Ranger520vx Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 Hit something with my 225 Yamaha the other day bent the prop shaft and broke a tooth off of the pinion gear. Insurance said they won't rebuild it they will just replace with a reman. lower unit. Question is has anyone ever ran one of the SEI lower units they are new and cheaper than reman. with 3 year no fault warranty. Just wondering if they are any good.
Ranger520vx Posted March 3, 2018 Author Posted March 3, 2018 After doing some research online looks like they honor their warranty but quality may be an issue especially on bigger motor.
fishinwrench Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 I have installed several, but I made the customer buy them and have them shipped to me so I didn't have to fight over return/replacement if there was an issue. As far as I know there haven't been any problems. All but one was on low use pontoon applications though.
Ranger520vx Posted March 3, 2018 Author Posted March 3, 2018 Thanks for the reply fishinwrench reviews are all over the place. Some people have had no problems but a lot of people have had had them fail 3 or 4 times during the 3 year warranty period. I'm sure you know they are made in China. Few things I'm not crazy about they are not painted only in primer so won't have baked on finish and not crazy about the low rpm 10 hour break in period. Would rather spend more for a good reman. Than be down all summer messing with a cheap aftermarket unit that keeps going out.
fishinwrench Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 I pulled the bearing carrier on one to inspect the gears and thrust bearings before filling it with lube, they don't use factory gears (they are either GLM or some other aftermarket gear sets) and the gears were still coated with cosmoline or some other kind of rust inhibitor. Seals are put in with what looks like weatherstrip adhesive (which is fine I guess). I was taught to clean that rust inhibitor stuff off before installing gears.... but I don't know that leaving it on would cause any problems. Shifting by hand doesn't feel as smooth as the ones I rebuild myself but other than that they seem fine. I would definitely recommend taking it easy on it for the first couple hours, then change the gear lube. Ranger520vx 1
Ranger520vx Posted March 4, 2018 Author Posted March 4, 2018 Hey Wrench what kind of price can you get on a good reman Lower unit. The motor is a 20" shaft Yamaha vx225TLRZ 2001. Or if you think it would be cheaper a rough idea of what you would charge to rebuild mine. I know for sure it will need the usual bearings and seals. Then will need a complete gear set and prop shaft. You can call me if you would rather 660-679-1417 thanks.
fishinwrench Posted March 4, 2018 Posted March 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Ranger520vx said: Hey Wrench what kind of price can you get on a good reman Lower unit. The motor is a 20" shaft Yamaha vx225TLRZ 2001. Or if you think it would be cheaper a rough idea of what you would charge to rebuild mine. I know for sure it will need the usual bearings and seals. Then will need a complete gear set and prop shaft. You can call me if you would rather 660-679-1417 thanks. Looks like about 2650.00 after shipping and tax. Plus about 250.00 for a water pump, lube, and installation. SEI lists one for 900.00 It doesn't sound like I can rebuild that one for much less, but I'd have to look it over to be sure.
Ranger520vx Posted March 4, 2018 Author Posted March 4, 2018 Yeah that's what I was thinking after pricing parts that couldn't rebuild it for much less than a reman. Thanks for the information I seen the SEI for $900 but done a lot of research online and just not sure I can bring myself to buy one. I think I can get a lot better quality with a good reman. or bite the bullet and get a new oem. I may be wrong but I pulled wrenches for 20 years for ag dealers and find it hard to believe I can buy a quality brand new Lower unit for half what it would cost to rebuild mine.
fishinwrench Posted March 5, 2018 Posted March 5, 2018 16 hours ago, Ranger520vx said: Yeah that's what I was thinking after pricing parts that couldn't rebuild it for much less than a reman. Thanks for the information I seen the SEI for $900 but done a lot of research online and just not sure I can bring myself to buy one. I think I can get a lot better quality with a good reman. or bite the bullet and get a new oem. I may be wrong but I pulled wrenches for 20 years for ag dealers and find it hard to believe I can buy a quality brand new Lower unit for half what it would cost to rebuild mine. Yeah, some corners are being cut somewhere. Whether it's somewhere that matters....ya never know. My thoughts have been that they are probably fine for pontoon applications, but I'm not ready to slap one on a bassboat .....and stand behind it. Having to box up and ship a lower unit back for a warranty replacement is a PIA, and then you know they'll just say that you hit something, or used "incorrect lube". I ain't got time for fighting about that crap Ranger520vx 1
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