Customer Reviews

Outboard Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Repair

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm not quite sure what the reviewer from Raleigh, N.C. expected from this book. It is clearly not written with the intent of teaching you how to tear down and rebuild outboard motors. The editor's review above clearly says that. But If you are looking for a good common sense all-round outboard motor troubleshooting guide, then this book, combined with the specific shop manual for your motor, some moderately cheap test equipment (which you may have a lot of already) and anyone with a descent mechanical aptitude will probably be able to fix 90% of all the problems they will ever encounter with an outboard motor. The other 10% I personally will leave to the pros. It will also teach you how to avoid a lot of problems in the first place which is the biggest savings when your talking outboards. I am just a hobbyist, not a mechanic and this book has already helped me get two old motors back up and running and has been well worth its price to me. The book is well organized and is easy to understand. The author keeps things simple and down to earth and isn't trying to impress anyone with a bunch of techno-jargon. Sure the text could have been larger, maybe the pictures a little better, but hey what's perfect for everyone?

This is an excellent source of information. If you are a "first-time boat buyer" and are meticulous about the "health" of your boat, search no more! This is THE guide to use. This book is so filled with useful information that I've summarized parts of the book to create a maintenance guide for my boat. If you're not the type that likes to get your hands dirty, at least this book will give you the information to have an "intelligent" conversation with your mechanic!

This book says it all in plain english, has probably already saved me $2,000!! Anyone can follow these simple steps and eleminate the 100 dollar an hour service guy!

This book provides a thorough explanation of the workings of 2-stroke & 4-stroke outboard engines, with conscientious troubleshooting guides & meticulous maintenance schedules. However, it works best as a companion to the service manual (not the general Owners Manual, but the Service Manual) for your specific model. Consider the number of outboard engine types and it's easy to see that diagrams and descriptions included are necessarily generic. If you're the kind of person who likes to know the theory behind the black box before fixing anything, order this & the manual. If you just want to learn how to clean your carburetor, call your manufacturer & get the manual.

I'm currently enrolled in a two year program that will certify me as a marine technical specialist. This book supplements provided course materials and has also been used as a text in the class which covers all aspects of marine repair. Any questions that I have and forget to ask in classes are easily, or sometimes not too easily, answered by this book. The author pays strict attention to detail and doesn't waste space with words. He gets right to the meat and potatoes of the issues, procedures and general mechanics of maintaining, trouble shooting and repairing all aspects of the outboard motor. There aren't a lot of big, fancy industry terms that sound overly scientific. Each chapter is concluded with a few pages worth of review questions meant to pound the real important stuff into your head in a way that is easily understood. There is not one area of marine repair concerning an outboard motor that isn't covered here, from total rebuilds to simple maintenance. Top to bottom, front to back, this book covers the outboard motor completely and is a must have in any serious mechanic's toolbox.

Good intentions but no substance. If you own an outboard, you know that each size and brand are quite unique and generalizing the repairs of them is about as useful to an owner as a dry lake. This book is very small and it WILL collect dust or end up beneath a repair manual. Believe me.

Outboard Engines is a superlative introduction to Outboard Engines. The Chapters on 2 cycle and 4 cycle engines is fantastic.

The illustrations are large, excellently drawn, and abundant, and these complemented by equally abundant photos.

From the opening chapter, you get the sense that this Edwin R. Sherman really knows his mechanics.

The book proceeds quickly into the distinctions between 2 cycle and 4-cycle engines, proceeds through breaking in a new engine, routine maintenance.
Thereafter, the author breaks the analyzes the engine according to its basic systems.

In reading over Boating Magazine's Outboard engines, I found the book to be very excellent for the person who wants to try to learn about their outboard. Now if you need specific info. than you need to get a service manual for your particular engine.
On the whole I thought the book was well illustrated and done by very knowledgeable writer(s).
I highly recommend this book for a novice boat engine owner.

The book is very helpful, especially for diagnosing motor problems.
This book combined with the specific repair manual for your year,make model is all you need.

Great book with indepth explanations and step by step troublshooting procedures. Lots of Illustrations and techniques. Easy to follow tips and techniques. A pleasure to read. Written from the novice point of view.