Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

[Karla45]

Just purchase used boat and took to mechanic to check everything out. He brought it back the other day and I have been having problems. Have been having problems. Mechanic told me to check the feul filter after him noticing while out running that the filter was clogged with alot of stuff, of course he ran it for awhile like this so who knows if this could do damage. Was told to buy seafoam and put in feul tank and to also check the feul filter to see if any particles are in it. Well I opened up the Top COver to the motor and there is alot of saw dust there, can the saw dust go down into lower unit and cause problems. One problem was that when i got it back to test out I would here a loud thump sound coming from the motor, sounded like i hit a log or something or something in the bottom of boat in back. This happend several times after speeding up and then once when slowed down to idle it immediatly made the two loud thumps and died. He came back an drove it for a long time and it only happened once to him, he came back and said it was probably the gear and adjusted it. So this morning I took it out to see how it would run then the motor started make a rattle sound while going slow, so i came back in. Then this afternoon I start the motor and now it is rattling in back an forth in idle, then making the thump sounds in idle and then I started to drive it and this time the thump sounds were more frequent and one time the thump was so hard that the whole boat shook. That was enough for me and I did not even make it out of my cove. It seems like the adjustment he made to the gear made the motor much worse and at least before it was only thumping here and there, could this be what is going on or could it be something else?

Motor is a 85HP Force/chryler i think 1989

 

[roscoe]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Yes, sounds like he adjusted the wrong direction, and didn't check his work.

On second thought, what work?
What did he do when he had the boat?
Why didn't he check the fuel filter and screen himself?
Isn't that what he is paid to do?

And why didn't he add the Seafoam - RingFree - or PowerTune ?

He surely didn't do much, or even take the cover off if it was full of sawdust.

Time for a new mechanic.

As for sawdust getting into the lower unit, no, can't happen.

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

thank you, the problem is that i am not sure he will come back out and adjust the gear, can you please tell me how to do this myself. we were charged $1400 dollars and the bill does not have any detail and have been argueing back and forth. The sawdust came from the fact that they did cut some wood so they got it in there, they had to take the cover off for other reasons.

 

[john from md]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Do you have a manual for the engine? If so, I can talk you through adjusting the shift linkage.

John

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

no i only have the book that came with the boat and that does not show anything on how to adjust gear. All i know is that he raised the motor and adjusted something. Will I damage anything if i continue to drive it like this until mechanic can come fix

 

[john from md]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

I suggest that you buy a Clymer manual from ebay. It shows how to make this easy adjustment and does not cost much.

I would not keep operating it as you will destroy your dog gears.

John

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

i talked to the mechanic and he told me where the gear is that he adjusted which is in the upper unit, he told me to just put push the handle forward without the boat started and which ever rod moves is what i would need to adjust, i see a screw on it, is this what i adjust. He told me I have to take it off and shorten it, would this be correct?

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Sounds like your making a sow's ear out of a silk purse. You need a manual as suggested or a "trustworthy" mechanic.

 

[Numlaar]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Mechanic told me to check the feul filter after him noticing while out running that the filter was clogged with alot of stuff, of course he ran it for awhile like this so who knows if this could do damage. Was told to buy seafoam and put in feul tank and to also check the feul filter to see if any particles are in it.

That's the entire purpose of a filter... which is to remove any particulars that may get in the fuel, and keep them from running through the carbs/engine... if its clogged/ditry then change it out... monitor the new one and see how quickly particles enter it or clog it up... if it is relatively quick, it may indicate a contaminated fuel tank/fuel source

Well I opened up the Top COver to the motor and there is alot of saw dust there, can the saw dust go down into lower unit and cause problems.

As mentioned, no it cant work its way into the lower unit, however most outboards don't employ air filters, they simply have an air intake system inside the cowl, which means that sawdust may get sucked into the carbs... should be cleaned out asap. (what are they cutting wood around open boat engines for?)

i talked to the mechanic and he told me where the gear is that he adjusted which is in the upper unit, he told me to just put push the handle forward without the boat started and which ever rod moves is what i would need to adjust, i see a screw on it, is this what i adjust. He told me I have to take it off and shorten it, would this be correct?

That sounds just like the shift linkage rod... I truly hope he didnt charge you 1400 bucks to adjust a cable!!!!

It really sounds like you need a new mechanic...

As far as any adjustments goes, definitely get the manual, and run through the basics yourself, at the least you will have some knowledge to go back and argue with the mechanic.

I would demand a detailed report of what was done, and ask him to show you book labor rates for the items he "fixed" (line for line, ie adjust shift linkage .3hours, etc.) and what his posted hourly labor rate is... so you can figure out how he came to his repair amount... most states require this information to be readily available for the consumer (I was an ASE master tech for 10 years, and its very similiar to the boat service industry). All engine/motor repair jobs use a "manual" of labor rates saying how long a typical repair should take, and then the shop charges you based on this time versus their shop rate. I am quite sure shift linkage adjustment wouldnt constitute a charge anywhere near that much... 1400 bucks would completely rebuild most lower units! or at the least be enough for a decent overhaul! It really sounds like he was taking advantage... (Seen it a lot, but I hope thats not the case for you).

