On Sun, 28 May 2006 08:07:37 -0400, "Reginald P. Smithers"
wrote:

JohnH wrote:
On 28 May 2006 04:40:06 -0700, "El Penguini"
wrote:

Are these the best responses the Internet has to offer? I was looking
for some real help, not this crap.

You may have gotten the best answers available from those who were up late
last night or early this morning. Some of the actual mechanic guys may not
be here until later. Don't get upset (too much) with a few 'smart assed'
replies. The knowledgeable folks will (hopefully) weigh in later. Some
folks don't visit the group on weekends, some folks are smart-asses, most
here don't know much about Yamaha 4-stroke engines, and there is a small
percentage that *may* have an idea to help you diagnose the problem.

You may have already received the best advice - visit a Yamaha shop and see
what (chips, etc.) you may have burned up.

Good luck. You've got my sympathy, if nothing useful!
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************


While there were some jokes along the way, as you pointed out,he really
did get the only advice anyone can give over the Internet.

Harry, Lost, Joe and even John gave this guy really good advice, he just
was not able to understand it. If he thought their responses were crap
he obviously not only does not have the equipment or the skills to
repair the OB, but is obviously new to Usenet if he found these
responses offensive.

" Time to visit the Yamaha shop and have them check what you burned up!"

Right. Maybe the computer module. Take out a 2nd mortgage right away.
:-( And, don't tell your wife what you did.

Next time, have your wife connect the battery.

Crap? You motor has an electronic ignition module, which mechanics will
call
"the computer". Just about everything else in the motor involves fat wires
which were not likely to be damaged. Chances are very good that a repair
shop can test the ignition module. If you want to get back to boating more
quickly, you'll take that next step. Otherwise, you can whine and search
the
web for the next week or three. It's up to you.


You have a modern outboard motor heavily dependent upon electronics.
When you tried to start the motor with the battery polarity reversed,
you probably damaged some circuitry in the motor, possibly the computer.
You probably are going to need diagnostic equipment and the skills to
know how to use it to fix it. If you don't have the gear and the skills,
you're going to have to seek out a competent outboard repairman.

Suggestion: put a dab of flame red nail polish on the top of the PLUS
terminals of your batteries and on the exterior of the clamps on the
PLUS cables of your wiring. Next time you mess around with the battery,
terminals and cables, if you don't see "RED" everywhere, stop what you
are doing.

Good morning, Sir Reginald.
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

"Rick" wrote in message
...
You might be able to buy a computer module on E bay. If that is the
problem then you just fixed it. If not sell the module back on ebay.


Possibly, but I'm wondering what's involved in testing it first. The module
for my motor runs around $300.00. When I bought it used from the dealer, the
module died during the first hour of testing. It took less than an hour for
them to change it, but I suspect that if it hadn't been under warranty, they
still would've charged an hour's labor. So....re-sell the module on e-bay
and lose how much? Or, maybe not. Or, take it to the dealer and get it over
with. It all depends....

More coffee....

"Reginald P. Smithers" wrote in message
...
JohnH wrote:
On 28 May 2006 04:40:06 -0700, "El Penguini"
wrote:

Are these the best responses the Internet has to offer? I was looking
for some real help, not this crap.

You may have gotten the best answers available from those who were up
late
last night or early this morning. Some of the actual mechanic guys may
not
be here until later. Don't get upset (too much) with a few 'smart assed'
replies. The knowledgeable folks will (hopefully) weigh in later. Some
folks don't visit the group on weekends, some folks are smart-asses, most
here don't know much about Yamaha 4-stroke engines, and there is a small
percentage that *may* have an idea to help you diagnose the problem. You
may have already received the best advice - visit a Yamaha shop and see
what (chips, etc.) you may have burned up.

Good luck. You've got my sympathy, if nothing useful!
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************


While there were some jokes along the way, as you pointed out,he really
did get the only advice anyone can give over the Internet.

Harry, Lost, Joe and even John gave this guy really good advice, he just
was not able to understand it. If he thought their responses were crap he
obviously not only does not have the equipment or the skills to repair the
OB, but is obviously new to Usenet if he found these responses offensive.

" Time to visit the Yamaha shop and have them check what you burned up!"

Right. Maybe the computer module. Take out a 2nd mortgage right away.
:-( And, don't tell your wife what you did.

Next time, have your wife connect the battery.

Crap? You motor has an electronic ignition module, which mechanics will
call
"the computer". Just about everything else in the motor involves fat wires
which were not likely to be damaged. Chances are very good that a repair
shop can test the ignition module. If you want to get back to boating more
quickly, you'll take that next step. Otherwise, you can whine and search
the
web for the next week or three. It's up to you.


