04-24-2014, 07:14 PM
I had a mishap with my boat motor repair last night and it made me think that it might make a good topic for a thread. First my mishap, then I think it would be interesting to hear about yours (past or present is fine).
My motor is 14 years old and I'm certain the impeller has never been changed. On top of that, last time I was out I sucked up a bunch of mud and sand and the cooling water stopped flowing. I learned long ago to check for this, so when I saw no flow I immediately shut the motor down and cleaned off the screen over the port. Next I started the motor and revved it up and got the water flowing. All seemed good, so I finished out my day, but I kept and extra close eye on the water flow every time I ran the motor.
After arriving home and thinking about it I decided I should at least pull the lower end apart and look at the impeller. I put my motor on the stand and proceeded to remove the bottom end. After removing all the bolts I proceeded to remove the lower. Just as they came apart I noticed that the motor was out of balance on the stand and was starting to tip over. My stand balances nicely with the motor on it, but with the lower removed and the motor in it's upright position it will tip over. So, you guessed it, the motor hit the floor breaking the tiller and controls. BUMMER!
A $20 repair is now going to be at least a $140 repair. And my motor is down for at least 4 days to boot.[frown]
Have any stories that might be helpful so we can learn from others mistakes? Perhaps you have a humorous story to share?
My motor is 14 years old and I'm certain the impeller has never been changed. On top of that, last time I was out I sucked up a bunch of mud and sand and the cooling water stopped flowing. I learned long ago to check for this, so when I saw no flow I immediately shut the motor down and cleaned off the screen over the port. Next I started the motor and revved it up and got the water flowing. All seemed good, so I finished out my day, but I kept and extra close eye on the water flow every time I ran the motor.
After arriving home and thinking about it I decided I should at least pull the lower end apart and look at the impeller. I put my motor on the stand and proceeded to remove the bottom end. After removing all the bolts I proceeded to remove the lower. Just as they came apart I noticed that the motor was out of balance on the stand and was starting to tip over. My stand balances nicely with the motor on it, but with the lower removed and the motor in it's upright position it will tip over. So, you guessed it, the motor hit the floor breaking the tiller and controls. BUMMER!
A $20 repair is now going to be at least a $140 repair. And my motor is down for at least 4 days to boot.[frown]
Have any stories that might be helpful so we can learn from others mistakes? Perhaps you have a humorous story to share?