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Outdrive Failure

H

hzz

New member
"New here to the forum.
I hav

"New here to the forum.
I have a 1992 Searay 200br with less than 300 hours on it.It has the 4.3l V6 engine.
I have it winterized and the lower drive unit and oil changed every year by the same marina.
I just got a call from them telling me that while driving it to the marina to be serviced, the outdrive failed.They towed it in and inspected it and found the whole upper drive had overheated and was ruined, as well as finding some metal in the lower bearings.
I was quoted $4000 for the repair. Quite a shock as I had no previous symptoms.

Does this sound reasonable?

Should I fix the outdrive, or trade it in?
I don't know much about boats....I really relied on my marina for info, but $4000 for a 15 year old boat....I don't know what to do.

Any advice??
Thanks"
 
"ZZ;
I wouldn't pay that.

"ZZ;
I wouldn't pay that.
Assuming its an Alpha One Gen II, you can buy a factory new Merc leg on eBay and elsewhere for about $2600 plus maybe one hour labor to install it.
You can also buy an aftermarket Stearndrive Eng unit for about $1300. It is an exact bolt in replacement for your current unit, and though I have not used one, they are generally well regarded.
$4000 to rebuild yours sounds out of line, plus you still have a "rebuilt" drive. You can get completely new for less money.
Just my thoughts,
Rod"
 
"ZZ:

Rod is telling you the

"ZZ:

Rod is telling you the facts. Did their quote include a new engine coupler? If yes, then that was why the high cost estimate. Just make sure you get the right gear ratio and use synthetic gear oil. The coupler needs to be inspected closely for abnormal wear. It sounds like the OD ran low on oil. Have them install an aftermarket OD oil reservior; $50 on eBay and an hours labor. I just bought one for my 4.3L."
 
"They didn't say anything

"They didn't say anything about an engine coupler. The guy in service I spoke to was not really interested in talking to me.$4000 was all he wanted to talk about.I pushed him for why it failed when they were driving it with no previous symptoms, but he said it was a "coincidence" I am also being charged $500 to diagnose the problem. If there was such a catastrophic failure, wouldn't the problem and repair be obvious?
Since Rod's post I have been doing a lot of reading. I am leaning toward buying a replacement drive unit(aftermarket)and installing it myself with a friend. It really doesn't seem that complicated and I am somewhat handy."
 
"Get a bellows kit while you h

"Get a bellows kit while you have the OD off. Not hard to put on; you need bellows adhesive and a bellows spreader tool.

You've been dicked on that fee! Tell the shop guy you spoke with that due to the $4000 damage, your INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR will be stopping by to check out the OD to look for outer damage that may have occurred to it while in their possession.

I would then ask to speak to the business owner face-to-face and argue, I mean "negotiate", the $500 diagnostic fee and reiterate that your INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR will be stopping by.

All they had to do is pull the cap off the OD and drain the oil; 15 minutes work at the most.

Politely tell him that the insurance company is concerned. In addition, you and your friends want to use his marina for future business. But, all of you are finding it very hard to consider doing future business with him based on the outragious $500 diagnostic fee along with the fact that your insurance INVESTIGATOR said it was one helluva "coincidence" that the OD blew up while they bull dogged it on the way to their marina.

Express to him he needs to waive the $500 fee and then you'll reconsider your future busines and reconsider pending discussions about his marina's fees with your friends and that you might consider to buy a bellows kit from him.

Hey pal; IT CAN'T HURT YOU TO DO IT!! He may offer to install the new OD you buy along with the bellows kit for a few hundred bucks. Get a pair and stand up tall; you are in the driver's seat."
 
"ZZ
The guys are right, that

"ZZ
The guys are right, that quote is a bit on the ridiculous side, I would imagine that his diagnosis was based on removing the top cover and the drain plug, 15 minutes worth of work if you go slowly.
This marina operator needs to answer some questions though, I asume that the top box overheated from a lack of oil, if there were no signs of leakage around the leg and they have been doing the oil every season for you, where did the oil go ? perhaps they never filled it using the correct proceedure last time and left a big air lock in the top box.
I would be asking for the manager and asking him to explain and justify the 500 quoting fee and where the oil went to.
Ask to be shown the parts that have failed and look at the leg for signs of water in the oil, if it had an oil leak there would generaly be water in the oil but if they had not filled it corectly last service there would be no signs of water in the oil
I would also tell them that you will not pay one cent untill an indepent inspection can be done of the drive to confirm their diagnosis and the reason for the failure.
If your leg is toast, your best option would be to buy a leg and fit it yourself. We are all here for advice if you need it but if you pick yourself up a manual it will guide you through the process step by step and it is not a hard job at all.

