Outboard Help: answers from our technicians

Yes. We are a fully mobile outboard repair service and come to your boat anywhere on Oʻahu: harbor slips, moorings, boat ramps, private docks, and boats on trailers at home or in storage. Most work is done with the boat in the water, so there is no need to haul out or tow it across the island.

All of Oʻahu, island-wide, with no travel fee. That includes Honolulu (Ala Wai, Kewalo Basin, Keʻehi Lagoon), Hawaiʻi Kai, Kāneʻohe Bay and Kailua, the North Shore (Haleʻiwa), the Waiʻanae Coast, Ko Olina and Central Oʻahu. We do not serve the other islands.

All outboard brands: Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, Honda, Evinrude, Johnson and Tohatsu. We work on two-stroke and four-stroke engines, carbureted and fuel injected (EFI), older mechanical engines and modern computer-controlled ones, from small kickers to twin and triple 300s.

No. We work on outboard engines only. We do not service inboard or sterndrive engines or personal watercraft (jet skis), and we do not repair trailers. If you are not sure whether your job fits, send us a request and ask.

We do not have room to park boats, so we always come to the boat. An outboard that is off the boat (a spare or loose engine) can be dropped off at our shop; we text you the drop-off time and place.

Yes. We follow the engine maker's factory service procedures and torque specs, use factory diagnostic software where the engine supports it, and use OEM (factory) parts or parts of equal quality unless you ask otherwise.

Hawaii Outboard Repair has served boat owners on Oʻahu since 2025.

Services and repairs are quoted at a flat rate: one labor price that covers the job, with parts and fluids listed, agreed before we start. It does not go up if the job takes longer. Flat prices are based on our $200 an hour labor rate with a 1.5-hour minimum, and there is no travel fee anywhere on Oʻahu. Repairs are quoted after we find the cause. See Rates & Policies.

Flat rate. Every service and every approved repair is quoted at one flat price before we start, and that is what you pay, even if the job takes longer than planned. The diagnostic visit is a set $300 that covers up to 1.5 hours at the boat.

A diagnostic visit is $300 and includes up to 1.5 hours at your boat, with no travel fee. On newer engines we connect the factory diagnostic software and pull the fault codes and engine history. If the fix is simple and fits in that time, we often do it right then. If parts or more time are needed, we send you a quote first.

No. We do not price repairs until the problem is diagnosed, so you never pay for parts you did not need. The first step for an engine problem is a diagnostic visit. After that you get a written quote, and nothing more is done until you approve it.

It depends on the engine, its hours and which service is due. Send us the make, horsepower and hours (a photo of the serial tag is best) and we send you a flat-price quote in writing. Oil and gear oil are billed by the amount your engine takes, plus a small shop supplies and oil disposal charge.

No. There is no travel fee anywhere on Oʻahu.

Yes, 10% off for schools, educational programs and nonprofits.

Payment is due when the work is done. We send an invoice link by text or email, and you can pay by card on our secure payment page or pay cash. Hawaiʻi general excise tax is added to quotes and invoices. We never take card numbers over the phone.

Request service online at my.hawaiioutboardrepair.com, or call or text (808) 824-4380. Tell us your name, the engine (make, horsepower, hours), where the boat is and what you need. We reply with a quote and book the visit by text.

Your name and mobile number; the engine make and horsepower (a photo of the serial tag is best); the engine hours; where the boat is (harbor and slip or mooring, or the address if it is on a trailer); what you need done; and access details like gate codes, locked docks or where to park.

Visits are usually about a week out, sometimes longer in busy times. We text you the first available time once your request is in. If parts must be ordered, they usually take about a week to reach Hawaiʻi, and we book the visit when they arrive.

On a small silver or white label on the clamp bracket, the part that holds the engine to the back of the boat. A phone photo of that label tells us the exact model and year, which means the right parts the first time. If you cannot find it, our tech will get it at the visit.

No, as long as we can get to the boat at the booked time. Tell us about gate codes, locked docks, harbor rules or covers ahead of time. Our tech calls when on the way, and you get a service report with photos by text when the work is done.

Yes, we still work in light rain. Let us know if the boat is under a cover or carport.

Often, yes. Many problems are found and fixed during the diagnostic visit. When parts are needed, the usual pattern is a first visit to diagnose, then we order the parts, then a return visit to fit them.

At least once a year. Most engine makers call for service every 100 hours or once a year (some every 200 hours). Because every engine here runs in warm salt water, our standard is a full yearly service every 200 hours or 1 year, whichever comes first, with the water pump impeller replaced each time, plus the maker's 100-hour service if you run a lot of hours. A new engine also needs its first (break-in) service, usually at 10 to 20 hours. Your engine hours tell us which service is due. See 100-hour outboard maintenance.

