Way2slow

Those "magnets" were not magnets, they were the brushes. They have no control over the direction the motor turns. The polarity of the voltage going to the motor controls that. Before you can go any further you will need to see if starter/altinator rebuild shop in your area can replace the brushes and let them put it back together for you and check it out. The motor normally has three wires, one is the common, the others make the motor turn in different directions by controlling the polarity. for instance, the common and the blue turns the motor one direction to make trim up, the common and the green reverses the motor direction to make the trim go down. Usually if the motor runs, the motor is not the problem with not going up/down. Usually one of the UP/Down relays is messing up. However in your case, you've got to get the motor fixed and back on the boat before you can troubleshoot anything else.

Premix it 50:1, disconnect/unplug the connector (4 or 5 wire) going to the VRO pump, disconnect the two wire connector going to the oil tank and dump the oil out of the tank so the alarms won't sound. If you want, you can disconnect the oil line and cap/plug it off but thats' not necessary. If you don't dump the tank or disconnect the oil line, it will double oil until the tank is empty if the VRO pump is pumping. Let it idle several minutes to give the premix gas time to get into the carbs and engine and you are good to go. The VRO nor the oil mixture has any affect on timing. When Johnson upgraded the VRO pumps in 99 they changed them from VRO to CRO (constant ratio oil, which is 50:1) so there is nothing about premixing 50:1 that's going to harm your motor. Now, are you getting a no oil alarm or a low oil alarm. The No Oil is from the VRO pump, the low oil is the sensor in the tank. It's very common for the tank sensor to go bad and say the tank is low when it's full. When you price a new VRO pump, wear a chine strap, that way you jaw won't hit the floor when they tell you.

That bracket on the side with the square section in the middle, holding the pull start comes off and the starter bolts in the place of it. The same three bolts holding it will hold the starter. $600 is a lot more than I would ever pay for one.

How bad of scrathes? Light surface scrantches can be wet sanded out but remember, the gel coat is not that thick and don't take a lot of sanding to go through it to the color coat and metal flake. All colors of metal flake are siver once you sand it. Light scratches can be wet sanded with 1200 grit, (strongley recommend no courser, especially for a beginner). If you have a variable speed buffer, you can slow it down to about 1,500 rpm and buff the sanding scratches out with fine grit compound. If doing it by hand, sand with 1500 and then 2000 grit. Then hand compound it with fine grit compound. This is only doable for small areas, your arms won't last to do the whole boat. After compounding, 3M hand glaze will make it look like new again. Don't try to use a standard high speed buffer/side grinder, with a buffing pad, YOU WILL burn the gel. Gel is hard and larger grit sanding scatches will be very difficult to get out and you greatly increase the risk of cutting right through gel. Might even try just going all over it with 3M hand glaze, that alone will make a world of difference.

I use a 9.9 on HP restricted waters where I can't run my 25. Other than then, I run a 25.

Yes, you can over charge. Voltage is not going to be a very good indication. While charging, the voltage is probably going to be over 14 volts. Depending on the battery, most good, fully charged deep cycle batteries will have approx 12.8 volts after sitting 24 hours after charging. You will need either a hydrometer or a DC amp meter. Napa has a good hydrometer for approx $8 with the thermometer if it has removable caps. Specific gravity on a on most good deep cycle batteries is going to be 1.275 - 1.280 THe next option is a 5 - 10 amp meter (since your charger is only 5 amp) and connect it in series between the positive post and positive charger cable. When the meter drops to it's minimum current, charge for approx one more hour. To properly fully charge a battery, it should be overcharged approx 6 percent, that's why you continue to charge after the current drops to it's minimum rate. As a battery charges, the amount of current going into it drops, once it quits dropping it's charged, but as mentioned, it should be overcharged approx 6%, that's the reason for the extra hour.

The main items you will need to come up with are the starter, flywheel, battery cables, and a starter button. Those old motors didin't have a charging system so there is none of that. I have seen some that had the toothed flywheel for a starter, if you are lucky enought to have one, that's one less item you may need, if the starter ring is big enough to make contact with the starter.

