Rock impact on lower unit

Hit a rock pile over the weekend on a small lake in the arrowhead going around 10 mph in what my lakemaps chip said was 20 fow . Made the mistake of telling the dealer it was insured and they immediately said it needs a new lower unit. All gears and shafts they said were fine and the only issue is the oil plug which has some metal scraped into it which I would think could be ground out with a dremel? Also the dents in the front of the case and skag. Anyway they want $1700 for a new lower unit and I’d rather not use my insurance if I can. Just wondering opinions on if you have seen similar damage and if it can be repaired by a welder or if I should go ahead and replace the whole unit. 2015 yamaha 4 stroke 60hp.

Thanks

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I think yours can be welded, pretty sure mine needs a new lower unit.

Any suggestions on places to have a Suzuki worked on? My dealer stopped working on them.

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______________ wrote:

pretty sure mine needs a new lower unit.

Hahahahaha, HRG

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I would think you could have that welded for less than your deductible. A lower unit oil plug isn’t that expensive either.

File the claim with your insurance company so it’s on the record.Go get it fixed and see how it works. Call your dealer and tell him if you decide to have it fixed you want the old lower unit. See what their reaction to that is.

What’s your main concern here? Function or fashion?

Does everything still work? Propshaft running true?

Personally, I’d take a Dremal tool with a small grinding bit and grind that metal out of the lower unit drain plug hole if it’s possible without damaging the threads. Then drain the lower unit and check for water that would indicate further damage.

To me this doesn’t look that bad, and certainly not worth $1700 worth of repair bills just to get that new lower unit smell for a few more months.

I’d go the much cheaper cosmetic fix route rather than replacement if there’s no mechanical damage.

Grouse

I have to agree with grouse,the only thing I would want to see is around the bearing housing at the rear,if the metal is caved in,it could cause the bearing to run out of “true” and fail down the road,if it spins easy with NO tight spots,dress it up and run it,and as stated,file the claim just in case this were to happen,unless they use a penetrating dye,or x-ray,they cant tell you by looking if it is cracked internally or not,sounds like they are looking for a fast profit to me.

As long as it seals properly and there is nothing bent I honestly wouldn’t do anything to it except fix the plug, buy a new prop, and repair the old one.

Run it, if it starts making some noise or vibrations then bring it in. If you’re looking to sell it then I may have it welded and painted to look nice.

But right now you have a slightly dinged lower unit that you don’t have to cry if you hit something again and don’t have to worry about your insurance rates go up just yet.

If it eventually does break you can then take it to get fixed and covered by insurance. If you fix it cosmetically they may argue there is no damage, or the repair damaged it then you are out the full lower unit cost.

First of all, sorry you are going through this- sucky situation, but it happens to all at some point or another. I agree, visually motor doesn’t look that bad at all, looks like common river rat lower unit 😉. How is the boat itself doing? Looks like some nasty digs in the rear. Uffda, hope she is back to smooth sailing soon for ya!

I just had my lower unit replaced on my 60 for only $2400. Cost me my $250 deductible and I’m sure a rate increase, but it’s done. I wasn’t so lucky as my skag was mostly gone and I bent the prop shaft. If I were you I’d just get it welded up if everything else is OK. Had I not bent the shaft and created other problems up the line I would have gladly went with having my skeg welded. First time in 35 years, so I guess I was due.

Grizper wrote:

2015 yamaha 4 stroke 60hp.

Because it’s a 2015 motor, I’d vote insurance claim and replace with new.

-J.

______________ wrote:

I think yours can be welded, pretty sure mine needs a new lower unit.

Any suggestions on places to have a Suzuki worked on? My dealer stopped working on them.

I think you could fix that with some JB Weld!

LOL, that sucks!

