Makes ya wonder why......

[rodbolt]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

hahaaha<br /> you sound like my dentist <br /> all we are doing is trying to allow the person to save some money.<br /> if its profesionally maintained it usually doesnt break as often. I use the term professionally loosly. I have seen some customers that can and do most of the maint themselves and do a good job. I also see techs that are supposed to be pros, or at least they charge like it, that cannot find nor fix much and rely a lot on blind luck. most threads only talk about a part or parts tossed at it with no mention of the procedure used to determine if the original part had failed or was the failure due to another source.<br /> my sister is like your wife she came home one day asking about a red light on the dash on her subaru. I put in 4qts of oil and then a filter just cause and all was well. that was almost 30 years ago. she still wont check the oil but does take her van by a service center once a week and a tech looks about. when in the atlanta area I have gone to the shop and chatted with the tech. he is a very competent tech and is like me, its easier to find and correct a problem before its a problem than fix it after its a problem.

 

[vipzach]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

First thanks to Don S, rodbolt, tommays, one you have answered in each post I have started. I appreciate that. <br />Don, I think most people take the "if it aint broke don't fix it" a little to far. They don't realize until it is too late that their boat needs checked on a regular basis, it is not just a car you put gas in and every couple months take it to get the oil changed. It is just lack of knowledge or just stupidity. Not calling anybody out on that just saying what it seems like.<br /> rubberfrog what's up with mentioning the computer tech?<br />My advice to people reading this forum: If you are new to boats, but are mechanically smart, take it to a pro and have it checked. If you want to save money pay his diagnose fee and take it home and fix it.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

rubber frog<br /> not calling you an idiot at all. however you now mostlikly have a good spare altenator and battery, mostlikly severeal hundred dollars lighter and its still broke. 10 min with a voltmeter will confirm or eliminate the electrical system. it does require a working knowledge of how and why each component works. its not hard but its way cheaper than replacing parts.so no i am not calling anyone names and if you look in most my posts i do attempt to help. if you will post what type of multi meter you have and an honest evaluation of your abilitie to use it one of us can walk you through about any procedure. without that info we are shooting as blind as you. i personnaly dont rely on the blind luck method of trouble shooting. we can only help those that help themselves. meters are cheap. a decent home meter from radio shack is less than 30 dollars and will do almost anything the average home maint person, as well as 1/2 the techs i know, need to do. but you will have to admit you still have done nothing to verify what was broke nor if the parts replaced repaired the problem. hopefully in your case no one was hurt and no further damage was done.

 

[BigPoppaG]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

I'll be honest with you, until this post I had no clue who true marine mechanics were. If you have helped me in the past I want take this time to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!<br /><br />Just make sure our abilities in working on a board or wanting to do it right aren't in question. Not everyone is as knowledable and that is why I am here. I want to do more with the boat on my own and to be honest I have learned just about everything about this boat from the manual and this board. I'm not an idiot or stupid nor am I saying anyone is calling me that. It's just that sometimes everyone needs there hands held. Just don't judge them on that.<br /><br />I didn't join this board to Kiss someones Arse everytime someone throws out a suggestion that works. I have a tendency to forget but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the help. I make an effort each and everytime a suggestion works to try and thank the parties that were involved.<br /><br />If your looking for a pat on the back everytime then there may be other personal issues that need to be addresse. I'm not a doctor so I can't answer that. Maybe there is another forum out there for that.<br /><br />Once again Thanks for your help in the PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE!!! <br /><br />P.S. How come Don S hasn't answered back on this post?

 

[blackz3]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

ill bet he type with tears of laughter in his eyes..btw this going to be a LONGGGGG post lol

 

[BigPoppaG]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

Originally posted by blackz3:<br /> ill bet he type with tears of laughter in his eyes..btw this going to be a LONGGGGG post lol

Ya think?

