As I'm researching for a new (or new to me) boat, i'm seeing lots of rebuilds on power heads and lower units. Not sure why so many are failing, but just want to be prepared if I decide to buy a used boat with no warranty. Please, NO OPINIONS on why they fail or don't, maintenance, or any of that stuff..just the actual cost to repair them. Motor will be between 200 hp and 250 hp. For you guys that have actually had one done (no guessing here please) OR you're a mechanic who does them...what's the ballpark cost?

3to5 Grand power head,500-3500 lower unit.

cost will vary 3500 to 10,000 on power head 1500 to 4000 lower unit. This is from having two power heads and two lower units done. Doing it yourself having a shop do the work new or rebuild. You can do everything right and still have the motor pop.

Accurate estimate from what I've seen. There are some insurance companies that will cover mechanical break-down of powerheads and/or lower units so shop around if you're not totally committed to your current provider.

Back in 2014 I paid 5,500.00 for a new power head and lower unit on a 2005 225 HPDI. now I think the price for just a new power Head is around 7 grand from the last I heard.

I had a blown powerhead 5 months ago and just last week bent a prop shaft so these are real numbers. Keep in mind the powerhead was replaced under warranty and the lower unit was replaced under insurance so these are numbers from that. The workorder for the powerhead was right around $7,500 for parts and install. The lower unit parts and labor was just under $5,000.

About 10 grand.

To me, it al depends on what motor you have and what lower unit you have. The newer the motor (typically) the more expensive the rebuild. Also more popular motors are cheaper that have been around for a while... like 2.5 merc parts are abundant... optimax parts are pretty common too. SHO is newer, more expensive parts and harder to come by. Lastly a huge factor is which mechanic you take it to. Big name places and dealers cost a lot. They�ll do good work but it�ll be fulllll price. A smaller joint will charge less. You can also in some cases opt to do an �economy build� where for example... I had a 225 optimax once. It had one ring hang from bad injector on that hole. The other 5 cylinders were totally fine. I opted to leave them be with only 300 hours on the motor and we just �one holed� it. I walked out for $1500 cash and that motor still running great.
To answer your question: a full rebuild will be 3,000-6,000 on most motors. Any more than that and I�m going somewhere else. Unless it�s something new like a SHO... don�t think those Powerheads are cheap. Lower units are even more diverse..... costs all over the place. 1000-5000. Just depends on what motor.

I had a 225hpdi rebuilt with a whole new block by Hydrotech up in Nixa Missouri (december 12th), it cost right at 7grand to have that done. If your block is not damaged they said about $500 less

96 merc 225 rebuild power head and trim rebuild was $4,987 a month ago.

Question ?
Did you disassemble the motor from the boat and deliver it to Hydro ?

Nope i drove it up there, they worked on it on the boat. Replaced all my fuel lines and filters while it was there as well as ran it in a tank for an hr to make sure it was working correctly... It actually cost closer to $6300 now that i looked at the invoice, i think my quote to have it done down here was 7grand so i opted to drive it up there and save $700. Matt Worthy and his guys did a great job, they walked me through what they did and even went through and checked everything else with me there to make sure it was correct. I can not suggest these guys enough, they did a fantastic job and it was done same day. (dropped off at open and was out of there at 3pm)

OK,,,,,no you guys have got me scared.
I have had real good luck with used motors ...... Yamaha OX66 150
But I am looking at an 06 Merc 225 Pro XS
??????
Lower units are not an issue with stump / lake insurance.
Can you get insurance on a used motor/power head ?

That i am not sure about, but what i can tell you is my blown HPDI was my fault. The fuel line was corroded and starving the engine of fuel, make sure you check everything you can think of yearly. Things can still happen, but that can really mitigate the risks if you truly take good care of the motor

you can pay for lower unit insurance. I hit a rock and needed a new one. The bill was $4300 with a new prop. I paid a $500 deductible.

