So we sold our old Tohatsu 3.5 hp 4 stroke to our friend who needed a motor for his Hunter 212 that they just got. Our 3.5 was new when we got it and it was a perfect motor, never letting us down once. The Admiral just never got the hang of spinning it around for reverse so I had to get her a 4 hp with reverse. Anyway, we sell it to our friend, who is not mechanically inclined, and after a steep learning curve, I finally got him where he could start and use the motor. I made sure he checked for the cooling water stream right after it started each time. Before he took the motor I serviced it for him with a new pump impeller, oil change, and plug, then he heads north to MI for the summer with the boat and motor.
Long story short, he sailed the boat into a weedy patch on the lake and while attempting to motor out of it he noticed at some point that the motor was smoking so he shut it off. He some how then noticed that the cooling inlet was covered in weeds. I am guessing he cleared them, not sure, but after 45 mins of cooling down the motor finally, amazingly, it did re start and they got back to the ramp. He texted me while they were waiting on it to cool to see if I had time to confer with him about a "sailing emergency" but by the time I got it they were already back at the ramp.
So I told him how to check it out, make sure the ports were clear, that the oil still looked like honey as it had maybe 2 hours on it at this point and I never once had it get "dirty" looking the 2 seasons we used it. I figured if he got it really hot the oil might have gotten cooked. He said it checked out fine so they went back out and supposedly it ran "just fine". I am really amazed at this point but hey, everyone gets lucky every now and then.
So they bring the boat home Sunday and had a issue with oil running out of the motor while it was on its side. I asked if he had it on the "right" side, handle up, he said he did. Then he hit me with this. "Where can I get a new oil cap?" I asked why? He said because the old one had melted and was now leaking when it was on it's side! HOW HOT WOULD IT HAVE TO GET TO MELT THE OIL CAP??? I just can't believe the oil cap would get so hot that is deformed and the motor is "fine". I have not seen it yet but I am going to go look at it as I have to see this. I am going to do a compression test on it and check the oil myself. We might as well change it now as it is probably low or out since it leaked. This ought to be interesting...
Sam
Long story short, he sailed the boat into a weedy patch on the lake and while attempting to motor out of it he noticed at some point that the motor was smoking so he shut it off. He some how then noticed that the cooling inlet was covered in weeds. I am guessing he cleared them, not sure, but after 45 mins of cooling down the motor finally, amazingly, it did re start and they got back to the ramp. He texted me while they were waiting on it to cool to see if I had time to confer with him about a "sailing emergency" but by the time I got it they were already back at the ramp.
So I told him how to check it out, make sure the ports were clear, that the oil still looked like honey as it had maybe 2 hours on it at this point and I never once had it get "dirty" looking the 2 seasons we used it. I figured if he got it really hot the oil might have gotten cooked. He said it checked out fine so they went back out and supposedly it ran "just fine". I am really amazed at this point but hey, everyone gets lucky every now and then.
So they bring the boat home Sunday and had a issue with oil running out of the motor while it was on its side. I asked if he had it on the "right" side, handle up, he said he did. Then he hit me with this. "Where can I get a new oil cap?" I asked why? He said because the old one had melted and was now leaking when it was on it's side! HOW HOT WOULD IT HAVE TO GET TO MELT THE OIL CAP??? I just can't believe the oil cap would get so hot that is deformed and the motor is "fine". I have not seen it yet but I am going to go look at it as I have to see this. I am going to do a compression test on it and check the oil myself. We might as well change it now as it is probably low or out since it leaked. This ought to be interesting...
Sam
