# Major Design Flaw in an Outboard motor !



## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Major Design Flaw in an Outboard motor !


I am a major fan of a particular brand of outboard motor (I need to be fair to them so I will not reveal who they are until I contact them) 


 The bottom pivot shaft for the trim and tilt is PLAIN Steel !!! WTMF !!! How can this even be possible !!! REALLY !!! 

NO grease fittings either !!!

This pin should be stainless !!! 

I was lucky and a little PB Blaster and heat and it came apart ...Another 6 months in Salt water and who knows !!!


I am pulling the tilt and trim along with the relay and the wiring and getting my Fabricator to build a "Dog Bone" to take it's place ...


So here is a friendly tip ... *Pull your trim and tilt and check the pins !!!*


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

What makes you think it was a design flaw?  :-?

Forgive my cynicism, but in an era where business models
use planned obsolescence to boost profit margins, isn't it logical
to intentionally place some cold machined steel in a spot where salt will cause the most damage,
and force the total replacement of some of the most expensive parts on the outboard? :'(


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Motor has under 100 hours !!!


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

The phone number for Tohatsu customer service is 1-800-who-cares.

Save your voice and have a machine shop make you one out of stainless. Hatsu will do noting for you.

Respect the Brett!


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Went and checked my 40 tohatsu. It's the same and in the same condition. Long ago I decided I was going to buy a new motor every 500 hours so I don't have to deal with major maintenance issues. In 2018 I should be able to get 3k for my 2013 then I'll spend 6-7k for a new one. 4k every 5 years is a steep price to pay for safety and reliability but to me it's worth it and factored into my fishing budget.


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## LLeone (Apr 8, 2015)

Good stuff. The bottom pin on my early 2014 30hp looks worse.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

I will call my machinist next week to see if he has the new shafts made 

other than that the motor is great  

so why the Turd in the punch Bowl ?


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## LLeone (Apr 8, 2015)

Just seems like a bit of an oversight to me. Most of the hose clamps under the cowl are carbon rather than SS as well.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Yup gotta replace all the clamps also ...

Soon I will have to get the Voodoo stuff out and fix the cowl seal ! It's a JOKE 



> Just seems like a bit of an oversight to me. Most of the hose clamps under the cowl are carbon rather than SS as well.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Nothing floating in the punch bowl...

Just a realist.

Let's see...
Less than 100 hours and the pin is rusted to pieces, cowl gasket is shot, and have to replace clamps.

Ahh, tolerance - or am I to lower my standards to meet their products. Just sayin'


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Long ago and far away (or you could just say "once upon a time"...) motor manufacturers did build motors meant for freshwater and "upgraded" motors meant for the salt... All of that changed when they realized that it was just cheaper in the long run not to build two versions of the same motor.... Now the big manufacturers simply build everything as corrosion proof as possible (hopefully).


For smaller outfits finding the bucks to produce everything in stainless (that needs to be in stainless) and still make a profit -that's the hard part. What you actually have isn't a design flaw at all it's called a production shortcut.... Until it's widely known about and every owner is complaining they won't have a strong reason to change. Just guessing here but I'll bet most of their smaller motors are being used in freshwater.....

For anyone that owns one I'd imagine your first thing to do would be to order a spare and plan on replacing the part at a lot less than 100 hours service (unless you can get one machined out in stainless at a reasonable cost. If I were a dealer and the part was easily accessible I'd make a point of heavily greasing every one before it went out the door (since they're the ones that will have to replace it when it corrodes out....).

Aren't boats and motors fun?


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## LLeone (Apr 8, 2015)

> For smaller outfits finding the bucks to produce everything in stainless (that needs to be in stainless) and still make a profit -that's the hard part.  What you actually have isn't a design flaw at all it's called a production shortcut....  Until it's widely known about  and every owner is complaining they won't have a strong reason to  change.  Just guessing here but I'll bet most of their smaller motors are being used in freshwater.....
> 
> For anyone that owns one I'd imagine your first thing to do would be to order a spare and plan on replacing the part at a lot less than 100 hours service (unless you can get one machined out in stainless at a reasonable cost.  If I were a dealer and the part was easily accessible I'd make a point of heavily greasing every one before it went out the door (since they're the ones that will have to  replace it when it corrodes out....).
> 
> Aren't boats and motors fun?


Fun indeed....

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Tohatsu/Outboard/2014/MFS30B/BRACKET,%20PTT%20&%20GAS%20ASSISTANT/parts.html


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Wonder if this problem has anything to do with initial purchase price on a Tohatsu? 

By the way I can think of one other motor made offshore (in the major brand category - no, not a Yamaha or a Honda....) that you don't want to hear what guys that work on them have to say about corrosion issues....


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

And just for the irritation factor,
Stainless steel is produced in varying grades.
All corrode, some faster than others.


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## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

> Nothing floating in the punch bowl...
> 
> Just a realist.
> 
> ...


Truth


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I looked at the end of the pin on my 14 90 TLDI last night and it has a light coat of rust on it so now I'm concerned.   Got around 220 hours on it.


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## LLeone (Apr 8, 2015)

> I looked at the end of the pin on mt 14 90 TLDI last night and it has a light coat of rust on it so now I'm concerned.   Got around 220 hours on it.


Dev, Boats.net has all the parts.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

But they will be the same part and will rust again I assume.


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## LLeone (Apr 8, 2015)

> But they will be the same part and will rust again I assume.


You assume correct. But, it's the easiest option if you don't have the resources to have a stainless replacement turned.


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## pt448 (Mar 22, 2014)

It's been mentioned this is a Tohatsu part. Is it reasonable to assume the part is the same on the smaller Nissans and Mercs?


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## LLeone (Apr 8, 2015)

> It's been mentioned this is a Tohatsu part.  Is it reasonable to assume the part is the same on the smaller Nissans and Mercs?


I would strongly assume so. But, I can't say for certain as I don't have any firsthand experience with Nissans or small Mercs.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

An additional possibility for anyone that has a machine shop with reasonable rates would be to do a group order (particularly if that part is found on more than just one model -extremely likely that many models share a common lower unit...). 

If you have a good SS replacement on hand the problems caused by that inferior part should be a lot less....


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