Suspicious repairs on low hour motor-gctid818953

[Mrich]

Hello,

I'm considering 2003 boat w 4.3 Merc I/O. Only has 190 hrs. Owner says he bought from dealer and has received no service records(I know big red flag) but says gimbal bearing and what he's calling a foot, which I assume is lower unit, was replaced by them before he bought it. Sounds like someone ran into something to me.

Price is right and I will inspect it thoroughly including compression check, but can someone please tell me how to confirm this job was done properly if there's no bearing noise or other obvious symptoms?

Thank you.

[bhawes]

You might want to speak to the Dealer that did the repairs. Strange that an owner would not keep those service records. If still in doubt see if you can find a marine mechanic that will do a check of the engine and drive. A simple, but not always accurate method is to check the color of the lower unit oil. Removing the drain plug and checking the color of the lubricant is a good start. You only need a very small amount to check for color. It's usually "green" in color when new. If it has water in it, it will usually be milkshake color. Bad sign.

You don't mention the make, model, or year, of the boat. That information will likely bring more response for possible problems. Often when the "price is right", there's a reason for it.

[Flynny94]

Definitely check the color of the lower unit oil and try to get those service records.

If you're happy with both of those, insist on a sea trial. Do not buy the boat without a sea trial. It is the most definitive test to ensure the whole package is working correctly. Everything could look great on land, but the drive and engine need to have a load put on them in the water. Take the boat out and do some S-turns at WOT. There shouldn't be any grinding noises or hesitation in the steering. If something was put together wrong or is broken, you'll discover it.

[Guest]

03 Merc 4.3 should have merc v ignition system, take to Mercruiser dealer and they can retrieve run hours and maybe more data form ecm. 190 hrs for a 14 year motor is very low, not necessarily a good thing, long time between uses. Would make sale subject to mechanical inspection. Best to spend a couple hundred now and know, than find out nasty later.Good luck.

[yachtman]

I always maintain my boats. I'm a lazy ass when it comes to keeping records. I have none but doesn't mean they weren't done. My records are in my head.

On the other hand if you don't trust the guy move on. No records however is not indicative of no work done.

Edit:. Probably the real reason I don't keep records is I don't want to know. I may not have evidence.either.

[Norton_Rider]

"yachtman" post=819005 wrote:
I always maintain my boats. I'm a lazy ass when it comes to keeping records. I have none but doesn't mean they weren't done. My records are in my head.

On the other hand if you don't trust the guy move on. No records however is not indicative of no work done.

Edit:. Probably the real reason I don't keep records is I don't want to know. I may not have evidence.either.

I'm the other way around. I do most of the maintenance on my boats, cars, and motorcycles, and I keep detailed records: dates, hours or miles, work done, parts used, etc. I also keep all the receipts in file folders.

[Ruffryder]

I'm lazy too.

Done some maintenance work on my OMC yesterday ... New drive oil. New engine oil/filter, new fuel filter, new anti siphon, new starter , new slave, etc all my receipts thrown in a dumpster.

[Pcpete]

Eleven or so hours a year average is a boat that sat too much for some reason, many are valid. No service records is kinda off, but not surprising. I'm curious where the hours estimate is coming from. That the gimbal bearing and leg were replaced isn't a big deal as long as all of the reasons for that replacement were addressed. That the current owner is calling it a foot, well, a guy just has to wonder how well the boat was operated and maintained. Mechanical, hull inspection and water test are givens to the process but I really, as in really, like the data dump from the computer. You should also be able to come up with a chain of ownership list, probably from your state and maybe one or two around you.

I fully agree that if a price is too good, there's a reason for it and it usually wasn't good for me.

[watchthis]

leg, foot whatever :-)

[Guest]

The 'Foot' being referenced is probably the shift foot, which has seals on the shift shaft which are a typical failure.

Gimbal bearing was probably changed due to failed bellows; ie: proper care not done over time.

Yes, get clarification from the dealership.

Chay

[Waterdowg]

I don't keep any records unless I remember to. I do most things myself. Although on my old boat I had the Bellows, shift cable, bearing, trim sensors etc. replaced at around 90 hours. But after 12 years. The hours were low because the lake was Small an we only boat to area to swim and hang out. We used the boat every year for 13 years and traded it in with 102 hours. The boat was clean and well maintained by me. The boat looked and ran like it was new. The dealers was excited to have it on his list for resale. It lasted 2 days. So just because it has low hours and no service does not mean it has not been maintained. Around me lots of boats hit rocks as they teybto sneak in to hidden coves. They get them replaces or fix and no one is the wiser. At least this guy is honest about what repairs were did even if he does not know the correct terminology. People own cars and the can't give correct names of parts on cars. Some people just don't care as it not there thing.

[Guest]

This is a pic of a shift foot. As the years progressed they started calling it a shift linkage something or other, and it changed shape a bit, but for most the old terminology stuck.

The 'foot' (on the drive) slides into the 'shoe' (On the bellhousing). The shoe rotates to change gears; the operator moves the shifter handle--this moves the shift cable and a shift shaft (The shift shaft converts the linear motion of the shift cable to a rotational motion). As mentioned the shift shaft has seals which go bad often as they are in/near the exhaust path.

Hope that helps,

Chay


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