100 hr service

I think it may be time to do my 100 hr service soon. I called around and one price I got was $750. I was shocked. The other price i got was $600. Are these normal prices, or is my shocked expression justified? How hard are some of the things to do yourself? ie: water pump, impellar, lower unit oil change, grease prop, spark plugs, anything else I may be missing? Suck it up and take it in, or spend the time and try to do it myself?

Mike

It would help to know the HP, just to get a sense of scale, but that said, I have done all of the above without much difficulty on my 150. Get the manual, take your time, and if you have basic tools & skills you should be fine. The only think I avoid is adjusting the valves.

Mike .
I see by your previous post that you have a 225, I also do and have manual... If you want some help pm me I will be glad to help. I do all my service work for your above reason $$$ , Water pumps ,gear case, plugs no big deal on any of those. I will warn you plugs aren't cheap almost like 20.00 each give or take a few bucks. I will be glad to help busy on weeekends but weekdays open most of the time. I am not sure where you live I assume south fla because comment about MG... I am south of Sarasota..

do it your self, I had to do my 20 service for warranty after that I have done it all myself. got 1040 hrs on my now

Jamie

Sorry I forgot to post, but you're right I do have the 225. I need to purchase the seloc guide to my engine. I may try to do all of it myself if there aren't anything too big. Sounds like most may be within my capability, but I will admit I've heard horror stories about the lower unit stuff. As for the price; taking a quick estimate of materials and parts I would need is only a drop in the bucket compared to the labor that I would get charged.
Jamie, I may take you up on that offer this summer. I have a rotating schedule and only have weekends off every six weeks (zookeeper schedule). I live in Tampa about 4 miles north of USF. I am not very mechanically inclined, but would really like to be; especially with the outboard. It's one of those things that if anything happens on the water then I would like to be able to at least know what is wrong. With the truck I can call AAA or go to a gas station. If you are serious about helping then I can make it worth your while (sounds like a drug deal or something). I work at Busch Gardens and can get you a couple tickets or something if you are up for that. let me know and we can work something out. Thanks
Mike

I advise against using the Seloc manual. Invest in the Helm shop manual specific to the 200 and 225. It is $115 well spent and will save you many bucks in the long run. Plus, it will give you a great education on running and maintaining your engine. Spend the time to read the critical sections - especially the maintenance and diagnostic sections.

If you can turn a wrench and read instructions, you can do your own 100 hour maintenance on the 225. Just take your time and think through each step of the process before you pick up the wrenches and screwdrivers. I take my 2007 engine (approaching 600 hours) back to the dealer for the 400 hour maintenance and end-of-season. And yes, $600 to $750, is about the correct price range for a 100 hour or 200 hour maintenance. The 400 hour is a bit more - up around the $1,000 range. Document everything you do for warranty requirements.

Another thing that is not in the manual. The manual calls for replacing the plugs every 400 hours, which is a long time for many owners. Over a couple of years the plugs can seize up in the head. At every 100 hours, I remove the plugs and coat the threads with a light coating of anti-seize grease.

The 100 hour oil change is critical on these engines. Also, contrary to what the owner's manual tells you, I highly recommend changing the oil filter every 100 hours. When you change the oil, run a magnet through the discharged oil to make sure there are no filings in it. Removing the oil filter is a sloppy mess. Be sure you have wedged highly absorbant shop towels underneath before you unscrew it off. I have not found a good way to remove that filter without getting oil on the engine or me.

Other lessons learned...

If running in saltwater, remove, clean, and test your thermostats every 100 hours.

Change water pump impeller every 200 hours, especially if operating in saltwater or shallow water conditions.

If you do not already have one, install a Racor filter & fuel/water separator in the gas line before the pump up bulb - that does a lot to keep your onboard fuel/water separator and fuel filters clean and trouble free.

Use an additive in your gas to prevent phase separation of the ethanol laced gas.