Drummer Posted September 26, 2020 Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 Yesterday, after returning to the dock after a 20 mile recon mission, my brother's 115 Yamaha 4 stroke on his MA17 started making a jingling sound, fortunately at idle. We shut her off and removed the cowling, only to find several ball bearings lying inside beneath the power head. We cranked her up again and she spit a bearing aft. We immediately shut her down. As it turns out, the timing belt tensioner had a catastrophic failure. Luckily, we killed the engine before she killed herself... a few hundred bucks and she'll be as good as new. 750 hours BTW. It pays to listen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavisIslander Posted September 26, 2020 Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 Agreed! My late father (engineer) hated to have the radio on in the car or anywhere that an internal combustion engine was running. If you listen to your engines they will "tell" you how things are going. Great post and very true! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted September 26, 2020 Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 In my 5 year stint in the Coast Guard spending all of it, except basic and "A" school, on cutters, I worked in the engineering department and it is amazing how adept you become to the sounds of the engines, you know when something is not right. You want to wake up an entire engineering department in the middle of the night, just shut off the engines and watch them all jump out of bed and call the engine room asking what's wrong! Even today in my job I walk by my mechanical room (chillers & pumps) and know immediately if something sounds out of the ordinary. So yes; listen to your engine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted September 26, 2020 Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 10 hours ago, Drummer said: Yesterday, after returning to the dock after a 20 mile recon mission, my brother's 115 Yamaha 4 stroke on his MA17 started making a jingling sound, fortunately at idle. We shut her off and removed the cowling, only to find several ball bearings lying inside beneath the power head. We cranked her up again and she spit a bearing aft. We immediately shut her down. As it turns out, the timing belt tensioner had a catastrophic failure. Luckily, we killed the engine before she killed herself... a few hundred bucks and she'll be as good as new. 750 hours BTW. It pays to listen. Dave, I had the exact same experience with my F150 Yamadog back in 2007....on the way back, she was making a "ticking" noise...turned out to be a major problem, covered under warranty and we replaced the entire powerhead....engine had about 550 hours.... Yep, I could always tell when she was talking to me dc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplec Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 Whew these new engines shouldn't do that yikes. Every time I think its time to repower the 24 year old I read one of these threads and think...nah...lets wait...those 6 cylinders still sound mighty sexy. IMG_6224.MOV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawg Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 DavisIslander. I had to laugh when you mentioned your father-in-law and radios. I'm in the bad habit of listening to NPR when I drive, and those boneheads have a habit of blending in low volume irregular background music as they transition in and out of broadcast programs. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly pulled to the side of the road to check what the hell was making that strange sound in my truck. Eventually I learned to turn off the radio whenever I hear an unusual sound. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyG Posted September 30, 2020 Report Share Posted September 30, 2020 Based on the boats I see these days with 500 watts of custom stereo pumping thru 14 on board speakers.......I don't think those folks are listening to their engines. lol 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted September 30, 2020 Report Share Posted September 30, 2020 500 watts will barely push the sub many systems can easily get to 2000+. you can't here yourselsf talk muchless the bearings squealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradM Posted September 30, 2020 Report Share Posted September 30, 2020 2 hours ago, smilemaker said: 500 watts will barely push the sub many systems can easily get to 2000+. you can't here yourselsf talk muchless the bearings squealing. I feel attacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummer Posted September 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2020 Stereos on fishing boats are illegal I hear. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lap it Up Posted October 1, 2020 Report Share Posted October 1, 2020 Like others have said... This goes for all kinds of engines old and new, small or large. My father taught me at a young age to listen to engines. He is also the best carb tuner i know. Everything from Nitro RC models to lawn equipment to vehicles and all terrain toys. Listening and knowing what your equipment is telling you can save you lots of money in repair bills. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyG Posted October 1, 2020 Report Share Posted October 1, 2020 18 hours ago, BradM said: I feel attacked. It's "offended" Brad, you feel offended. lol To each is own I suppose. I just bought a used skiff and the previous owner (nice young man) was VERY proud of the new stereo he had installed. I patiently admired it with him, drove home, and immediately installed a battery cut-off so it wont add any drain on the battery. I'm sure my son will use it, but I probably never will. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradM Posted October 1, 2020 Report Share Posted October 1, 2020 2 hours ago, RockyG said: It's "offended" Brad, you feel offended. lol To each is own I suppose. I just bought a used skiff and the previous owner (nice young man) was VERY proud of the new stereo he had installed. I patiently admired it with him, drove home, and immediately installed a battery cut-off so it wont add any drain on the battery. I'm sure my son will use it, but I probably never will. Pulling more double duty...Actually more sandbar and lake days than fishing days now, our boat has to be both fishable and provide tunes. So much so that the subwoofer enclosure I made is removable and is a direct swap with the cooler seat. More often than not, we take our son to the sandbar or lake with our friends and it's nice to be able to have some tunes. Back on topic, I agree! My dad was a machinist, mechanic and a professional drag racer. I grew up in the shop, garage and pits. My uncle, his brother, was the same, but rather than drag race cars, he raced moto-x. I've built hundreds of v-8's, mostly small block Chevy's, as that's what I liked when I was younger. I always walk out to my vehicle taking notice of the ground under it; is it wet, is it from me, what color is it and what does it smell like? The same with noise, what kind? Is it deep, faint, ticking, knocking or clunking....increase or decrease with speed? Wheel bearings or any other noise can be echoed or reflected off a wall or fence row, too. Drive down a stretch of buildings or fence and determine the sound and try to reproduce it in the driveway. Do any of you ever take your cowling off and listen to the engine while at the dock? How about check temps.? What's the normal temp. for your hubs while on the road? So many things can be done as preventative mait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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