"we've got a big problem"

P

petern

New Member
May 17, 2009
85
Wickford, RI
Boat Info
260 Sundancer 2006
Engines
350 Mag w/ B3 Drive
Just got a call from the mechanic......"we've got a big problem. we can't get the outdrive off to service it......" I told him that it's not productive to begin a call that way, and to hang up and try again. When he did, it seems that he'd been able to remove the outdrive (said he needed a come along) now that it's off, he can do his thing.....what could go so wrong that this should be the case? It's an '06 B3. No problem last two Years..... asked if I noticed water in the bilge.......of course there's always 1/4 inch down there from some source........I'm more leary of this guy than the problem itself......comments?
 
Hi Petern,

The poor choice of words would not put me off of a good mechanic.

Not being a good mechanic would put me off .

Sometimes outdrives get stuck. It just happens. Prying it with a bar from underneath sometimes breaks the seal. Kicking it with the foot from the sides is sometimes needed. Humping it up and down sometimes loosens it. If all else fails, you simply need to attach something to the drive like a come along (hand winch with strap, not chain) and pull it off but doing this can cause other damage.

Ignoring water in the bilge means something is leaking and this might be causing other damage. Water in the bilge can be from something as harmless as a poorly calked area on the arch to a leak causing transom rot and drive corrosion to a leaking bellow to a failing water circulation pump or manifold. Water in the bilge is your boat communicating to you that a problem exists. If you choose to ignore it that is your choice but the cost of ignoring the issue could be very high.

It is possible that a transom area leak caused corrosion that made removing the drive very difficult. If that is the case the mechanic did nothing wrong. If this is the case, expect additional expenses.

If he is a poor mechanic, get a different one.
 
Last edited:
Well said. Particularly relative to the water in the bilge issue....presumably, if that's related to the sterndrive, that will resolve.......if not, I guess I have a bit of snooping around to do. I don't think there will be pics as I've been traveling this week....he did say he'd keep the parts for me.....the guy is recommended by the shipyard (they don't service outdrives) I guess final judgement will come tomorrow when I go down there.....fingers crossed. Thanks for the response......
 
I always hace some water in the bilge everytime it rains.
 
Bilges are not water proof....water will get in there. Water coming in from floating is another thing.


On the B3. Shafts get stuck in the gimbal bearing all the time. Corrosion and lack of grease or an out of align engine. Especially, on older boats. I had a bad one, real bad. I ended up putting a metal bar under the backside of the drive where it contacts the gimbal housing. Pick the drive up a little and drop it. This would use small amounts of force and the drives weight to break it loose. It was good enough to snatch the gimbal bearing out.
 
Four Suns said:
Pictures?
Click to expand...

fat_woman_in_bikinis.jpg
 
OK. Presentation, you should have your head looked at. Really, a pic of your prom dates? Chesty, very chesty.

Back to my issue. Bill was $2800. Owner of shipyard confirmed that it was a pain to get the outdrive off. Mechanic did a tune up, new gimbal bearing cleaned up the mess, new gaskets etc etc....says he spent 13 hours on it. Four issues now. Speedo doesn't work (these are fussy, I know)
Outdrive trim gauge only registers 2 when completely lowered. Mechanic claims that the ftg thru transom that accommodates the hose from outdrive oil reservoir to outdrive was cracked (you think he could have done that whilemremoving outdrive?) he disconnected it, plugged both ends, and said he could fix it in the fall, but that he'd have to pull the engine to do it. And finally, he claims to have changed the impeller on pump, but didn't replace pump as instructed. Now I can see a leak from the pump into the bilge. I have his money, and I don't think this is going to end well. I have a call into him and am curious as to how he'll react when I remind him that I haven't mailed the check yet. Oh well, as he said, We have a problem!

Good news is, I had a great little cruise to NPT today.
 
petern said:
OK. Presentation, you should have your head looked at. Really, a pic of your prom dates? Chesty, very chesty.

Back to my issue. Bill was $2800. Owner of shipyard confirmed that it was a pain to get the outdrive off. Mechanic did a tune up, new gimbal bearing cleaned up the mess, new gaskets etc etc....says he spent 13 hours on it. Four issues now. Speedo doesn't work (these are fussy, I know)
Outdrive trim gauge only registers 2 when completely lowered. Mechanic claims that the ftg thru transom that accommodates the hose from outdrive oil reservoir to outdrive was cracked (you think he could have done that whilemremoving outdrive?) he disconnected it, plugged both ends, and said he could fix it in the fall, but that he'd have to pull the engine to do it. And finally, he claims to have changed the impeller on pump, but didn't replace pump as instructed. Now I can see a leak from the pump into the bilge. I have his money, and I don't think this is going to end well. I have a call into him and am curious as to how he'll react when I remind him that I haven't mailed the check yet. Oh well, as he said, We have a problem!

Good news is, I had a great little cruise to NPT today.
Click to expand...

