Ran Bad ...Now Dead

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Seems to me like this is one of the oldest stories here on iboats forum. Someone logs in and tells us that their outboard was running lousy...alarms going off...slowing down after a high speed run...oil running out of the lower unit...whatever. Never mind...they just kept on boating. Now, it "don't start." And can we help? What is it about outboard motors and boats that makes folks ignore warning signs and just keep running their outboard until it's completely out of commission? The oil light comes on in your car...you stop driving the car, right? Temperature gauge in the red? You do something, right? There's a nasty flopping sound coming from the rear passenger side...you go fix the flap, right? Smoke coming out from under the hood? Call the shop, right? But an outboard? It won't plane the boat, so just keep flogging away at it. There's an annoying horn going off? Let the thing cool down a couple of minutes then start towing that tube again. Hit a rock and the motor's shaking now? What the heck...there's a good fishing spot just an hour away on the other side of the lake. What is it about a $10,000 outboard motor that induces people to just keep using it until it stops permanently, then come to iboats and ask us for a quick suggestion to fix it? Wierd.

05GlastronSX · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

thats a very good point cat. i see topics in the outboard repair forums all the time similar to what you are talking about. it bothers me when people blame it on the engine and get all PO'ed when really it was their fault it blew up or wouldnt run.

Vlad D Impeller · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

I agree, some folks really do flog a dead horse but, with a vehicle one can always pull over to the side.

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Well, that's true, but most of these stories aren't survival stories, frankly. They're more in the "Look...I came to the lake to fish/ski/impress someone and I'll be darned if I'm going to quit just because my engine isn't running right" genre.

pwiseman · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

I have often wondered the same thing. My overall conclusion is this that people really value boat time and don't get nearly enough of it. Often times people are so busy, they don't make the time to take care of the maintenance or fix the problems they have. Once they get on the water, they are so dialed into scheduled water time, they ignore things they should not. Just two weeks ago I talked to a guy from Ohio. He pulled his boat all the way up to Northern Minnesota. It had some problems and would not start. I asked him if it ran before he left, and he said he never had time to start it this year before he came up. I hooked up my gas, dried out the plugs, and sprayed in a little cleaner. It fired up with some complaints. Looked to me like his gas was from last year, and he never winterized it. He was lucky it was not serious. He would have been fishing from the dock all week, which is a hard lesson.

Dhadley · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Same ol story -- boat sat for 6 or 8 or 10 months because of winter, hurricanes, sickness or whatever. Motor wont run right. Shoot, just driver 'er clean. New gas'll clean the carbs. Ya, right. People do it all the time and then blame the repair bill on those "junk" pistons. The one I like the best is around here the guy comes in to the marina and raises cain because his motor wouldnt start and he has company on the way. Dealer - "Sir, your carbs need cleaning." Customer - "You just did that last year!!" D - "Have you been using the boat?" C - "Nope, not since the company left last year. I havent used it therefore they cant be dirty." OK........

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Paul, That guy was very lucky you were there and willing to help. I did that for a guy who had brought his boat to the lake with his kid to go fishing. Little 6 hp Johnson just wouldn't start. He pulled it and pulled it. I was just coming back in. I carefully asked if I could help. He said it had been running lousy the last time he used it...six months ago! I guess he thought it would fix itself over the winter. Long story short, I gave him my spare pair of J4Cs, poured his old gas into my empty tank from the kicker. I filled him up from the big tank for my 35 hp (24:1 won't hurt), then sprayed some premix down the throat of his carb with the spray bottle I keep to get my balky kicker going every time. The motor started, coughed, and finally started running OK. The guy offered to pay me something, but I told him just to take his son out and catch some crappies, then told him where I had caught a bunch that morning. I hope he got the idea about how to treat his little outboard. It was all I could do not to lecture him, but his kid was there, so I kept it really light and pretended that this stuff happens all the time. Don't want to embarrass a guy in front of his kid. It could have been a lousy day for those two.

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Dhadley, I really sympathise with you pros. It must really get old seeing the same old thing all the time. That's why I work for myself....

Chinewalker · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Wait, you mean a 4-blade prop means that it's not one blade with three spares??? Are you trying to tell me that it's not normal to run the battery dead trying to start the motor? Do you mean to say that my motor isn't supposed to sound like a coffee can full of BBs? Sheesh - next thing you'll tell me that my 8hp isn't enough motor for my 22-footer!!

