Is removing a Bravo 3 for inspection a DIY job?

Unless you just really enjoy doing this kind of work it makes no sense at all not to pay the tech and have it done right.
Even if you get it unbolted, removed and safely put back on, did you know what you were looking for while it was off? Did you look for signs of water in the lower shift cable? Did you inspect the wear on the engine coupler splines? Did you check to see if the gimbal ring is loose? Did you look for signs of gear oil in the u-joint bellows? Did you check for cracks in the u-joint and shft cable bellows? Did you check for chafing or cracks on the trim sender wires? Did you check the alignment with a Mercury alignment tool? (yes there is a difference, we have the real one and the cheap one) Did you check the slack in the shift link? Did you look in the upper shift cavity for signs of gear lube? Did you put u-joint grease in the u-joints, and spline grease on the splines?
A merc tech will check all of these things. That is a lot for $150.00

What if you do have detectible problems? If you have gear oil in the bellows are you prepared to tackle a yoke and seal job? Now what are you going to do? Take it to a shop in pieces?

You can buy gear lube pumps and drive stands and Chilton books all day long and it will not give you the knowledge to to the job properly and quickly.

Sure you can save money doing things yourself on your boat, but this is not one of them.
 
Yes,
the Bravo shoud be in neutral to R+R but it will go on and off in gear too. It is just a little harder to engage the lower cable end into the shift link.

The Alpha is another story. It must be in forward BUT if it is a counter rotator is must be in reverse. Guys forget that one all the time and break the shift shaft bushing forcing it off. Then when it is re-assembled and run, it dumps all the gear lube out and blows up.
 
geriksen said:
Unless you just really enjoy doing this kind of work it makes no sense at all not to pay the tech and have it done right.
Even if you get it unbolted, removed and safely put back on, did you know what you were looking for while it was off? Did you look for signs of water in the lower shift cable? Did you inspect the wear on the engine coupler splines? Did you check to see if the gimbal ring is loose? Did you look for signs of gear oil in the u-joint bellows? Did you check for cracks in the u-joint and shft cable bellows? Did you check for chafing or cracks on the trim sender wires? Did you check the alignment with a Mercury alignment tool? (yes there is a difference, we have the real one and the cheap one) Did you check the slack in the shift link? Did you look in the upper shift cavity for signs of gear lube? Did you put u-joint grease in the u-joints, and spline grease on the splines?
A merc tech will check all of these things. That is a lot for $150.00

What if you do have detectible problems? If you have gear oil in the bellows are you prepared to tackle a yoke and seal job? Now what are you going to do? Take it to a shop in pieces?

You can buy gear lube pumps and drive stands and Chilton books all day long and it will not give you the knowledge to to the job properly and quickly.

Sure you can save money doing things yourself on your boat, but this is not one of them.
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You do make very good points.

Just playing devils advocate, the other side of this story is.......

There are so many poor marine mechanics.

Take your above example of someone putting a Apha I gen II on with the counter rotation but mistakenly had the drive in forward. A good mechanic will have done it correctly. Some will break it then claim it was shot and parts need to be replaced and here is the additional bill. Then there are those that will bill for items not done.

I’m sure you read the message boards just like I do and read horror stories about professional marine mechanics and the blunders they have done.

I am very fortunate to have a marine mechanic I trust. Unfortunately marine mechanics of this person’s quality are far too few.
 
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I have had my boat at 3 different mercruiser places so far. Poor results at all, charging for work not done etc. I'm being forced to do the things that I would just as soon pay them to do. I used to like wrenching and all that but for some reason I don't anymore. Now if I could find the right shop I would be happy although you could debate the labor rates. Unfortunately I suspect this is a wide spread problem(the posts on this forum seem to indicate that). There are alot of customers out there that don't know they're not getting what there paying for. No disrespect meant but there are alot of "how do you tighten a drain plug" people out there. They are at the mercy of their service providers and if they find a good one everythings ok, but..
 
Presentation said:
There are so many poor marine mechanics.

Take your above example of someone putting a Apha I gen II on with the counter rotation but mistakenly had the drive in forward. A good mechanic will have done it correctly. Some will break it then claim it was shot and parts need to be replaced and here is the additional bill. Then there are those that will bill for items not done.
Click to expand...

Heh. My mechanic came close to making that mistake last year. . . with the drive off the boat and in the shop, he "forgot" that one drive was counter rotating, and installed some gizmo in the "normal rotation" orientation. Of course, when he got to the boat with the drive in hand, he realized his mistake and had to dig into the outdrive on the spot to correct it. Cost him a few hours. . . for which I was not billed.
 
Woody said:
I have had my boat at 3 different mercruiser places so far. Poor results at all, charging for work not done etc. I'm being forced to do the things that I would just as soon pay them to do. I used to like wrenching and all that but for some reason I don't anymore. Now if I could find the right shop I would be happy although you could debate the labor rates. Unfortunately I suspect this is a wide spread problem(the posts on this forum seem to indicate that). There are alot of customers out there that don't know they're not getting what there paying for. No disrespect meant but there are alot of "how do you tighten a drain plug" people out there. They are at the mercy of their service providers and if they find a good one everythings ok, but..
Click to expand...

I am very much in the "trust but verify" camp myself. I can't turn a wrench, but I know the difference between a leaking freeze plug and a leaking manifold gasket. (My original dealer didn't think I knew the difference, despite a work order that read "Fix leaking manifold gasket")

Whenever I get work done, I post questions on the board to make sure I have a good idea what I am in for. . .
 