Cheers
Peter C"
 
"ZZ;
They are trying to blind

"ZZ;
They are trying to blindside you big time.
$500 for diagnosis is ridiculous. Ask them if you are going to get kissed as well, or just bent over.
I would threaten to get the Better Business Bureau involved.
You are on the right track to buy you own replacement and do it yourself. It's no big trick if you follow the correct procedure.
We are all here to support you in any way we can.
Good luck,
Rod"
 
"Been doing lots more reading.

"Been doing lots more reading.....thanks to you guys for pointing me in the right direction.
Here is my plan-call tomorrow and find out if the outdrive has already been removed from the boat. Hopefully it has not.If it hasn't, have them tow boat back to my boathouse where I will leave it until spring.
In the spring, I am going to buy an outdrive...probably an aftermarket one, as suggested here. I may try to install it myself, or try to find a local mechanic who will quote a reasonable figure to install.
As for the $500 inspection fee....that I am going to really argue. It's ridiculous to be charged $500 and told you need a whole new unit.They could of told me that just by a quick inspection.
I'll let you know what happens tomorrow!
Thanks again."
 
ZZ:

Good luck; it'll tu

ZZ:

Good luck; it'll turn out better than you think. We're all rooting for you. Buying the OD in the winter will get you a better discount and so will having it installed in the off season.
 
"Update-
Spoke with them toda

"Update-
Spoke with them today....I confirmed with him that the outdrive is off the boat.He claims he had to take it off to make the proper diagnosis.He wouldn't budge from that.
I told him to put it back on and send the boat back to me.
He is the service manager, which I didn't know until today.
I have left a message for his supervisor to look into it and call me back.
My questions to the supervisor are what you guys suggested:
When did it break down...on the way to the marina or on the way back after service(maybe an air lock)?
Why was it necessary to pull the whole unit off to diagnose it?
Even so, $500 seems ridiculous to pull it off and diagnose.
I'll keep you updated, and once again thank you. There is no way I could have known what this situation was all about without the help of the people here.
happy.gif
"
 
"Another update-
We have not

"Another update-
We have not yet discussed the $500 diagnosis fee, but they did tell me that there was water in the oil, it had probably been leaking all summer and finally gave out.
He said he may be able to source a more reasonably priced outdrive locally.
I asked him the cost to install an outdrive if I supplied it and he said about $200, which seems reasonable.
Does this one look like a good alternative?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Sterndrive-for-Mercruiser-Alpha-Generation-ll _W0QQitemZ120176220591QQihZ002QQcategoryZ50442QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem

Thanks!"
 
ZZ;
Thats the Sterndrive Engi

ZZ;
Thats the Sterndrive Engineering aftermarket replacement unit that I mentioned earlier in this post. They are well regarded and much less money than a Merc unit. I don't think you can go wrong with one of these.
Rod
 
"ZZ, Rod et al:

The only ne

"ZZ, Rod et al:

The only negative comment I have seen on this board is that the case is powder paint coated and some buyers said using it in salt water causes the paint to come off. That issue may be limited to a batch of cases improperly prepared for powder coating which is a highly used process today. Other than that it works fine."
 
"ZZ, just wondering, did you g

"ZZ, just wondering, did you give them authorization to diag the problem, or did you just give them authorization to do the work they were bringing it to the marina for. I couldnt touch a customers boat-car-motercycle-toy without an auth, verbal or written with an estimate that has to come in withen 10%. thats arizona and utah. if you didnt auth tear down and diag, dont pay the 500$ and do some research for your area. BBB might be a way to go. just wondering whats the shop rate in your area?"
 
"Unfortunately I did give them

"Unfortunately I did give them authorization over the phone to diagnose the problem. I did it before I came here for help. I know a lot about cars and a lot of other things, but before this I knew nothing about boats, and made the typical sucker's mistake of trusting them. I know better now. Still haven't heard from them...if I don't get the boat back to my boathouse soon it will be tough to winterize the boathouse.
If I don't get a response by the end of next week I will have them tow it back and deal with it in the spring.
Still can't imagine how it can cost $500 to diagnose.As for their shop rate, I don't know it but it will be on their bill and I will let you know."
 
Flat Rates; teardown and inspe

Flat Rates; teardown and inspect drive shouldn't take any more than 2-2.5 hrs. remove and replace drive is 1.2 hrs. The teardown on the drive had to be done to determine the extent of the damage for a proper estimate. A knowlegible mechanic could have given you a best/worst case senario before this was done and let you decide if you wanted to spend the money or replace the drive.
 
"I picked up the drive on Mond

"I picked up the drive on Monday. It was all apart, and there was obvious damage to some of the gears...they looked like they were "mashed".

Boat is safely stored in my boathouse for the winter. In the spring I will order an SE116 replacement and either install myself, or see what they will charge to do it.

Thanks to everyone here for their help
thumbs_up.gif
"
 
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