You cannot believe how many people fill the coolant resevoir with washer fluid.

 

[JimS123]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

My buddy was complaining the other day that his car wasn't running well. I asked how long since the last tuneup. He said he doesnt bother with that. I asked how many miles on the spark plugs - 80,000. I asked if they were platinum - no, regular ones.

That's why I don't buy used!

 

[oldman570]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

I had two ladier stop and ask if I would look at the car they were drivng cause it was not runnig good.
After I checked it over I told them they had a cyclender that was missing ,and they thanked me and left. About and hour and half latter they stopped back and ask if I had a cyclender that would fit the car cause they had drove back to where they had been, about 25 miles one way, and back and could not find the cyclender anywhere.
Thats the mentality of most youger folks today. Dixie cup world for brains.
Oldman570

 

[tkamboat]

Re: why do people not maintain their outboards?

I'm reading and trying to learn as much as I can for this reason. I got my first boat in the spring of 2011 and quickly realized the more a learn and maintain the less money I will spend. I'm pretty much an amateur mechanic and need hands on teaching. I'm seriously thinking about taking some small engine repair classes this fall/spring at the local technical college. Besides having a 1983 2cycle outboard means I need to learn carb work....