What marine engine repair covers
- Overheating diagnosis: impeller, strainer, heat exchanger and thermostat
- No-start and hard-start troubleshooting on gas and diesel engines
- Fuel system issues: ethanol-damaged gas, diesel air and water contamination
- Oil and filter service, coolant checks, belt inspection
- Exhaust manifold and riser corrosion, a common failure on raw-cooled gas engines
- Diesel-specific work: injection, glow plugs, mixing elbow corrosion
The $150 visit fee is credited to the job. You get the price in writing before any work starts.
Gas inboards and sterndrives
MerCruiser, Crusader and Volvo Penta gas blocks share the same fundamentals: raw-water or closed cooling, EFI or carbureted fuel delivery, and an alternator-based charging system. Exhaust manifold and riser corrosion is one of the more serious failures on raw-cooled gas engines, since a corroded riser can let water back into the cylinders. Every drain point, torque value and capacity is specific to the exact engine and year, so Brad works from that engine's own service manual rather than a generic number.
Diesel inboards
Small marine diesels, commonly Westerbeke, Universal or Yanmar, run on compression ignition with no spark system, which makes clean, water-free fuel the single biggest factor in reliable starting. Air that gets into the fuel system, water or microbial growth at the fuel-water interface, and a clogged mixing elbow are the most common causes of hard starting, stalling or overheating on these engines.
A worn impeller is still the most common cause of a marine engine overheating, on gas or diesel, inboard or sterndrive. It is inexpensive insurance to have it checked on a schedule rather than after a warning alarm.
Ethanol fuel is hard on gas engines that sit
E10 gasoline absorbs water and can separate into layers if a boat sits over the winter with old fuel aboard, and it dissolves varnish and degrades some older fuel system parts. Stabilized fuel, a water-separating filter and not letting a tank sit half-empty over the off-season head off most of it.
If the boat won't start at all
Before assuming it is a deeper engine problem, work through the boat won't start guide: battery, safety switches, fuel and ignition, in that order.
Where Brad does engine work
Common questions
Do you work on Crusader and Volvo Penta engines, not just MerCruiser?
Yes. Gas inboard and sterndrive blocks from MerCruiser, Crusader and Volvo Penta all follow similar service logic, though drain points and specs are specific to each engine.
My engine is running hot, what's the most likely cause?
A worn raw-water impeller is the most common cause of overheating, followed by a blocked strainer, a scaled heat exchanger or a stuck thermostat. Brad checks cooling flow first.
Do you work on diesel inboards?
Yes, including Westerbeke, Universal and Yanmar auxiliaries. Diesel trouble calls are most often fuel related: air in the system, water or dirty fuel, or a clogged filter.
How often should I have the oil changed?
Most marine engines call for an annual oil change or one around every hundred hours, whichever comes first, but check your engine's own manual for the exact interval.
Drive or lower unit acting up instead of the engine? See sterndrive repair or outboard repair.
Overheating, hard starting, or just not running right
Text a photo of the engine and what it's doing, and Brad will tell you what he thinks it is.