TOPIC: Outboard Advice Needed

I recently bought a 1962 Evinrude Lark 40hp outboard motor on craigslist for $150. Not knowing much about outboard motors in general, and especially this one in particular, I dropped it off at a local shop that works on motors and other marine related things to have it evaluated. I wanted to know if it would be worth fixing up. After a few days they called and asked me to come listen to the motor; they had gotten it started. They started it for me and it ran for about 45 seconds and then flooded and they could not restart it and claimed that needle must be stuck in the carburator.
Then the mechaic informed me that it would cost a total of about $2,000 to fix it right. AND (here's the bad part) that he had already put $1,200 into it!: $100 in parts and the rest labor. I was a bit taken aback by this to say the least and I told him not to work on it anymore and that I would get back to him on it and I left.
My question is: Does this seem reasonable to anyone here on the forum? And did he need to do all that work simply to tell if a motor is worth it? How much would would most shops charge for an evauation? Thanks for any adice you might have and Merry Christmas.
Paul

That's absolutely outrageous. If you did not authorize the work and only wanted an evaulation I would fight it. I have a buddy that just had a compression check run, the carb & fuel pump rebuilt, points, plugs, wires, and impeller installed on a simialr engine and it cost him $900 parts and all.

I'm with Doug. That's rediculous. if you did not authorize it then they shouldn't have done it. I would fight it big time. Also I would make him show you where he did the work and show you the old parts. Don't tell him unil you get there. If he hmmms and haws about it and says he threw them away then he's probably scamming you for sure. Most reputable places I've ahd work done keep the parts in case the customer wants to see them so they know they aren't being scammed and your aren't bsing them. Also The reason I say he should show you where the work was done is if the motor hasn't been run in quite a while and depending on where it's been sitting you should be able to tell if any gaskets and housings were removed and replaced. At least those exposed to the outside, if that makes sense.
Just my 2 cents worth.

Bob

Sheesh for that amount it should be Running like a charm and all shinned up!

i agree,thats alot ,thats why ill go all the way up to ny state from western pa,to see tim calmes,i know for a fact he wont rip me off,and his prices are very reasonable.
he just did my father in laws 40 hp johnson ,new impeller,new clutch dog etc.and he also has his 9.9 evinrude hes working on.
hes also going to build me a 45 hp merc in the spring.
tims a great guy too.we will travel 5 hours one way just so he works on our motors.

Paul:

Look at it this way, what he is saying if his labor rate is $100.00 per hour, ( which in Chicago it is a little less then that and normaly Chicago boys are not cheap on labor ) he spent eleven hours checking out your motor? Not repairing anything.

Sorry, No Way!

Did you sign a repair order when you dropped it off? If not they have no rights with the motor you did not agree to a repair. Again this is IL laws but I know them vry well I have owned a body shop for 30+ years, I would not think other states are that much different.

Darrell

You said you dropped it off to have it "evaluated", not repaired. If you did not sign a work order they do not have a leg to stand on. Any reputable shop would never put that kind of work/money into a engine that old without talking to the owner first.They should know that they are working on a 100 to 300$ motor without even being told. DO NOT GIVE THEM A DIME.Small claims court is one option.Leaving the motor there and taking a 150 hit is another,then chalk it off as a lesson in life.You can buy a decent boat,motor and trailer for half the repair bill.The seller will even take you for a sea trial.1000 for labor? At 65 per hour thats almost 16 man hours for 100$ at list in parts,it does not add up, complete BS on there part.

Dont pay them. They should have called you first. $2000 total, huh atleast it was only $150. Take him to court or just drop it. The motor may still have issues even if you did spend the 2k but $1200 + the $150 is a rip. Sorry for your troubles, Mike

Wow Paul, that guy is really putting it to you, I tend to agree that the best option at this point is to just tell the guy the motor is his and walk away. The early 60's 40hp OMC's are a dime a dozen at AOMCI meets as they are considered too new to be collectible and too old to be a user. You should be able to pick up a decent looking great running motor (complete with controls and wiring harness) for $175.00 to $400.00 and do NOTHING to it except hang it on a boat and go boating. Stay away from the electric shift models of Lark and Super sea Horse, the basic model motor has the same powerhead with a manual shift LU, if you like the looks of the deluxe model simply swap the hood. Don't overlook the Gale models of the 40hp either. Check out an AOMCI meet I'm sure you will find a great motor. Sorry you have had such a bad experience.
Al

That might be a way the guy gets his motors to resell. Jack up the repair bill high so the customer will Just say, keep it.
Not my kind of motor mechanic.

