Worst Case Scenario

[AJC49]

Hello all,my engine has been taken to the marine shop for diagnosis and possibly repair.I have been told(not by the shop as of yet)that it is most probably a rod bearing.I have also been told that this almost 100% of the time leaves a flat spot on the crank meaning that also would need replacing.Needless to say that would probably mean this motor(2001 125 HP ELPTO Saltwater series Merc)would not be worth it to put the money into it that it would take to fix it.My question is if this is the case what remaining value would the motor be worth?(the core on a powerhead is at least 450$ right?)Also is it that certain that a bad rod bearing really does that much damage to the crank that the crank needs to be replaced?

 

[Jeff_G]

Re: Worst Case Scenario

It is rare for a rod bearing to go out on an outboard. usually there is a lot of other problems first. If the rod bearing does go out yes many times the crank is bad.
What makes you think the bearing is bad? They are roller bearings.
The value of the outboard is hard to say but much more than $450. You could get that for the gearcase alone.
Price the cost of a new motor vs the cost of repairing to get an idea. For a couple of thousand dollars or less you may be able to have a rebuilt good running engine, that's a lot cheaper than a new motor.
Cranks can be repaired and used ones are available too. Just look at your options.

 

[AJC49]

Re: Worst Case Scenario

It is rare for a rod bearing to go out on an outboard. usually there is a lot of other problems first. If the rod bearing does go out yes many times the crank is bad.
What makes you think the bearing is bad? They are roller bearings.
The value of the outboard is hard to say but much more than $450. You could get that for the gearcase alone.
Price the cost of a new motor vs the cost of repairing to get an idea. For a couple of thousand dollars or less you may be able to have a rebuilt good running engine, that's a lot cheaper than a new motor.
Cranks can be repaired and used ones are available too. Just look at your options.

Thanks Jeff,every bit of advice I can get at this point cheers me up a bit.Last year I took the boat out with family for a ride and it shut down WOT...well we took it to a spot with kicker and cleaned out plugs(thought they were fouled because boat would not start) After beaching it for awhile after some swimming it started up right away and thought no more problem.I then had it winterized and stored inside at marina for winter.I didnt start running motor(on muffs in driveway) until trying to sell it just recently(last month is when this saga started)First I noticed the water was sporadic coming out of the pee hole when we had it on muffs in the driveway.I then had shop change out the impeller and had water pump checked.I was selling boat so we(buyer and I)had it on muffs and everything seemed fine.Long story short he bought the boat for $10130.He then reported to me when he took it out in the water a bad knocking sound was heard(that we could not hear while on muffs).I returned his money and he returned the boat.He says he got the preliminary diagnosis(bad rod bearing with probably needing crank replacement) from his shop up in Toronto(where he had it checked out but they did not tear it down).Since then I took it to shop by my house and am still anxiously waiting word on what the problem is.They are tearing it down.Would you know how long approximately ( in labor hours)it takes to tear it down?