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philcapper

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boat ran good 4 months ago. Now, no spark. mechanic wants to replace solid state unit, pickup and coil all at once. Is there a better way to troubleshoot rather than just chage parts? wants 500 to do job
 
I am not a believer in "throwing parts" at problems but, I am a believer in a proper maintenance manual. The cost of a manual is FAR cheaper then 1 hour pf mechanics labor. Normally the BIGGEST problem boater's have is being impatient....... I want it NOW attitude and mechanics thrive on that. You did the right thing doing your homework ;)

I am not advocating putting a Marine-Technion out of business but a more knowledgeable consumer is less likely to get ripped off.

CDI (which marineengines.com sells) makes great electronic products and this website has the parts listings for your parts. Price it out..... add in the cost of a manual.... save money and have a great holiday!
 
Well, if it means that you get a running boat it is worth it if you don't have either the time or talent to do it on your own.
On the other hand, no spark could be as simple as a bad connection and be a zero dollar fix. Without seeing the engine it is hard to say for sure.
 
Yep, throwing parts is not the answer.
I can throw enough parts at a problem, and eventually correct it.

Often it is difficult to diagnose certain problems.... however, proper diagnosing should be what we pay for initially.

I'd be willing to pay up front for proper diagnostics......., and then ask for a "Quote" for the work necessary to correct the problem.
If this work scope DOES NOT correct the problem (following THEIR Diagnostics), then we should not be so willing to just roll over and pay them.
All too often those who hire this work done, just simply roll over!

Pay for diagnostics..... then ask for a quote!
It can be a win-win for both parties.

Just my opinion!

.
 
1992 OMC 3.0 130hp. armed with my new manual and some fair mechanical skills i'm ready to attack the problem.....as soon as it rises above freezing (and I live in FL!)
 
You got a kill switch on that boat? Make sure it's seated or bypass it for now and see if you have spark ?

Make sure every wire is seated.

Say after you try the above you still don't have spark then, put power to the coil straight from the battery, and see if you have spark.

Where are you in the real world ?
 
philcapper said:
boat ran good 4 months ago. Now, no spark. mechanic wants to replace solid state unit, pickup and coil all at once. Is there a better way to troubleshoot rather than just chage parts? wants 500 to do job
Click to expand...

It sounds like a hose job to me. If I were you, I'd get a second opinion, or start working on it yourself.
I took my boat to a local Marina here to get the following repairs:

New Points
New Plugs
Set timing
Water Test ( to me this would be actually launching the boat to see how it performs)
Set Idle Mixture

This is what I got for my $160.00 :

New Points installed, and gapped ( nothing more was done)
Water Test (this consisted of the Marina backing my boat ON THE TRAILER down the slip till the outdrive was in the water)

NOTHING else was completed. When I checked the timing myself, it was FIFTEEN degrees BEFORE TDC. It is " supposed " to be 5 Degrees BTDC

I will NEVER go back to Stans Marina in Port Stanley, Ontario again. Except to ramp.
 
Compared to any other piece of machinery I've ever owned, I seemed to have baffled more people (at least two so called marine mechanics) with my old 225 OMC, compared to anything else auto or marine in the fleet here. With great help from the folks at this forum I decided awhile ago that I would do as much of my own work as possible. I'm not sure why most of the modern marine shops won't touch OMCs maybe its because they can't hook their computer scope up to something so ancient? I suppose parts availability may be part of it to. I guess I look at it like OMC is like an old Buick or AMC product, they are a niche item and parts aren't as readily available as an old Chevy or Ford.
 
I run a 225 Buick as well. Todays Mechanics are lazy . IF it isnt LESS than 8 years old, they dont give a **** (UNLESS you're throwing money at them ). I'd just like to meet an honest, attitude-less Mechanic.
I do my own work now, after getting burned bad.

You gotta find a Mechanic that will work on Points........ That engine has enough power to do the job. Mine runs a 1 Barrel, and goes fast enough for me in my 20 footer.
 
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