flushing and water pump

[Si]

gday,
I just want to get a second opinion after my boat mechanic from a well recognised boat dealer/workshop charged me for a new water pump in my old 1989 115hp merc. Firstly i was a peeved off he didnt tell me and just went and did the additional works of replacing the bottom wear plate (even though i got this done last year) and new water pump (on top of yearly service). He said that part of the water pump had melted because not enough water was getting through the cooling system during flushing operations and inturn overheated. I'll be the first to admit i dont know much bout mechancial side of things in fine detail but i would have thought when flushing, the volume of water going through the engine is governed by the water pump (at idle) regardless of the amount of water feeding into the bunny ears assumming there is always adequete over supply of water. so regardless of the amount of water or pressure it will only pump a certain amount and the rest just escapes out the sides of the bunny ears. i looked at the water pump he pulled out of my (?) engine and there was a tiny bit of melt in one small spot and very small wear grooves. he said i should buy a proper water flushing kit that forms a good seal.

all up with the service, new water pump and flushing kit cost me $830. Am i being paranoid that i got pushed into paying for something that wasnt really necessary. He is probably right but just interested in other peoples opinions regarding the flushing issue. :-?

Cheers

[Steeler]

There was an interesting thread not that long ago regarding water pressure whilst flushing your engine.It may pay to search it and have a thorough read.Sometimes you can have the water pressure up to hard.

My personal take is that i have always had boats fitted with water pressure gauges and i only get enough water volume when the box is submerged to make the indicator move.I get bugger all reading when flushing on the muffs.

Sure it would have been nice to be advised of any additional work carried out prior but think of it this way its one of the most crucial parts of your motor and not worth the punt just make it clear to the repairer you wish to be advised next time.

Is yours the inline 6 cyl or 4 cyl 115hp.

Cheers

Steeler

[Si]

yeah cheers steeler. im assumming the water pressure gauge is a permanent fixture on your dash or something or not?

Its the inline 6cy. goes good. starts first time which is great for an old engine.

cheers

[Noelm]

I never replace just the impellor myself, a complete pump kit everytime for me, I keep a few odd good parts from time to time to make up a complete second hand kit, just in case I get caught out an a weekend, but mind you, it has never happened, I guess I am just a horder and can't toss things away. I also have a set of second hand brake pads for the Landcruiser for the same reason, never needed them either.

[Noelm]

I guess to fully answer your question, that amount of money for a service on one of those is fairly high, but as long as it was done properly, then you may end up in front down the track.

[Steeler]

yeah cheers steeler. im assumming the water pressure gauge is a permanent fixture on your dash or something or not?

Its the inline 6cy. goes good. starts first time which is great for an old engine.

cheers

There a real good $120.00 investment and you can fit them up yourself.Sure saves looking over your shoulder constantly checking the tell tale.

If you browse ebay in the states those inline 6's still bring huge money for good examples.

Grab yourself a clymer hardcopy manual for your outboard,save yourself a packet and get the satisfaction of knowing you have done basic maintenance yourself and get a better understanding of how it all works.

Us fellow black owners need to look out for each other.


Steeler

[Jarrah Jack]

They call it" bill shock". You go in there expecting it to cost about $350 and bang $830. Ouch...The dentist can be easier.

Steeler is right about getting the manual and doing most of the work yourself or even just getting an understanding so that you can ask the right questions to the mechanic.

[Noelm]

better still, if you plan on keeping the motor for a while, buy a genuine manual, not a generic one (like Clymer and Seloc)

[Si]

better still, if you plan on keeping the motor for a while, buy a genuine manual, not a generic one (like Clymer and Seloc)


thanks for the info. i have the original maintenance guide that came with the boat.motor when i purchased it. dont know if this would be the same as a dedicated manual but they go into DIY maintenance procedures. But yeah i will check out the manuals. that might save me a fair bit of money. bill shock - too bloody right!!

at the end of the day i guess i was happy to pay for it considering the risk involved if something does go wrong out in the big blue

[bastard]

That does seem deer but at least your ready to get out again.