- Scott

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

"Are you trying to tell me that it's not normal to run the battery dead trying to start the motor?" ============================= It must be normal. I see guys doing that at the launch every time. The last guy went and pulled the battery out of his truck and ground that one until it was dead, too. I left before he tried to borrow one of mine. The best one I saw, though, was the guy with the tilt trailer and a pretty old boat that looked like it had seen better days (mine does, too, but looks are deceiving). They must have told this guy he could launch in really shallow water, and he must not have wanted any lake water on his cracked trailer tires, because he didn't back down too far on the ramp. He had his outboard down for the launch. But it didn't look quite right. 15" transom...long shaft outboard. So...he pulls the pin on his tilt and swings the locking lever out. Boat tilts and starts sliding off the trailer. First contact is the skeg on the motor...right on the concrete. Next, the boat keeps moving...good rollers, I guess. Transom tears right off the boat. Boat keeps moving. Through my tears of laughter, I see the boat slide over the outboard and sink as it slides into the water. No fishing for that guy for a while. Ah...launch ramps. When I get too old to go boating, I think I'll just have the guy in the blue lab coat drive me down to the launch ramp and wheel me out to watch the fun.

rodbolt · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

CATransplant just look how many question replacing a 40 dollar fuel pump every 3 years. or how many say well its 5 years old but only has 20 hours so we did nothing to it. or the ones that wait until the cooling system degrades until a piston smokes then say well it was still pumping water. I have a pair of 5 year old 5.7 volvos to replace. last summer I told the man the manifolds and risers were toast. I told him to replace them as maint. this year I will replace both engines cause water intrusion smoked the port one. the riser failed. a 700 dollar repair bill would have saved him about 10K. which is cheaper

the manifolds cost the same with or without long blocks. but its how I make my living. my dad always reminded me, thank god for stupid people for it keeps me in a good income bracket. but what kills me is they come in, ask what I think and totally ignore what I tell them.

Solittle · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Reminds me of a scene at a local ramp about a year ago - The wife and I pull into the preparation area of the marina to get things rigged for launch. While I'm futzing around I notice this rig pull right by me and go directly to the ramp which irks me a bit as I get frustrated by the folks who tie up ramp space while they are getting the coolers from the car to the boat and other preparation stuff. The rig is an old beat up, rusty white F-150 van pulling a equally decrepit tandem axle trailer. Normally this wouldn't catch my eye but the boat did. It was an old wooden Chris Craft about 16' or so that looked as if it had not seen any maintenance since 1950. You seldom see any wooden boats in south Florida. It gets better - - - The passenger gets out and brings a wheelchair over to the drivers side of the van and with much sweat the driver makes it to the wheelchair. He wheels himself back to the side of the Chris and launches himself up and into the Chris head first. The passenger plops the wheelchair in the cockpit, backs up the trailer into the water, launches the boat and parks the van & trailer. The captain hits the key, it fires right up and off they go. They both looked like the idiots described above but when it got down to it they had their routine down pat - - and it worked for them.

kenimpzoom · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

My brother and I would get a chuckle (but also felt sorry for), the familes that would pile out of the car, then put the boat in the water, and then you get the worst sound of your life, the WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR sound of an outboard turning over, without any hint of it trying to catch. Last time at the ramp, some older guy had the same problem. I would have helped but it was late at night, the kids and wife were hungry, and he was in no danger. Felt sorry for the guy. Ken

roscoe · Jun 30, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

""The oil light comes on in your car..."" That means you have oil, right?

rodbolt · Jul 1, 2005

Re: Ran Bad ...Now Dead

YEP I have one coming soon. the scene, its a 30 ft mako with a pair of OX-66 EFI 250 hp yammies. the boat did not run at all last year, the year before it used maybe 35 gallons of fuel and in 02 maybe used 50 gallons. fuel capacity is 240 gallons. the owner passed away last year and I am supposed to sea trial the boat with a prospective buyer. so far I have told them the boats fuel tanks need to be pumped, the engine oil tanks need to be flushed, the low pressure fuel pumps need replacing, the vapor seperator needs to be cleaned and the cooling system needs a complete tune up before the seatrail. its not gonna happen. I was over ruled by the broker. we will charge the batteries and blast off. odds are the motors will fail before the tanks get emptied. I have a 100 dollar bill riding on it and its rare I lose. goes back to why bother me with a question if you already know the answer. but when the powerheads pop there is about 1100 dollars of profit in my pocket. job security man

Ran Bad ...Now Dead

Admiral

Chief Petty Officer

Commander

Admiral

Petty Officer 1st Class

Supreme Mariner

Admiral

Admiral

Fleet Admiral

Admiral

Supreme Mariner

Fleet Admiral

Rear Admiral

Supreme Mariner

Supreme Mariner