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

rodbolt,<br />I posted this some where before, But I live by the phrase "if it ain’t broke, don't fix it" That said any thing that needs regular servicing to increase the products life I do, like oil & filter changes and greasing. Our currant boat is on its 9th season with nothing but yearly greasing, and oil and filter changes. This does not mean I bury my head in the sand until something brakes. If you pay attention to your boat when you are operating it i.e. monitor the gauges, inspect for water leaks, loose belts, hoses, corroded or loose electrical connections, and so on. You can generally detect and correct a problem before something goes completely wrong. I can not recall the last time we went out and I did not lift the engine cover for a quick look and listen. <br /> That said in the past 11 years we have aided no less than 2 boats a year, that were dead in the water. Most times the boat as you stated had known problems, and should have never left the dock or trailer, at least I would not have taken them out. Of course a couple of those were “we ran out of gas”, one of which was only a mile from the marina. It must be noted the latter were on their way out for the day!<br /> Any way thanks to you and all the Pros on this board who keep us weekend boaters and back yard/garage mechanics going. <br /><br /> L-T

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

Originally posted by rodbolt:<br /> rubber frog<br /> ... mostlikly severeal hundred dollars lighter and its still broke.... but you will have to admit you still have done nothing to verify what was broke nor if the parts replaced repaired the problem. hopefully in your case no one was hurt and no further damage was done.

I do have to admit that you are right. <br />*Note to Self* "Do not trust the guy at napa when he tests the battery and says the problem is with the alternator."<br />I have a meter, and everything checked out OK (especially with the new alternator). I'm replacing one ground and one hot cable just because they look like they could go bad this season- why wait?<br />At this point I am chasing my own tail. I have a new impeller and a new thermostat ready to install in the hopes that it is an issue with overheating. She was running a little hot although I didn't think it was enough to cause problems. No water in the cylinders or in the oil so no hydrolock....<br />Why am I telling all this here? I should put this in my thread.

 

[salty87]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

so what? so what if he spent more money fixing it than he could have...it's his money. it's his boat. you don't have to click on the post, answer the post, or tell him to get a manual. <br /><br />the professional mechanics on this board no doubt add an impossible-to-measure wealth of information. but, this board is made of recreational boaters. boaters with more responibilities in their lives than spending as much time on their boats as the professional mechanics spend on boats. that's reality, we have to go make money. money for boats and money for mechanics when necessary.<br /><br />this sounds like a restaurant complaining that the customers are hungry and won't cook for themselves....didn't their mothers teach them to cook? haha

 

[wake5150]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

Originally posted by salty87:<br /> <br />this sounds like a restaurant complaining that the customers are hungry and won't cook for themselves....didn't their mothers teach them to cook? haha

The difference is that customers PAY at a restaurant and SHOULD expect a certain level of service.<br /><br />Don S., Rodbolt and others provide top notch advice for free. They are entitled to expect a certain level of diagnosis before questions are asked.<br /><br />I don't think anybody means to call anybody an idiot.<br /><br />I disagree with Vipzach on taking your boat to a pro if you are new to boating. A person with good mechanical ability can gain enough information from the web to do a decent job.<br /><br />I believe I do a better job fixing my boat than 50% of techs out there. I usually research, analyze, and meticuously repair/maintain my boat, instead of churning out the job as fast as possible.<br /><br />Wake

 

[Regal-89]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

I appreciate all the help that I get from this forum as well, but I thought this forum was to ask questions about the "mechanics" of your boat. Not everyone does all the maintenance that should be done to their boat, but that's no reason they should be highlighted and made to feel like they are not as "GREAT" as the mechanics on this forum. Honestly I guess RODBOLT, and DON S want to be stroked and to be praised. I'm sure after this post I will no longer get any help from them but oh well, it's about being nice not ego and helping when someone ask for your help!!!

 

[vipzach]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

If any of you guys are ever planning on being around a lake in Oklahoma let me know, if you've helped me out, I'll buy you a beer!

 

[Don S]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

Originally posted by Big Poppa G:<br /> <br />If your looking for a pat on the back everytime then there may be other personal issues that need to be addresse. I'm not a doctor so I can't answer that. Maybe there is another forum out there for that.<br /><br />Once again Thanks for your help in the PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE!!! <br /><br />P.S. How come Don S hasn't answered back on this post?

First of all, I never asked for a pat on the back, where did you comeup with that??<br /><br />The reason I haven't answered back till now is because I was at work, Fixing broken boats, not sitting at this computer.....