You would be surprised at just how little the junkyard (what they pay) value is. I would suspect you would have a hard time getting $800 for it just sold to as is. Where you have the most potential to get max dollar is parting it out on ebay. It has the potential of getting a couple of $K doing that. The ECU and injectors are very expensive but the ECU can only be programmed as a 200, even and the injectors require the fuel curve data, which they don't have for someone else to use one and it cost almost rebuilt price to send one off and have it checked and get the fuel curve data. If it was a 225 or 250, a lot of people buy the used ecu and injectors off those as a unit to upgrade their 200's The next draw back is shipping the dang thing. Unless you have an account with a motor freight company or whoever wants to buy it has one, shipping can run $600 easy, $200 with an account and then it has to be palitized or crated.

With bearing buddies, it's feasable to go several years if you keep the greased properly Without bearing buddies, you should do them every year, either at the end of the season when you winterize or at the first of the season when you start getting the boat ready for the first trip to the lake. With or without bearing buddies, every spring I pull mine off, clean, inspect, pack bearings and replace the seals every year. If bearings shown signs of pits I replace the cones and cups. Without bearing buddies, I would replace everything each spring. Properly maintained bearings can last many years but on smaller trailers, they just don't cost enough to not just go ahead and replace everything when you pull them down.

I would first make sure my wheels are rated for 90 psi. Over inflate and they just wear right in the middle Under inflate and they run hotter and create more drag. If you got good tire wear with the other tires at 60 psi, I would still run sixty for starters and then adjust by the way it tows and how they start to wear.

Yep, 2004 is the 3.3L block and good used ones are a little harder to come by, the drag racers and hotrod motor builders are buying them up about as fast as they come up forsale. Those blocks can be made to make some tremendous hp and torque and are very sought after. If they just looked at it, saw the hole and said you need another powerhead, the crank is probably junk from the water by now anyway, but I have seen some mighty big holes that rods came through be welded up. Hotrodders blow them all the time with some major holes and damage and still weld them up. When you spend months porting and preping a block, you will do all kinds of stuff to save it. Then again, you're having to mess with a dealer and they don't know much about that kind of stuff because they can't afford to spend the time and they have to warrenty their work so they don't take the chance. Not sure if the dealer told you but since your powerhead is considered not rebuildable, they won't take it as a core so you can't get the core value off another powerhead. Looks like your best deal is to bite the bullet and buy a new E-tec and sell me that one.

I guess I should have also mentioned, a smaller, low hp boat will make you a much better fisherman than starting off with one of big 80 mph hydro rockets like a lot of us old timers use. When you can't run and gun, you learn to disect and break down the areas you can reach into what holds fish and what doesn't, just like fishing a big pond. Then you learn what lures work better in those different areas. When you can run and gun, you have a tendency to narrow your pattern to a couple of lures and only fish those specialized areas these lures work in. Not a good way to really learn.

Since I'm a fresh water bass boat type, never have seen one where water came in the cowl opening but have seen several hydro-lock because of a water leak inside the cover. Seen more than one water pressure guage hose come off and flood the lower cover until water was sucked in #6. No there is no warning system for this, I guess they figured the $10 cost was not worth it. If things were done right and you got it to a smart mechanic quickly, you damages could be less the $1,500. Depending on the year model of the rude, if it's pre 99 carb motor you can find good used blocks for less than $500, I've actually bought mint used blocks for $250 for the carb motors. 3.0 ficht blocks are very reasonable also. 3.3L ficht blocks are not so easy but I just turned down a complete, running 2003 3.3 ficht, 25" shaft with high hours (over 900) on it for $1,100 so good used parts are available. If your motor was treated properly right away so the water didn't rust the crank, a block rod, piston and gasket set will put you back on the water. Also, unless there was some serious damage, blocks are easily welded. I seen some pretty big holes and cracks welded as long as it was below the water jackets.

Check their rules, should be ok for small, local tournaments but many have rules on minimum size boats/motors allowed

When fishing bream beds and not wanting the boat to move any, I string out a whole lot of anchore rope. If trying to anchor in 6 - 10 feet of water, I'll drop the back anchor at least 150 feet short of my spot, go by the spot 150 feet, drop the front anchor and then pull back to my spot with the back anchor rope and tie both off. I want them ropes almost as straight out as I can get them. I would probably string them out further, but that's usually about all the rope I keep on an anchor.