So does anyone know of "extended motor" insurance on used outboards ?
Kind like buying additional mileage insurance on your car to cover break downs

You know, with 2strokes, and even 4strokes (but too a 5X lesser degree) it's not a matter of if it blows, it's a matter of when it blows... For now I've chosen to keep 04 225, I can replace seats, carpet, trailer, and power supply all together, or on a as need purchase, and pay CASH.
If big red blows the 225 HPDI, in excess of 1500 hours, we will strongly consider rebuild or replace..
One point of interest inline with this post, is I'm on my 4th lower unit. Average repair cost to me has been 250-300 dollars per event. Overal cost was average 4500-4800 and down without a boat from 2-4 weeks being the longest thus far... Service Marine has been the best responder to 2 lower units being replaced, in all case's.
I'll follow UTDmillers path and hit the road to Missouri, I'm not buying (ANOTHER )over priced boat this late in the game... If I were younger, maybe, maybe not... It's gotten ridiculous, knock your selfs out....
Thanks UTD...

No problem, while they worked on my boat i drove over the Branson to check it out (had never been there before, just a 30min drive up the road from nixa)

Wayne & Matt Worthy are great folks. They souped up two of my old Yamahas and made them FLY! Very dependable power from Hydro-Tec.

One of the best deals going for a warranty on an older motor is the coverage that Progressive has. Its around $40 per month or so. I have not used it yet, just heard about it recently. Covers motor breakdown.

Cost of rebuilds are in line with comments above in my opinion.

Regarding UTDMillers experience with Hydrotech..........Most on this forum have a good opinion of Hydrotech.
But it strikes me as high considering the new block or rebuild was $6,300 or so with one day of labor?
If shop rate is $100 per hour, that is say $800. Parts cost $5,500?

Don't get me wrong, I would probably do the exact same thing but good grief the parts side of this equation sounds rich.

Well they had to build the block prior to me getting there. Since its an 05 hpdi they are no longer in production, i would guess there are much more than 8hrs involved in labor. It took them about 2 weeks to be ready for me to drive up there so they could do the swap... obviously some of that is ordering and waiting on parts

I'm not an expert by any means on high end rebuilds. But, it is my understanding their rebuilds surpass new factory builds by a long shot.. Run longer & stronger... Shoot I'm all about that, I like to bump that 70 + every now and then, I won't deny that one bit, "when conditions are perfect" slight ripple on top, 65 'degree water, not another boat in sight between big 515 & 2946 I love that little run...

Dude, you went south. Don't get me wrong, if you have never b3en to Branson it is something to see. But just north is Springfield the original and the motherload-Bass Pro Shops national headquarters. Now that's a sight to see.

The number 1 issue on a HPDI motor is fuel issues that blow the power head. See if they can provide service documents of the last time ALL the fuel filters (I think There are 7 on a HPDI) were changed and the high pressure fuel pump was rebuilt and serviced. It�s about 400$ to replace the all the filters and should be done every 100 hours. Most fisherman choose to avoid this cost. The high pressure fuel pump should be rebuilt at 250 hours, and many ignore this as well because their boat is running great why spend 800$ to rebuild it.

When I bought My last used Skeeter I had Both these things done and never had a problem. It�s something that gets over looked because people can�t afford to do preventative maintenance to the degree those HPDI�s need.

That's all true.. You can now alternative Wic filters that are the same, I change some not all, every spring...mostly the only ones that touch the fuel first, the deeper ones later on.. It'll keep it running and running. Great advise...

If it's a Mercury product look up Mike Kernan, his company is Classic used boats. Check with Mike, he has a smoking warranty deal he sells on Mercury motors.

YES a warranty is an additional 3 years if I remember correctly, but Yamaha does not extend beyond.

Powerhead cost me an arm and a leg cuz I traded it in on a new boat. (2007 HPDI)
Lower unit on the new boat was 4K, speaking from experience.

I just had to replace my lower unit, on a '07 Merc 225 Pro XS (3.0 lit, or ). The choice was near $7K from Mercury, or from a Dist., for $4,400. (incl. install, water pump, oil).

I just paid $4200 for a Torquemaster Lower unit for a 300 promax Mercury wanted $6200 for it got from Texas outboards in Ft.Worth

There's no need to be worried if it was taken care of. Have a mechanic run a diagnostic test on it to see the history.

I know you "didn't want opinions" but that's just how it is.. If it's been taken care of, don't stress about it. Get it, enjoy.