Paul, are there any organizations in your area that offer free or reasonable legal advise? I completely understand what the guys are saying here, "just cut your losses and walk away" basically. However, the idea of just "giving" the guy the motor doesn't sit well with me for some reason. (That may have been his intent all along, I don't know.) I'd sure do everything possible to get my motor back at a reasonable fee before letting him just have it. Maybe reasoning with the guy isn't going to be productive, I may be just dreaming here. Possibly a summons to appear in small claims court and a complaint with the Better Business Bureau would change his attitude? Just a thought.......

Note to self: Make sure fee is discussed and agreed on before work starts!

Thank you all so much for your advice and support. I don't know for the life of me why this guy did so much work on this old motor, if in fact he did. All I can guess is that either he just likes to make things work or he is trying to trap me into paying for repair work that I did not ask for. I bought this motor thinking that it might be a good match for the 1959 MFG Celeron that I am working to restore. I think he might have pegged me as an antique enthusiast who would pay big money just to have the motor match the boat. Though that is a consideration, my major concern is just to find a motor that won't leave me and my family stranded somewhere. I have been advised, by a friend who is a lawyer, to just walk away, as some of you have also advised and I am leaning that way. Still, the shop is a few blocks from my house in a small town and I'm a newbie to motor boats so it's kind of an uncomfortable situation. There will be the inevitable confrontation. I appreciate your support and will go in feeling that someone has my back. I'll post the results. Thanks, Paul

Paul,

If you indeed did not agree to anything but an estimate or minimal repair, I believe you should not just walk away. Did you sign anything upon leaving the engine? You paid good money for the engine after all, and if the work was not authorized, you owe nothing. If all you authorized was a check-over to make an estimate for repairs, then that fee is what you owe. If the guy is serious, he could impose a mechanic's lien on your engine, which would be a bit of a legal pain for you, regardless if he's right, or proven wrong. Best bet is to settle it now & move on. If it were me, I'd be raising Hell with the guy. Best of luck with it.

BG

Paul
Fight the bully.
Its your motor.
Don't let him get away with anything. It will just boost his confidence that he can try it on someone else. The only reason he has tried this with you is that no one has stood up before.
Small town? Well let him know that if he did you right and the motor turned out great, you were going to tell everyone about it.
Now that he has did you wrong, for sure you are going to tell everyone about it. See if he can tell the "real cost".
Just my two cents worth.
I dislike bullies,,,a bunch!
Neil

paul,print this thread and take it with you and show it to him,and if he still doesnt make it right put his name here,for all to see,and if he does the right thing,then tell us about it,its good advertising for him ,if he makes it right,and bad if he doesnt,john

Wow indeed. this engine in good running shape is worth 4-500.00 in my area, it is probly the most mass produced engine ever. you can find one in any country in the world. i would just walk away and call it school...you can buy another one and a book some misc tools and dissasemble it down to all the little peices, put it back together or not BUT then you will know just what is in there and their price will show itself to be as outrageous as some here have said. Most parts are availabl at your local NAPA. Its up to you, If the 150 sticks in your craw get it back, if not lesson learned

Shoot - for $1200 I would expect the motor to be rebuilt with new pistons & rings, new carb kit, waterpump, new seals in the lower unit, etc. I AM a mechanic and I would be hard pressed to charge someone that much on a 50-year old motor this side of a complete rebuild. $1200 just to get it to fire for 45 seconds - that's nuts. Find out EXACTLY what they did for the 12-plus hours they "worked" on it.
- Scott

Wow
1200 or an evaluation
I'd expect to pay that to a brain surgeon
Actually more than that; Ive probably got more problems than I'm willing to admit.

Trouble is, you mention the worst kind of problem
"small town neighbor hood relationship"
it is not like your not likely to run into the guy at the lil store
what is keeping the peace worth?

I'd walk in
offer him a couple of hundred for time spent and the parts supposedly bought, be sure to ask for the old ones.
make it clear, you asked for an evaluation, not a repair
pull the motor and end it

speaking of evaluation
did he give you any numbers?
compression test, etc.?
I can't imagine a mechanic worth anything would spend more than three hours actual (and I'm being generous)to "evaluate"
Compression test
leak down test
spark test
lower unit pressure test
general look / see for glaring problems
If he can't provide numbers on the spot
He didn't do anything

good luck
keep us posted

I know its not the way to do but if it were me I would take a few of my small biker friends and go have a nice talk with the guy. I have been knower not to be a nice guy sometimes.
Mike aka pathfinderz1

Go back to your lawyer friend and ask him to write up a cease and desist letter. It won't cost you much and will put this jerk on notice that he can't get away with this.