In Hawaiʻi we replace it every year or 200 hours, whichever comes first. Factory manuals vary: of the 166 we work from, 64 only say to inspect it, 50 say to replace it at 300 hours or more, 33 at 200 hours and 19 at 100 hours. In warm salt water the rubber vanes take a set and crack, and a worn impeller is the most common cause of overheating. See when to replace an impeller.

On a four-stroke: engine oil and filter, gear case oil with new drain and vent plug gaskets, a new water pump impeller, the spark plugs and fuel filter checked or replaced as the maker's schedule says, thermostat and anodes checked, grease points done, and the propeller pulled so the shaft can be cleaned and greased. On engines that support it we run a computer scan for fault codes. Every service ends with a report and photos. Exactly what is done depends on the engine and its hours.

Yes. Outboard makers call for a fresh water flush after every use in salt water. Salt dries into crystals inside the cooling passages and blocks them, which leads to overheating. Use the flush port or flushing muffs as your owner's manual describes. See how to flush an outboard.

Yes. Engines that sit often have more problems than engines that run. Moisture gets into the fuel and the gear case, fuel goes stale and gums up carburetors and injectors, and corrosion keeps working whether the boat runs or not. A yearly service catches these before they leave you at the dock.

Milky or creamy gear oil means water is getting into the lower unit, usually past a worn propeller shaft seal, shift shaft seal or drain plug gasket. Have it fixed soon: water in the gear case rusts the bearings and gears. We pressure and vacuum test the lower unit to find the leak.

When they are worn to about half their original size. Anodes (zincs) corrode on purpose so the engine does not. Never paint, oil or grease them, or they stop working. In Hawaiʻi's warm salt water, check them at least once a year.

It depends on the model. Our engine service guides list the engine oil and gear oil type and quantity, spark plug and service schedule for over 160 outboard models, taken from the factory service manuals.

It can. Most pump gas has up to 10% ethanol (E10), which draws in moisture and can separate in the tank, especially in Hawaiʻi's humidity. Keep fuel fresh, use a fuel stabilizer if the boat sits, keep the water-separating fuel filter changed, and keep the tank vent clear.

The most common causes are a weak battery, corroded battery cables or grounds, the safety lanyard not clipped in, the engine not in neutral, and fuel problems such as a soft primer bulb, a closed tank vent or bad fuel. If those check out, a diagnostic scan finds sensor and electrical faults quickly. See why your outboard won't start.

A weak or missing tell-tale ("pee") stream usually means a blocked tell-tale hole, a worn water pump impeller, a stuck thermostat, a blocked water intake, or salt built up in the cooling passages. Throttle back and check it right away: running hot can damage the engine. See outboard overheating.

An outboard alarm warns of overheating, low oil pressure, low oil level (on oil-injected two-strokes), or a sensor or engine fault. Slow to idle, check the tell-tale stream and the oil, and do not keep running at speed. Many engines also cut power to protect themselves. A diagnostic scan reads the stored codes. See outboard alarm beeping.

Usually a fuel restriction (clogged filter, soft primer bulb, stuck anti-siphon valve, bad fuel), a fault that put the engine into its protection mode, an ignition problem, or a damaged or spun propeller. See outboard losing power.

Rough idle and stalling are most often fuel related: varnish in carburetor jets or fuel injectors after the engine sits, water in the fuel, a clogged filter, or an air leak. Worn spark plugs and faulty sensors also cause it. We clean carburetors and injectors ultrasonically and test injectors on a flow bench.

Check the battery and the trim switch first. If the motor clicks or hums but does not move, it may be a relay, the trim motor, or low trim fluid. Most outboards have a manual release valve so you can tilt the engine by hand in an emergency. We test the circuit and fix the cause.

On hydraulic steering, stiff or loose steering usually means air in the system, old fluid, or worn seals. We flush and bleed hydraulic steering at the boat. If the seals are bad we order parts and come back. Grease in the engine's tilt tube and swivel bracket also helps.

Often it is a blown fuse, a corroded connection, a battery switch, or a weak battery. We trace boat electrical problems that affect the engine and console, such as no power to gauges, pumps or the radio.

Yes. On engines with a computer we pull a full engine report: total hours, hours broken down by RPM range, overheating events, low oil pressure events and stored fault codes. That shows how the engine has really been used. We also check compression, the lower unit oil, corrosion and how it runs. See buying a used outboard.

We do not usually have used outboards for sale. Tell us the size and shaft length you want and we will let you know if one comes up.

my.hawaiioutboardrepair.com is where you request service, see quotes and accept them, confirm appointments, pay invoices, and see every service report for each engine, with photos. It works in any web browser with nothing to download.

No. Type your mobile number and we text you a 6-digit code. It must be a mobile number that can receive texts.