**Please help** Buying '06 220 at dealership, they found oil leak

[boring86]

Hello all, and thank you for reading and replying. I was scheduled last week to pick up a low hour (179) SAN 220, and the dealer called the day before and said they found an oil leak on the oil pan, and that they had to pull the engine to replace the seal. I have reservations about this, and am concerned that 1) they are not a CC dealer, so they might not be familiar with Vdrives, alignment, etc. 2) I am worried about buying a boat that has had the engine in and out in general, I know in times past when I have worked on engines I usually end up with extra parts that I cannot remember where they go!

Also, do you have to pull the engine to replace the oil pan seal? Is this a common spot for an oil leak? I would hate to find out a week later it is a rear main. The boat is a 2006 with 179 hours, so it have been sitting a while is my best guess.

I appreciate all comments and thoughts!

[vanhanbr]

I don't think they would have pulled the engine if they weren't comfortable putting it back together. They could have tried to sell you the boat with a known problem. Just make sure you do a thorough test drive when they are done.

[DLafont]

I'm with vanhanbr, if they got themselves into doing something as involved as pulling the motor before the sale was 100% complete, they must know what they were getting themselves into. Also, since they decided to do this on their own, it's their responsibility if anything goes sideways. IMO, I see this as a good thing as service from a good dealer, be it a Nautique dealer or not, is worth lots of peace of mind.

[surroundsound64]

eh... I'd walk.

[ScooterMcgavin]

If the boat is clean and you like it, I'd go for another test drive in it and bring an independent certified mechanic along with you to go over the boat. Try and get the maintenance records and back history on the boat, where was it stored for all the times it wasn't being used, how was it stored when it was in use. How many owners has it had and try and get as much info as you can.I totally understand your reservations about motor being pulled and put back in.

[Neverenough]

If the boat is clean and you like it, I'd go for another test drive in it and bring an independent certified mechanic along with you to go over the boat.I totally understand your reservations about motor being pulled and put back in.

Good call^

[ally505]

I wouldn't be too concerned. It's more of an engine "lift" than an engine "out" as really all they need is sufficient room to remove the pan. My guess, quite a lot of the wiring, hoses could probably stay in place. The most critical thing will be engine alignment which is easy to check but as I am sure you know, not so quick to adjust.

[swc5150]

I wouldn't worry about it at all. As ally505 stated, they're just going to lift the engine high enough to make replacing the gasket easier. It's actually a good thing that they noticed it, and are taking care of it before delivering it to you. Sounds like a reputable dealership to me. Make sure they test it out before you buy it, and that they'll warranty their work. An '06 with such low hours, has obviously been sitting, so a gasket drying up doesn't entirely surprise me. If you haven't already done so, you could always have them do a compression check and print out the Diacom reading for you? The Diacom will tell you some good stuff, like if the engine ever overheated, and how many hours per rpm range, etc.