Sorry, can't help you with the Merc's. As for the leaking around the extension, I doubt that's a problem, I know it's not with the OMC's, in fact it's common. As for getting on the water as cheap as you can, that usaully winds up being one of the more expensive ways to get there. Most people find they could have bought a much nicer boat/motor for what they buy a "cheap one" for and spend the money needed to make it a good, reliable unit or find out it's just not worth spending the needed money on and have to junk it.

Late one evening (almost dark) my dad loaded my boat on the wrong trailer. The guy didn't know what the crap was going on. My dad can't back a trailer so I launch the boat with him in the boat and he drives it to the dock (he really can't drive a boat either so that's scary too, constantly slaming gears with motor running way to fast but that's another subject) while I park the truck. When we come in, just before getting to the dock he takes the steering wheel and I jump out onto the dock, get the truck, back it down and he drives the boat on. He didn't notice just as I was ready to back my truck down, another truck backed his down. My dad likes to see if he can have it on the trailer by the time I get back there to sinch it down. He saw that trailer coming down the ramp, thought it was me and drove right up on it before the in the other truck knew what hit him.

You didn't say what kind of motor but when you said you added an extension and made it a long shaft, it sounds like on older Johnson/Evinrude. If I guessed right, I don't think you're gonna wanna take it to a shop to be fixed because a reputable shop is not going to patch it and it's going to be way two expensive to have it properly repaired. Second, don't think buy a used one is going to fix your problem because those old LU's are subject to leak and a used one my start leaking or be leaking when you get it. The good part is they are about the easiest LU made to work on so you could easily try repairing it yourself but the first thing you would need to check would be the drive shaft. If the upper bearing in the LU hasn't damaged it, you are in good shape. If it is damaged, you will need to see what a machine shop would charge to repair it versus what a replacement would cost. If the drive shaft is in good shape, you can reseal it for less than $100 even buying the whole outer prop bushing unit, or less if you want to just replace the seals and orings in it. I guess before going on, let me know if I'm guessing right and I can tell you what you need to do to reseal it.

There are several online sources if you do a search but I usually find the dealer to be the best source. I buy most of my small parts from a dealer because you don't save enough when you have to pay shipping and most of the time you will find you actually have to pay more for poor quality aftermarket parts than you pay at the dealer for the real part. If I'm completely rebuilding and engine or spending a major chunk of change, I order from my wholesaler, but if I'm spending less than $100, I just go to the dealer for parts.

Run the TCW-3 at 50:1 and you will be just fine.

Warrenty probably won't cover that. Warrenty is going to cover the long block, not the stuff bolted onto it so be ready to spend another few hundred. You will need to determine if it's fuel or ignition. Check the spark on several plugs wires and see it they are kicking a long blue spark. There are a number of things it can be, but need to know how to trouble shoot it and have a DVA or peak voltmeter if it's ignition. By the way, you did check and make sure you didn't accidently pull the kill cord.

Gotta luv it! Once it gets wet it will dry out and crumble after a couple of months????????????????????????????? Where in the world did you hear that one from? I would suggest who ever told you that, you not let them work on your motor anymore because they definetly feel that had a fish on and done set the hook.

As far back as they first made two strokes. Why would you want to use the older grade oils when there is TCW-3, that's 50 times better than anything made in the past?

First double check your tank. Most portable tanks are six galllon so it makes it easy to mix, you just dump one 16 oz container of oil in for six gallons of gas. Go to wal-mart and look where they keep their two stroke oil, they have a mixing bottle that has the different ratio's marked off, takes the quess work out of it.

I also prefer sash weights, because they are very easy to store. Not sure where you would go about finding them now. Scrap metal dealers used to keep them laying around for sale because they were very popular for anchors, also use to see them at flea markets. Years ago, they was a comany making them with a plastic coating on them just for anchors but haven't seen those in a long time. Mushroom anchors always seem to be in the way and knock and bang too much when getting them in and out. The straight cylinder shape of the sash weights work much better. You can always make on by filling a short section of pipe with lead.