 

[BigPoppaG]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

Wow just picked on me.....interesting. <br /><br />It was a general question meant to apply to everyone who gives advice on any of the topics. Not just you. <br /><br />You are taking this as a personal shot at you. Not here to stroke your ego. Here to look for advice. <br />If you want to give it great. <br />If not also fine. Thats your choice.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

shane<br /> I do this cause its a way to repay the world for the past 40 years or so of knowledge gaining. education is the key. I have over seven years of technical traing. 3 years on US Navy electronics schools. yep did 3 years of schools before ever seeing a ship. covered advanced electronics,radar,air pressure systems and high pressure hydraulics. started my proffesional career in 9th grade auto shop. did 9th,10,11th and 12th and had advanced to the advanced level. had my brake smog and lamp certs from the state of CA before I got out of high school. have taken couses in automotive machining and worked 6 years as a CNC lathe and mill programmer and set up man and worked with R&D for an explosive oil tool manufacuring company. also trained with porsche,mazda, VW olds and chevy. have been or currently certified with suzuki,volvo,merc mariner, mercrusier,go devil,force and yamaha. spent 2 years working for and with an omc dealer in portsmouth va. have owned my own business since 95 and do contract work for about 7 local marinas. I am not looking for a stroke or a thank you. today my artheritis is so bad that I never made it to work. happens a couple times a month. we dont ever mean to highlight anyone at least not me. however I do try to point out ways to save money and keep the boat relable. neglect like limited time offers in my area is a sure way to have a 9 year old junker. I get it aall the time. boat is 6 years old and never had t-stats,pressure valves water pumps manifolds or risers. by the time it actually breaks its over, nothing left to fix. nothing will come apart.in a strictly freshwater low mineral content it may be a bit different. some times ya only get one shot at the overheat. one is all it takes to wipe out a motor that otherwise would have run for years.as far as electrical tests as soon as I get my book back I will make a post that can save many headaces for most. limited time did not post what type of power plant he is running. if its an I/O and the bellows fails he will see what I say. if a mountsettles and it wipes a coupler and shaft he will see it again. I work with it daily.<br /> so dont worry about any thanks just try not to flame those of us that do it daily and have dedicated a lifetime of doing it once doing it right and sleeping well at night. some techs are good some rely on luck. kinda like Dr's and Lawyers. by the time you realize ya got a bad one its a done deal.

 

[Regal-89]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

I can also post all my degree's if need be, but I won't. All I was trying to get across was this......it seemed that you guys were coming across very strong for no reason. Trust me I understand what "regular" maintenance can do for your boat. In my opinion it looked like you were gloating rather than helping someone. In my opinion looked like you wanted a pat on the back. So here is my pat on your back, because i do appreciate the help I have been givin in the past, but I guess I just read the post wrong and I shouldn't have been so defensive. OH WELL!! I will still be on my boat tonight with a great lookin woman in one hand, and a nice drink in the other! PEACE !!!!!

 

[BigPoppaG]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

Originally posted by Shane2004:<br /> I will still be on my boat tonight with a great lookin woman in one hand, and a nice drink in the other! PEACE !!!!!

Post pics!

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

yea pics pics<br /> thats why I post its for pics .<br /> shane. was not listing degrees. was trying to covey I have worked in and on many things. the maint required on grannys grocery getter is not as much as on an MG or a 914 or 911 or a rx-7. but a boat requires more than either. and please if you suspect or know it has a problem dont go out. on a calm day mostlikly all is well. however when it rouhs up and the chop is 5ft tall and the winds are at 40knots is not the time to find the weak link. in my area that can happen in a matter of minutes. we lose a few each year due to it. so sometimes I try use use sarcasm to get my point across or grab the persons attention. its never my intent to hurt someones feelings nor spotlight them but some people post wrong info or practices and I try to correct it. and rubberfrog has an amazing sense of humour. I will chuckle for weeks at his post about a sinking. I too hope to be boating. if the current gale ever lets up.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

rodbolt, <br />You stated: neglect like limited time offers in my area is a sure way to have a 9 year old junker. in a strictly freshwater low mineral content it may be a bit different. limited time did not post what type of power plant he is running. if its an I/O and the bellows fails he will see what I say. if a mountsettles and it wipes a coupler and shaft he will see it again.<br /><br /> The power plant is a Mercruiser 5.7 LX , Alpha 1 drive the boat is used in fresh water only. Is stored in a heated garage, and has never been left in the water for more than an occasional long weekend. I suspect if a coupler and shaft started to fail I would note some kind of abnormal sound or vibration. As for the bellows if the leak was bad enough I would notice the water in the bilge. I did not mean to imply you need to wait for a total failure to replace a failing component. The other missing point is you have to pay attention to your boat and know what’s normal and when something needs servicing.<br />Admittedly salt water would be a issue. <br /><br />Quick question: do you agree all of with Mercruisers service recommendations, and if not which ones do you see as critical. <br /><br />L-T

 

[mikebc]

Re: Makes ya wonder why......

I too appreciate all the help that I get from this forum as well, Thanks guys!