Recall for some MerCruiser engines (Bulletin 2018-05)

[DCLfan]

I received a letter today from Mercury, with a date of August 10, 2018, headed "Official Notification of Federal Boat Safety Act Recall". It applies to some 4.5L/6.2L and 8.2L MerCruiser engines.

The problem is stated as "... an issue with the power-assisted steering pumps on some MerCruiser engines. The situation could lead to an overheat condition, which could lead to a fire." The notice also says "Do not operate your boat until the power steering pump as been inspected and replaced, if necessary".

They note that not all customers who receive the notice have the problem. They give a diagram that shows how you can tell. If the power-assisted steering pump pulley has windows, then replacement is not required. I've included a pic showing my pulley on a 6.2L, which apparently shows that my pump does not have the problem.

Look for your letter in the mail.

recall.jpg

[Driller]

Thanks for sharing this info DCL. I don't have a Mercury, but I'm sure a lot of the owners will appreciate the heads up.

[NautiGirl]

Thanks for the heads up DCL. Did they happen to mention years affected? I will have to take a look at ours next weekend.

[DCLfan]

Thanks for the heads up DCL. Did they happen to mention years affected? I will have to take a look at ours next weekend.

They did not. For the 4.5L/6.2L engines, the drawing with the letter I got is of the "new" Mercury-designed engine announced in 2014/2015.

[NautiGirl]

Cool thanks again.

[AsLan7]

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Great info DCLFan. Thanks for posting.

Btw, it is too bad Mercury/Mercruiser does not publish these service bulletins somewhere for the general public the way auto manufacturers do. I believe only the dealers & marine tech's have exclusive access.


Here is the CG site for boat manufacturer recalls. Link specifically to Cobalt recalls...

http://uscgboating.org/content/recalls. ... ton=Submit
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[DCLfan]

Agreed on not publishing the bulletins - and in the case of a recall, there is no reason to limit it to insiders. I was also unable to find this recall in the USCG recall data base listed under any of the mercury company names - though if this was just issued in the last two weeks, it might not be in the database yet. I like that Mercury was proactive and sent the letter, they could do better on searchable info on the web.

[estoglow]

Thanks for that information!! If you purchased your Cobalt boat with Mercruiser or VP, can you call respective dealers and get registered with your serial numbers and contact details, so you can receive bulletins in the future? or does this only happen for original owners?

Thanks,
estoglow

[DCLfan]

Thanks for that information!! If you purchased your Cobalt boat with Mercruiser or VP, can you call respective dealers and get registered with your serial numbers and contact details, so you can receive bulletins in the future? or does this only happen for original owners?

Thanks,
estoglow

I bought new, and the dealer apparently took care of registration and contact filing for me. Calling the dealer is a good idea, especially since the authorized dealer will be doing the recall work. If you don't get a warm fuzzy feeling that the dealer is going to pass on the info to Mercury, you can call Mercury directly to get on their list, the number here: https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/contact is the same one that was in the letter I got. Let us know which path you took, and what the response was. (I hate putting phone numbers in forums because they can change, and if I make a typo, nothing good comes of it on either end of the phone)

[NautiGirl]

Called up Lodders in Ohio, super nice as always. They were aware of the service bulletin and were able to determine we were not affected by our engine serial number. They did not give me years of engines in the recall, just said were not in it.