You have a modern outboard motor heavily dependent upon electronics. When
you tried to start the motor with the battery polarity reversed, you
probably damaged some circuitry in the motor, possibly the computer. You
probably are going to need diagnostic equipment and the skills to know how
to use it to fix it. If you don't have the gear and the skills, you're
going to have to seek out a competent outboard repairman.

Suggestion: put a dab of flame red nail polish on the top of the PLUS
terminals of your batteries and on the exterior of the clamps on the PLUS
cables of your wiring. Next time you mess around with the battery,
terminals and cables, if you don't see "RED" everywhere, stop what you are
doing.
Reggie

I agree. A friend of mine has two stupid dogs who chewed a wire harness to
pieces in his John Deere tractor. He found the dogs trying to squeeze their
heads under his Jaguar next. Why he didn't kill them is beyond me. But,
another friend and I arrived at that moment and did the right thing: Offered
him a beer, the use of one of our handguns, some smartass comments which he
understood as being the traditional first way of addressing mechanical
issues. This is normal.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Rick" wrote in message
...
You might be able to buy a computer module on E bay. If that is the
problem then you just fixed it. If not sell the module back on ebay.


Possibly, but I'm wondering what's involved in testing it first. The
module for my motor runs around $300.00. When I bought it used from the
dealer, the module died during the first hour of testing. It took less
than an hour for them to change it, but I suspect that if it hadn't been
under warranty, they still would've charged an hour's labor.
So....re-sell the module on e-bay and lose how much? Or, maybe not. Or,
take it to the dealer and get it over with. It all depends....

More coffee....

I'd be wary of a "used" outboard electronics module for sale on eBay.

Yeah. For some purchases, I want to be able to walk back into the place of
business and make trouble, very loudly if necessary, when the place is full
of customers. Luckily, this is hardly ever necessary.

Harry Krause wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Rick" wrote in message
...
You might be able to buy a computer module on E bay. If that is the
problem then you just fixed it. If not sell the module back on ebay.


Possibly, but I'm wondering what's involved in testing it first. The
module for my motor runs around $300.00. When I bought it used from
the dealer, the module died during the first hour of testing. It took
less than an hour for them to change it, but I suspect that if it
hadn't been under warranty, they still would've charged an hour's
labor. So....re-sell the module on e-bay and lose how much? Or, maybe
not. Or, take it to the dealer and get it over with. It all depends....

More coffee....


I'd be wary of a "used" outboard electronics module for sale on eBay.

If possible, I try to do my online business with a store that actually
has a brick and mortar store also. It is too easy for shysters to come
and go too if all they have invested is a web page.

--
Reggie

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

"El Penguini" wrote in message

Are these the best responses the Internet has to offer? I was looking
for some real help, not this crap.

CRAP??!! I think not. Given that you already overlooked the big "+" and
"-" signs embossed on the battery, and you already overlooked the [probable]
fact that one big fat cable is RED and the other big fat cable is BLACK, my
immediate sense would be that the most timely and valid advice available
would be to henceforth have someone else work on the engine. Nothing
personal -- just reality. Many people who are adept with things mechanical
probably couldn't do your job intuitively, either.

"El Penguini" wrote in message

...... Surely, someone at Yamaha is smarter than me, and
said, "if El Penguini loses his mind and reverses the battery, we
should make it a $0.50 repair instead of a $500 repair."

Why should the manufacturer subsidize the foibles of amateurs? I'm sure
there are warnings and stickers all over the engine and manual to the effect
that only qualified professionals should mess with this stuff. The folks at
Yamaha, and others, know intuitively that for some mistakes, the repair
will be $500, and no amount of anticipatory design engineering will change
that.

I'm sorry, but you guys are idiots. I've never received such poor help
on a newsgroup as I have here.

On 28 May 2006 09:37:52 -0700, "El Penguini"
wrote:

I'm sorry, but you guys are idiots. I've never received such poor help
on a newsgroup as I have here.

Did you heed what I told you? No.

I'd be surprised, now, if anyone *did* offer to provide more help.

To call someone an idiot, because they can't completely diagnose your
problem over the internet, seems to be the height of 'idiocy. If you, sir,
are right there and can't diagnose your problem, what, pray tell, does that
make you?
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

El Penguini wrote:
I'm sorry, but you guys are idiots. I've never received such poor help
on a newsgroup as I have here.



You get what you paid for!