Iowaboy1 wrote:

I have to agree with grouse,the only thing I would want to see is around the bearing housing at the rear,if the metal is caved in,it could cause the bearing to run out of “true” and fail down the road,if it spins easy with NO tight spots,dress it up and run it,and as stated,file the claim just in case this were to happen,unless they use a penetrating dye,or x-ray,they cant tell you by looking if it is cracked internally or not,sounds like they are looking for a fast profit to me.

X2 – There is a product called Magnaflux that is highly respected in identifying flaws. pretty simplistic process to find undetected hairline cracks that will haunt you later. A reputable mechanic can check the shaft for tolerable end play and how true it rotate with a dial indicator in a few minutes. Between those couple steps, you’ll know what your long term solution should be. I can’t see your location, so I don’t know if your anywhere near me. If your in south central WI, give me a call. we can test that in 5 minutes

Jon Jordan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Grizper wrote:</div>
2015 yamaha 4 stroke 60hp.

Because it’s a 2015 motor, I’d vote insurance claim and replace with new.

-J.

Yeah, I am in agreement on this. This way you will never second guess your decision down the road worrying if the lower unit will fail due to damage you might not be able to see.

I had a simialr problem a few years back (hit a submerged green can one spring) and paid the deductable and had a new lower installed.

What Randy said is the best way to proceed.

Thanks a lot guys. Very helpful information. I’m in the cities and am going to look for a shop that can inspect it and give me a price. I may still do the insurance and get a new unit and have this one fixed as well to have an extra for the future but not sure yet. This is why I love these boards, fast response from knowledgeable people. Figures though, I drove a beater boat for 20 years and never put a nick in it. get this thing and BAM!

Grizper, keep in mind that unless the insurance adjuster agrees your lower unit is totaled, you may not be entitled to get it replaced. Good time to understand what your coverage says. They may only agree to getting it repaired. Not trying to pour salt on the wound, just being realistic. I’ve had buddies that took the skeg off, dealer says it has to be replaced and goes ahead with ordering one. Meanwhile, claim is filed and replacement was rejected and only approved for repair.

Just a word of caution on rushing to a conclusion that it runs fine. I smacked my 150 vMax lower unit on an unmarked rockpile at lac Seul in May. Doing about 10 mph, watched the depthfinder go from 35 fow to 20 to 10, etc. and put it in neutral, and started tilting up the motor, but too late. Ran up on the rockpile and slammed the lower unit pretty hard. Managed to get off with a paddle, and visually inspected the lower unit. Several deep gouges but no obvious cracks. Skeg guard saved the skeg. Ran fine for the better part of two days, but acted up at end of day two, when we were about 12 miles from camp. Nothing like the sound of grinding gears. Limped in on 6 hp kicker, beached it, and checked lower unit oil…..and found it was empty. refilled it, but gears still grinding, and saw oil slick on water. Trailered the yarcraft, and rented a boat for last two days of our trip. Got home and my mechanic pulled the lower unit off and found a failed seal along with ground gears, so seems the impact in neutral caused the external cosmetic damage and the seal failure. So would definitely have a thorough inspection done before calling it good. Ended up going with a re-manufactured lower unit with one year warranty, and 10 running hours, she’s still purring.

Those seals can go easily after clunking an object. I replaced one this year.

Have the mechanic do a pressure test for sure. Small vibrations get bigger and destroy Lower Units.

It still look fine….if it still function the way as it is…nothing needed to replace…invest those money into better electronic.

my 3 cent.

______________ wrote:

I think yours can be welded, pretty sure mine needs a new lower unit.

Any suggestions on places to have a Suzuki worked on? My dealer stopped working on them.

that is serious hurt ….definite need lower unit.

While you’re at it, have the tilt/trim motor checked… The only thing I was able to find in a similar situation showed up months later and while I was able to fix it, I finally figured out that my problem was probably caused by the same type of minor collision with a rock. Luckily I was able to get the thing replaced and labor covered, but I had to pay for the t/t motor on my own.

Mark

I just got my skeg welded and repainted for $70, was about as bad as yours. Looks brand new from the factory. Prop repair would be about $50-60.