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Posts: 642
Location: mount prospect illinois | This will be a bit of a rant but i want to blow off steam. I am wondering if anyone out there swears by a certain outboard? Here is my reason.
In 2001 i bought a brand new boat with a new engine. In 2002, the engine was completely replaced with a 2002 new engine due to an apparent defect. In 2003, the upper unit was completely replaced when a bearing was tossed and seized up the engine, in 2004 the pinion gear exploded and it currently sits in the shop awaiting a whole new lower unit. This is all with low hours each year (first son was born in 2001, 2nd 2 were in 2003 so i havent been out much). I am completely flustered with the lack of durability of this engine. While the customer service has been pretty good (all of the repairs have been under warranty) i have lost days fishing on my "rare" trips due to these malfunctions. Is there an outboard that seems to hold up to the stress of my 6-10 days (sarcasm) of muskie fishing a year during the last 3 years? And Slamr, i know you know the brand i am speaking of. I defer to the wisdom of this board. |
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Posts: 32954
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | All brands have troubles, every single one. It sounds like you have a motor that has had more than it's share. I have two that have been flawless for two years, and one that has been for over a year and a half. As long as the repairs are under warranty, all one can do is wonder why that patricular outboard has so much trouble. I had a Chevy truck that went through three transmissions in less than 50K, yet I had anothet that went repair free for over 250 K. Same engine, same tranny, no explanation. |
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Posts: 642
Location: mount prospect illinois | Steve,
Good point, but when i have to make a decision on another motor, my choice will be based on past experiences as well as what others experiences are with the various motors. I cannot honestly recommend the brand i have to anyone based on my experience. I am not currently going to get a new motor, due to the cost of a new motor, so i plan on keeping this one, unless it keeps with its current performance. I have a hard time accepting that the next one may go "forever" even though it might. Thanks for your reply. As usual, you make a good point. |
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Johnson 140hp 4 Stoke I love mine quite and quick......Starts everytime unless your chicky leaves the radio on for 5 days!!!
pgaschulz
Edited by pgaschulz 10/15/2004 1:27 PM
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Posts: 166
Location: Gurnee, Illinois | Hey Dave, sorry to hear of your bad luck. It sucks when you spend the kind of money we do on this stuff, and can't feel confident enough to use it. I am going through this with my Minn Kota autopilot, but that's another story. My outboard is a 03 Yamaha 115 4-stroke, and I really like it so far. I have been a 2-stoke guy previously, and one thing comes to mind with your situation if your motor is a 2-stroke. My opinion on 2-strokes is most problems occur when they are not being used. In other words, if a 2-stroke is going to sit for a long time, there are some things that need to be done. The problem with 2 strokes is the crankshaft and bearings don't have the oil sump to sit in like 4 strokes. This makes them more prone to rust if moisture crept in the last time you ran it. Also, fuel breaks down (true for any engine) and gums stuff up, clogging carb jets, and creating other problems. I don't know what your service history is, but I would recommend if you don't already, run stabil in your gas tank all season long, and if your motor will be sitting for more than a month, you may want to add some fogging oil to your cylinders and crankcase via your carbs. At a minimum, remove your spark plugs and squirt a 1/2 oz. into the cylinders.
On the other side of the coin, you may have just got a bad motor that was assembled late on a Friday, or on a Monday after a holiday weekend. Unfortunately every manufacturer has some lemons out on the market. Hopefully when they fix your motor, that will be the last of it, but if you haven't been giving her a little extra attention, try the things I listed above and hopefully you will quitlosing time and money at the shop.
Dave |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Now I am on the other end of this spectrum, as I am a 2 stroke person and will be for a long time. To me, I feel there is less to go wrong with a two stroke engine because of the simple design, and the power to weight ratio.
My family has always run Johnson engine in their 2 stroke line, and have not had any problems....have heard the same from Yamaha fans with their 2 stroke line as well. But...as worral said, there is always a bad motor in the bunch made...and I guess you probably were the unfortunate one to receive it...I'd get them to replace the whole motor. You've been through enough and if they are a reputable dealer, they would do so.
Steve's $0.02
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| I run a 4 stroke efi and it has not been very durable. I e-mailed the manufacturer and they responded "it is under warranty" and "we are sorry", i really dont know what else they could do or say. I would love a new motor but dont think thats gonna happen. The beef is, it has been almost a month now and it still is waiting for the new lower unit. |
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