BOAT SERVICE

[Drago]

Steve,

This may be the "chute" your looking for. http://www.formafunnel.com/

I think I made mine out of aluminum foil on the Yammi F225 when I took off the oil filter last time.

[quote="OK Toon"]I'm glad I wasn't near any body of water because I had spills all over the place while changing the gear oil and the motor oil. But I did it and I saved a lot of $$ -- still spent over $120 in just parts. I just need to figure out how to do all of this without making such a big mess. One of the worst messes was taking off the oil filter - what's left in the filter after draining the oil, still comes out in the upper cowling. I've seen something on the internet of a little metal "chute" that you stick under the filter to catch and disperse the extra oil outside of the cowling.

[slingshot]

Here is a parts cost breakdown according to what I pay when I do all that stuff myself:

5 quarts of synthetic motor oil (mobile 1)= $38
1 oil filter = $5
1 quart lower unit oil synthetic (AMSOIL) = $14
4 spark plugs= $20
1 water fuel separator (Yamaha 10 micron) = $14
1 Water pump impeller kit=$37
1 tube Yamalube Marine Grease=$7

For a grand total of $135. I say you got a very good deal if he did all the work he said he did. I think your motor has hydraulic valves so no adjustment is needed or at least not for a very long while but I’m not sure on that. I’ve never adjusted mine and I’ve got over 700 trouble free hours with the exception of a rectifier/regulator (under warranty). As a general rule I don’t trust mechanics. I think I’ve watched one to many episodes of “Night Line” where mechanics totally lied and ripped off some unknowledgeable customer. You know the story; only had to change out a fuse and told the customer they needed a new engine.

[OK Toon]

Steve,

This may be the "chute" your looking for. http://www.formafunnel.com/

I think I made mine out of aluminum foil on the Yammi F225 when I took off the oil filter last time.

I'm glad I wasn't near any body of water because I had spills all over the place while changing the gear oil and the motor oil. But I did it and I saved a lot of $$ -- still spent over $120 in just parts. I just need to figure out how to do all of this without making such a big mess. One of the worst messes was taking off the oil filter - what's left in the filter after draining the oil, still comes out in the upper cowling. I've seen something on the internet of a little metal "chute" that you stick under the filter to catch and disperse the extra oil outside of the cowling.

Thanks Drago -- I think that may be exactly what I need. I'll get one before my end-of-year maintenance this year.

[Bamaman]

Roland, for all that you had done, that's doesn't sound like too bad of a price. How long did it take your guy to do all of that maintenance? i'm sure since he knew what he was doing,

OKtoon...can't say how long it took him to do the work. I dropped the boat off at his place last Saturday afternoon and I'm picking it up later today ( saturday ). Found out about the guy purely by accident... got in late from work one night, stopped for gas on the way home around 4 in the morning and this guy pulled up with his bass boat and big 225 on the back.. we got to talking and I asked him who serviced his boat and thats how I found out about the guy.. Turns out he's been servicing outboards since 1996. I don't think I mentioned this in my original post, but when he was putting grease in the bearings on my trailer, he told me that the trailer manufacturer used a really cheap set of bearings and I think he said seals.... told me they weren't hurt or anything, but that they were just cheap and I ought to think about replacing them in a year or so with a "good" set of bearings... he told me it would run about $250.00 Probably will do that next fall since I won't have to put a new water pump in.....

ROLAND: I THINK HE WAS TALKING ABOUT A WHOLE SET OF HUBS, NOT JUST THE BEARINGS. YOU CAN GET GALVANIZED PREASSEMBLED AND PREGREASED HUBS FOR ABOUT $100 PLUS LABOR. MANY PEOPLE WILL ALSO INVEST IN BEARING BUDDIES AT THE SAME TIME.

[Bamaman]

The only problem with changing the oil and draining the lower unit is with my grandson.

He's mad that I've never given his little plastic swimming pool back. They make such good drain pans when changing oil in boats and my diesel pickup (15 quart oil change.)

I think I'll go to Walmart in the Spring and buy him another pool.

[ROLAND]

For a grand total of $135. I say you got a very good deal if he did all the work he said he did. I think your motor has hydraulic valves so no adjustment is needed or at least not for a very long while but I’m not sure on that. I’ve never adjusted mine and I’ve got over 700 trouble free hours with the exception of a rectifier/regulator (under warranty). As a general rule I don’t trust mechanics. I think I’ve watched one to many episodes of “Night Line” where mechanics totally lied and ripped off some unknowledgeable customer. You know the story; only had to change out a fuse and told the customer they needed a new engine.

Slingshot, your right... when I picked up the boat last weekend, I was looking at the bill he gave me and there was no mention of valve adjustments... I asked him about that and he said basically the same thing you said... said he didn't realize the motor was only a couple of years old and with hardly any hours on it to speak of, so no need to adjust the valves....and I agree with you about dealerships.. most of them anyway.... learned my lesson when the dealership actually charged me $25 to air up a trailer tire while the boat was in thier shop for service...

[STEVEBRENDA]

learned my lesson when the dealership actually charged me $25 to air up a trailer tire while the boat was in thier shop for service...

WOW!!!! That is price gouging to the extreme!

[Bamaman]

agree with you about dealerships.. most of them anyway.... learned my lesson when the dealership actually charged me $25 to air up a trailer tire while the boat was in thier shop for service...

BUT HOW MUCH DID THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THE AIR?

[playcat]

I had a marine mechanic shop work on my boat last season when i noticed both carb bowls were flooding in May. Long story short, I had the boat out three times last season, and all three times I was towed back in! The owner is the only mechanic in the place that can tell the difference between a spark plug and a nuclear reactor...The first guy that worked on the carb told me he was an expert since he always put Holley carbs on the race cars he builds...Well, the first try, I got billed $561 for a "rebuild". When i started the boat, I noticed it didn't look like the carb had been removed, and one bowl still flooded like crazy. I told the owner, who sent the guy over to take a look. "Wow, didn't think I had to do BOTH sides, " he said.

The next time it was "fixed", it started and ran fine at the slip, so we took it out to fish nearby. Got ready to leave, and no fuel to the carb...got it to cough once, changed fuel filter, no problem, still no gas in the carb. TowBoat again...

The third time it was"fixed", the shop owner said they had installed the wrong gasket under the carb which covered the fuel inlet (WTF?) and wanted to show me how well it ran now. The owner and I stood over the engine while the mechanic crnked it over. It started right up and ran great...except for the gasoline coming out from under the carb body and spraying out from both fuel inlets!! O rings, we don't need no stinkin O rings!!!

[Bamaman]

I removed the carbs on my Yamaha 115 hp 2 stroke, disassembled and cleaned them. Then I reinstalled the carbs. Total time: 65 minutes.

And bear in mind I'm not a mechanic. I'm just a local yocal with a Yamaha repair manual and a can of carb. spray.

And that was hanging off the back of the boat over the water. It's just not much of a job if you take care not to tear any gaskets.