I assume your question is ‘was I ripped off?’

We need a lot more information and frankly, given your last reply you are not being helpful in giving us a complete picture.

You had the gimbal bearing replaced? This is a major item with major labor and parts cost. Please tell us, did they pull the engine or cut the transom assembly? If they cut the transom can you please post a photo?

Normally cutting the transom is done by DIY mechanics. It’s a valid way to fix the issue without pulling the engine but if you hire a professional mechanic this process does not save you money since they have the correct tools, lift and knowhow to remove and reinstall an engine in the time it would take to do the transom cutting.

But if they pulled the engine why didn’t they install a new drive fluid fitting?

A 2006 boat getting a new gimbal tells me it’s possible the situation was a fluke but most likely the boat was majorly under maintained. This really is one of those situations where an ounce of prevention, torquing two very easy to access screws once a year prevents a pound of cure, more like a lot of pounds.

Was this a repo boat or something?

I’d be happy to give you an opinion on if you were ripped off but you need to give us the complete picture, cost breakdown, history, etc.
 
Presentation said:
I assume your question is ‘was I ripped off?’

We need a lot more information and frankly, given your last reply you are not being helpful in giving us a complete picture.

You had the gimbal bearing replaced? This is a major item with major labor and parts cost. Please tell us, did they pull the engine or cut the transom assembly? If they cut the transom can you please post a photo?

Normally cutting the transom is done by DIY mechanics. It’s a valid way to fix the issue without pulling the engine but if you hire a professional mechanic this process does not save you money since they have the correct tools, lift and knowhow to remove and reinstall an engine in the time it would take to do the transom cutting.

But if they pulled the engine why didn’t they install a new drive fluid fitting?

A 2006 boat getting a new gimbal tells me it’s possible the situation was a fluke but most likely the boat was majorly under maintained. This really is one of those situations where an ounce of prevention, torquing two very easy to access screws once a year prevents a pound of cure, more like a lot of pounds.

Was this a repo boat or something?

I’d be happy to give you an opinion on if you were ripped off but you need to give us the complete picture, cost breakdown, history, etc.
Click to expand...
Pres, you don't have to pull the engine or cut any holes in anything to change a gimbal bearing. I think you're mixing this up with the upper swivel shaft that mounts the gimabal ring to the gimbal housing.
 
No pictures, work was done while I was away. No cutting of any transom......he was simply pulling outdrive to service unit. Had a lot of trouble removing outdrive.....once removed, he replaced u joint and shaft assembly, gimbal bearing, upper seal kit and u joint bellows....he also replaced the serpent belt and performed a tune up, plugs dist cap rotor etc.......marina mgr recommended the guy, and told me it was hell pulling the outdrive........lots of rust inside.....I blame last year's service for that..when they pulled the drive if they noticed any rust, they should have disclosed that....if no rust, than perhaps something they did resulted in this year's issue.......I also have a
gnawing suspicion the first owner did zero for the first three years of Karavaki's life, and I can deal with that. The money isn't the issue. As s always the case, weak or poor communication leaves the door open to issues, and I should have forced better communication from the start.

Lessons learned.....be present when work is done, don't rely on phone instructions, and stay ahead of the curve for maintenance......I'm good (except for the water pump leak, which seems to be coming from the pump right where the unit meets the belt pulley. Oh well, what's another three hundge for that?

Two biggest mistakes were not servicing properly at winterization (outdrive stayed on all winter; indoor storage, and not taking her to a highly recommended mechanic last year, per the advice of a good friend with years of Mercruiser experience.
 
Thank you petern.

To answer your question, could removing a stuck outdrive cause damage to the drive fluid fitting? Yes. Could the damage have been avoided? Possibly not.

Now you are in a real pickle. To replace that stupid little fitting you need to pull the drive again then the engine. Ouch, a $1000 - $1200 expense for labor alone.

The alternative is to just not fix it and leave both ends caped.

With this fitting working if you develop a drive fluid leak, for a bit the drive fluid in the little bottle in your engine compartment will keep your drive filled with fluid.

Even if you do not notice this drive fluid level going down as this fluid gets too low a warning alarm will sound.

There is no low drive fluid sensor inside the actual outdrive. That is why there is a low drive fluid sensor in the drive fluid bottle.

The risk is if you do have a drive fluid leak and the system is capped you may ruin an $8,000 outdrive. If this occurs you will have wished you had the engine pulled and fitting replaced.

I do not envy your situation.
 
Pres thanks, not the greatest spot to be in......my biggest anxiety is finding the right guy to pull the engine......I spoke with the mechanic today about how he could have replaced the impeller on the water pump and not noticed a rust stain the size of a quarter beneath it....to his credit, he acknowledged that he should have caught it, would credit me the impeller and labor, and replace the pump at once......that being said, I'm not convinced he's the right guy to pull the engine.....at any rate, I'm going to put another hundred hours on this thing before anything gets pulled.......thanks for your perspective.
 
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