First time for me and got bit.

[Way2slow]

I've been asking around for almost 10 years for a crankshaft for a 1996 Evinrude 130hp V4.  The couple I have found were either junk or more than I was willing to pay.

Because of the fact, they are very easily ruined from rust or engine damage, and unlike an automobile crank, they can't be ground and and undersized bearings installed and there is no reliable repair for one, I have never bought an outboard crank that I could not physically inspect first.

I've seen numbers of them on ebay at some stupid price or when you looked at them, they were junk.  The other day I happen to see one with advertised for $200 with free shipping and the part number of the one I've been looking for.  I looked closely at the pictures he had posted and the journals looked good, Soooo, for the first time, I decided to take a chance and ordered it.  Got it today.  It was not the crank he had pictured and was not even the part number it was supposed to be.    Not sure what it came out of but it was about half the size of the part number it was listed to be.  

This is a pick of the crank I sent the guy, sitting in the block it was listed to fit.  He say's he will ship another monday, have no I idea what that one might be.

 

 

[MN Fisher]

If you were smart and used PayPal - dispute it with documentation. They'll get your money back to you...eventually...and 'ding' him.

[Way2slow]

Oh, I use paypal and my paypal goes to my American Express for double insurance.  I've had a couple of serious issues with Paypal and AmEx has always protected me.  

Paypal and ebay are usually very good about the nickel and dime purchases but they both can try to screw you when there's a few dollars involved.  Been through that a couple of times.  That's why I have the money coming from AmEx.  They don't screw around with them, they get your money.  So far that has always been the case.

[CountryboyinDC]

In the early days of eBay this happened a lot.  My brother-in-law bought a racing motorcycle engine block from a seller that was well reviewed but then disappeared after taking his money.  My brother-in-law ended up being out a couple of grand after negotiating what he could out of eBay.  There has been a paradigm shift, and I believe that the quality of sellers increased on eBay.  The bad experiences I have with sellers misrepresenting their products are on Amazon.  

A used crank would be hard to buy online, but when they're scarce as hen's teeth, what are you going to do?  I hope that guy just has somebody pulling parts that made a mistake, and you get that one soon.

[Way2slow]

I got shipping notification on the replacement crank.  Scary thought of what I might be getting after this first one. He is apparently one of those that just post a picture of a like part that is not the actual part, no telling what's going to show up this time.  I don't have much faith in it being a good crank, or even one that fits.  There is an early and a late version, with bunches of the early version around, but very few of the late.  The early version uses a different drive shaft length, so they don't interchange without changing drive shafts in the lower unit, or the whole lower unit.

If it's not good this time it's all going back.  He's supposed to be sending me a return shipping label for the first crank, I will just send both back with that label, and let the battle begin. 

I bought this motor years ago to put a little more power on a 17' Stratos.  Now that' I've pretty much decided to restore that old Stratos to a usable boat, I'd like to go ahead and put this motor on it.  Of course, when I get done, it will be closer to 170hp than the 130 it is.  Something that will push it to the mid to upper 60's

[J Francho]

You should be able to hammer that in. ?

 

I mean jeez, that's not even close!  Any idea what it's out of?

[Way2slow]

I'm thinking it's probably from one of the cross flow V-4's.  They are a lot smaller block than the looper V4.

[J Francho]

Well, I'm hoping it is just case of the seller having a lot of parts and just sent the wrong thing.

[Way2slow]

He has a name as a marine parts dealer, so, I'm hoping some of the hired help just sent the wrong item.  I do have little to no confidence in receiving a usable crank this time.

Crap!!, the flipping tracking number he sent this morning, is the same tracking number he shipped the other crank with.  So, now I don't think he has even shipped it.  fun, fun, fun.

[TnRiver46]

Might have better luck machining your own haha. I’ve tried running down rare parts before, nothing fun about it .

 

back about ‘09 all the local marinas were getting sick of me asking for stuff they couldn’t find 

[Way2slow]

It's not a part you can't find.  It's just a part I haven't been able to come up on within a reasonable driving distance from my house.  I'm not going to pay $500 for one and end up with the same BS I'm going through with on this one.  The price of this one with free shipping is the only reason I bit on it.  There's a couple on ebay now, one the seller claims is polished and looks like he media blasted it and wanting a stupid price for it.  That tells me has has probably ruined it because if you do any polishing on the journals, it's with 2,000 grit emery cloth.   It an outboard cranks journals are not pristine, it's not going in an engine I build.  Been doing this long enough to know what even the most minor looking flaw can do to one.

Then you have those idiots selling them cheap but are worthless.  One is on there now for around $266 pluse $26 shipping but look at the picture and you see one journal burnt, blue and scored.  Pure junk, don't know why people even list something like that.  

There has never been but one person I know of that could repair one and it not break later. He's dead.  There are a couple that claim they can, but I've never heard of anyone having one done that didn't break later, and it's not cheap.  Even with automobile cranks, once they weld up and grind down a journal, after re-heat treating it, they have a very high chance of breaking later, and they are no where near as hard as on outboard crank.

[Way2slow]

Well, FedEx just drop off a replacement crankshaft for the first one.  If fit the motor, but it will fit a trash can much better.  Rusted, total piece of junk.

[TnRiver46]

24 minutes ago, Way2slow said:

Well, FedEx just drop off a replacement crankshaft for the first one.  If fit the motor, but it will fit a trash can much better.  Rusted, total piece of junk.

Ouch