If the figures for the work done versus what was charged, don't add up, I would demand my money back, and if he doesn't cooperate, file a consumer complaint with the appropriate place.

Good luck with it.

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Well the $1400 is the charge for what he had done to the boat right before we got it back, and i have complained about the lack of detail and requested this from him and have not seen it yet. To top that off he is not finished yet. Basically the only thing that i know he did on the motor is put a new impeller on. Everytime I talk to him he aruges. The bill only showed the labor total so we had to divide it out to figure out how many hours he spent, it ended up being 15 hours. I advised my father to not let him touch the boat again before he completely ruins it, there are other things he has done. He did not charge on the shift adjustment he came out because after I got it, i started having problems and told him how upset we were and he said he wanted to try to fix it. He came out and while testing it out on the water he discovered that the feul filter was clogged with stuff, so then he told us to go buy some seafoam. He knew the boat had been sitting for four years before we bought it and i argued with him about the fact that this was not checked out or done before he decided to keep running the boat. I have no idea if it is to late or not. There is much more but it upsets me so much that i could go on forever about this. He is supposed to come out tommorow afternoon to check things and i have no idea if he is going to charge us or not but i will not be here I have to go back to TExas, it is in my dads hands now. Thank you for your help and I will discuss with my dad what you told me about detailed billing. I want it anyway because i will most likely sell lit for him and cut the losses. Also i decided i would not try to do anything or do any adjusting because i do not know enough, it think i just do not want him to make things worse and mess something up. I did check the feul filter twice after driving it once seafoam was put in and everything was clean did not see any build up but then again i hardly drove it because things got worse after he came out. I know he messed with the carb adjustments.

 

[Numlaar]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Wow!

I am so sorry to hear all of this! An impeller job can be done for as cheap as 100 bucks, even at a reputable service facility, it is a relatively simply repair, actually more of a maintenance...

If your dad has any questions on how to request the detailed billing, feel free to ask! I would be glad to help.

I still wish you the best of luck with everything!

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Yes I could really use your help on what the limitation on hours can charge, my father lives in Hot springs arkansas. Here is a breakdown of what we have been charged so far, have not been charged for impellar or install, trailer lights and install and I am not sure what else. He did tell my dad he would not charge for trailer light install on next bill. This is everything that was on the bill except for labor rate which is posted at shop.

Description of Work
1. pick up boat and trailer
2.charge battery
3. clean out front compartments
4. check wiring on key switch and install plate.
5.hook up test hot horn
6. refrofit feul line
7.top off gear oil
8.test pump and aerator
9.lake test ok
10.install fishfinder and transducer
11. tighten step on back of boat
12 install stabilizer
13. remove seat housing and battery tray
14. replace bilge pump and aerator pump
15. moved battery to port side of boat
16.intall carpet patch
17.lauch and delivery to house

18. check spark Ok, check compression, (1) 138 (2) 135 (3) 135

labor charge=$1125.00

rate: $75 an hour


Parts
Transducer 64.65
bilge pump 22.50
aerator pump 35.75
wire 1.50
2 battery clamps 4.50
plywood 5.00
fuses 1.00
rivets 2.50
bolts, nuts, washers, 1.00
screws & rings 2.00
stingray stabilizer 49.95
stern light pole 35,75
shop supplies $12.50

Total parts=$226.10

Shop supplies=$12.50
I would like to add some work he had to do on this billing that it does not explain but he told me when I complained. In order to tighten step he had to drill out 13 rivets to take off another part of the boat in order to get too step and tighten and put epoxy around so water would not get in boat. He also complained about some rusted screws that he had to replace. On the key switch plate he had to do something to plate in order to make new switch fit right, most likely make the hole bigger. Prior to his visit i had to put new ignition switch in because guy did not have key, the hot horn was disconnected because one little screw was missing so i could not hook it up before he come to get boat. He also made some complaints about having to move battery to port side. When dad went to look at boat during process the carpet was ripped up in the middle part of boat and my dad told them it was not like that before, he told him the carpet was rotting and that is what happend, so he put a piece of older carpet that was different color in order to patch. By the way the bilge pump works sometimes and other times it does not and I will address this with him. When he came out the other day he was able to get it to pump water out and made the comment that he saw junk come out and that was the problem and could be dirt dobbers, but I tryed again later after being out and could not get it to drain. I am really going to be mad if he replace this pump and it ends up being clogged lines. Also the battery was brand new so i doubt he would have had to charge it that much since i had it on charge when he came to pick up. The plywood was for a a top he made for battery cover on boat that was missing. That is all i can think of for right now on his explanations of why bill was so high. I would really appreciate your help on this.

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

I would also like to say that I fullly understand that what may seem like a simple fix on a boat can end up becoming a longer process and I know this from some of my own experiences, so it may just be that the bill is in line I really just do not know.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

If availiable, a second opinion is in order. If not, there doesn't seem to be much else that can be done. Sorry- Many but not all boat types are shysters

 

[Karla45]

Re: Will sawdust on upper unit of motor cause

Well i thought at least maybe someone could tell me what some of the charge limits would be on any of the listed work.