Presentation said:
You do make very good points.

Just playing devils advocate, the other side of this story is.......

There are so many poor marine mechanics.

Take your above example of someone putting a Apha I gen II on with the counter rotation but mistakenly had the drive in forward. A good mechanic will have done it correctly. Some will break it then claim it was shot and parts need to be replaced and here is the additional bill. Then there are those that will bill for items not done.

I’m sure you read the message boards just like I do and read horror stories about professional marine mechanics and the blunders they have done.

I am very fortunate to have a marine mechanic I trust. Unfortunately marine mechanics of this person’s quality are far too few.
Click to expand...

True, there are some poor and dishonest mechanics out there. There is also a disparity in skill level between mechanics that work in the same shop. Some are faster, some are more concientious. Your experience with that shop paritally depends on which tech they assign to your boat. However the shop is still responsible for the work on your boat and it is up to them to make it right if something goes wrong.

I have had techs make the "counter rotator" mistake. If that happens, we fix it immediately and we have the genuine part to do so right there on the shelf. No expense or inconvenience to the customer. An independent most likely won't have those parts, if you DIY, you get to eat it yourself or take the drive to a shop and pay them to fix it.
If you are dealing with a reputable business that has a FACILITY, they really have no choice but to make it right. If they don't treat you right, all you have to do is show up with your complaint and they will have to handle it. Some guy in a van....? Good luck even finding him. He can just not return your calls.
 
One other thing.
If Mercury starts getting calls and complaints about one of their dealers, they can and will yank the delaership from them. A Merc dealer does not want unhappy customers.

If you are dealing with a non-authorized dealer, this may have already happened to them.

Choose carefully.

There are very few dishonest shops out there, but there are many incompetent mechanics.
Good techs are extremely hard to find. Not just for boaters but for shops too.
With a good shop, you have someone to step in and correct any mistakes that may happen.
 
geriksen said:
..... Some guy in a van....? Good luck even finding him. He can just not return your calls.
Click to expand...


I thought we were comparing DIY with hiring a marine mechanic.

If you would like to discuss doing business with a ‘mobile marina’ vs traditional marina that would merit a good discussion but should be its own topic. I don’t want to steel this thread.

Tell you what. I will start one. I’d like your input as well as others.
 
I have no problem going to a reputable mechanic for repairs or general services that are beyond my mechanical abilities. But I cannot afford the $125/hour average rate being charged by marinas in my area for maintenance; hence I’m going to do as much as I can myself to save money.

Would I like to simply write a check for every service on my boat? If I could afford it and had a mechanic I could truly trust the answer is yes. But the reality is there are too many unscrupulous mechanics and service facilities out there that are used to charging whatever they can get away with. For instance I called a local marina to inquire about the cost associated with pulling my lower unit, inspection, lube and re-install. They quoted me 3 hours of labor plus parts, approximately $400.00. Am I sure they’ll do the job right? Absolutely not, I’ve heard complaints from others that have used this facility and yes they are a certified Merc dealer and service facility.

Perhaps it’s my background, I’m an engineer I want things done right the first time, by the book. I’ve read the Merc B3 lower unit removal and installation procedure, it’s pretty straightforward. Am I sure that my mobile mechanic or the service facility I bring my boat to will follow the service procedures and for instance use the three different lubes in reassemble? No I’m not, but if I do it myself I’m sure it will be done right.
 
tcontic said:
I have no problem going to a reputable mechanic for repairs or general services that are beyond my mechanical abilities. But I cannot afford the $125/hour average rate being charged by marinas in my area for maintenance; hence I’m going to do as much as I can myself to save money.

Would I like to simply write a check for every service on my boat? If I could afford it and had a mechanic I could truly trust the answer is yes. But the reality is there are too many unscrupulous mechanics and service facilities out there that are used to charging whatever they can get away with. For instance I called a local marina to inquire about the cost associated with pulling my lower unit, inspection, lube and re-install. They quoted me 3 hours of labor plus parts, approximately $400.00. Am I sure they’ll do the job right? Absolutely not, I’ve heard complaints from others that have used this facility and yes they are a certified Merc dealer and service facility.

Perhaps it’s my background, I’m an engineer I want things done right the first time, by the book. I’ve read the Merc B3 lower unit removal and installation procedure, it’s pretty straightforward. Am I sure that my mobile mechanic or the service facility I bring my boat to will follow the service procedures and for instance use the three different lubes in reassemble? No I’m not, but if I do it myself I’m sure it will be done right.
Click to expand...


Ok, you should do this yourself so it gets done right. After all, you are an engineer.
Question answered. :)
 
Geriksen, why the condescending dismissive remark? I was simply looking for information.
 
tcontic said:
Geriksen, why the condescending dismissive remark? I was simply looking for information.
Click to expand...

Don’t take it personal. His comments often come across harsh. I don’t think he even realizes he’s doing it. Just take away from them what you want and ignore the rest. Life is too short.

To answer your question, $400 is hight if its only a single BIII drive unless they are doing other work. On the first page of this message string I went into a breakdown of cost and what was being done. Costs are based on two BIII drives. Note: Our marina gives a 10% discount to members/renters/off season work so the costs are reflective of this discount.
 
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