Bravo 3 stern drive fried...

[matt4704]

Long story short. I had a new engine installed and asked my mechanic to make sure stern drive was ok before installing new engine.

We did a sea trial with the new engine and the drive failed.

On the dock we pulled the drive off and smelled a burning odor. Mechanic pulled apart and said upper was fried. He added somehting about the bearing or something could have been torqued wrong by last mechanic...Any thoughts? Words of wisdom? Should the mechanic have known this was a bad drive upon his inspection??? Help!!

 

[Presentation]

Matt, we all feel your pain and are sympathetic to your situation.

I do not know if this mechanic did something wrong that caused the drive damage or if the drive was about to fail.

It’s difficult to follow your issue. You keep starting new threads. I went back and read some of your previous posts before I replied to this one to become familiar with your situation.

You said in an earlier post that you had a survey before you purchased the boat. Was this a boat survey only meaning you would not pay for a mechanical survey and now are having issues with the mechanicals or did you have a mechanical survey and have records to show the drive was inspected?

It’s possible the mechanic did not properly fill the drive with enough oil. It’s possible the mechanic did not use the mercury high performance gear oil and instead used something else that caused your issue. It’s possible the drive was ready to fail and the mechanic did nothing wrong.

If money is not an object you could hire a marine investigator to attempt to find the reason for the failure. This may be tossing good money after bad but may get you the answers you seek. I have no idea if your willing to take the mechanic to court if you were to find the mechanic is at fault. Even if you did and you were to win, is the mechanic judgment proof?

Via an internet forum we have no way to determine the cause of the failure of your drive.

I recommend you find a new mechanic, fix the boat then sell it or put it for sale as is and see what you can get for it.

 

[matt4704]

Point taken..

 

[BlewByYou88]

Okay...I have to tune in here. Drives don't just fry! If it was your upper gear box, it was either a bearing or slipper cluch. Remember nothing is bullet proof. However, if it was properly inspected, you should have recieved a report regarding backlash, endplay, and gear dye patern info confirming the integrity of the drive. If a bearing or the clutch fried its do to wrong oil, lack of oil, age. Worse case secenario, you have to buy a fews gears or cone/clutch assembly...$5-700? If you don't trust your mechanic, go elsewhere.

 

[matt4704]

He said it was the bearings...I guess im thinking out loud..Now that I have the motor replaced and get the new bravo 3, what other big money problems am I looking at? I just can't afford another prob for awhile...

 

[BlewByYou88]

He said it was the bearings...I guess im thinking out loud..Now that I have the motor replaced and get the new bravo 3, what other big money problems am I looking at? I just can't afford another prob for awhile...

You own a boat....It will always be a big money problem! :grin:

 

[mwph]

I'm no expert but compared to a new engine, B3 and the installation of both, as far as "big money problems", you my friend are on easy street.

(this of course assumes you have no genny, no heat/ac, & a sound hull)

Not trying to bust your stones Matt. Just sayin that I hope your big money worries are over.

 

[matt4704]

Thanks..

 

[Presentation]

He said it was the bearings...I guess im thinking out loud..Now that I have the motor replaced and get the new bravo 3, what other big money problems am I looking at? I just can't afford another prob for awhile...

Drive couplers wear out, gimbal rings wear out, stringers and transoms rot, a leaking hatch can rot an entire deck, it goes on and on.

Proper care and maintenance can dramatically increase the life of all of these things but all have a finite life.

Between depreciation, repairs and maintenance a boat our size averages about $8,000-$10,000 a year after year 4. Year 1-4 are higher then $8,000/year. You are buying a boat that is at the end of the depreciation curve but on the steep end of the repairs side.

$8,000/year includes nothing for slip, storage, fuel, insurance.



Something to consider, some……no…..many older boats financials work out that the annual repair and maintenance expenses exceed the boats resale value.

 

[keokie]

So why was the engine replaced? Was it due to a knock or tick assumed to be the motor? The reason I ask is that many motors are replaced to solve problems that turn out to be the drive.

Also, now that the drive has been apart, everything should be inspected. When something lets go it often sends shrapnel through the drive that damages many other parts.

 

[matt4704]

Im in no way a mechanic, but I was told the piston sucked an exhaust something into the engine. Mechanic says the drvie is melted and he cannot get it apart...Im done complaining. I just want to make sure after this hefty chunk of change I should'nt be lookin at a 3-5k bill here or there..

 

[JohnEGraham]

You situation sound like what i have gone though.
I am in the middle of the same kinda thing with my upper portion of the drive. Portions of a thin washer (looking thing) broke and the pieces ended up lodging under a Gear so I was losing speed ( slipping) and than finally lost Reverse ( nice way to meet the across the marina folks)
So for 1,000 my mechanic put in a newer (2002) used upper portion of the drive and now its running great in forward BUT I get a clunking sound out of it sometimes in reverse ( see: my other posts for more details)
I just brought the boat back to the mechanic and he said that he will work with me if its the Drive part he sold me. ( He has always been fair in the past ) See past posts: Search, hydro-locks.
The Way I fell about it is I really don't want to spend 5 to 7k for a new drive when its a 1998 Boat because: I will never get the money back when its time to move up. Its easy to say / spend somebodies money when its not yours. When you buy an older boat that's what happens. You kinda expect problems. I still will stick with used or rebuilt and save the rest for the next boat. besides it gets me out of the House and I go hang-out with the Boat mechanic, like we use to hang out working on our cars. Live & Learn. Good Luck

 

[Y.O.L.O.]

Do you have any history on the drive? Did your surveyor perform any tests at all on the drive? Was the drive actually serviced by the tech or did he just pull it and put it back on when the new motor went back on?

You bought a boat that blew an engine then a drive. I suspect these were problems waiting to rear their ugly heads before you bought the boat. I know it's easier to blame someone else but...

 

[matt4704]

Ya, I had a surveryor but I recognize now I should have done more leg work....Live and learn I guess.