2005 RXP-Hole In Center Piston

[Wild Thing]

Greetings members! I am new member as of today but am returning to the sport after selling my two beloved 1996 GSXs in 2005. I have an opportunity to buy the above Sea Doo but will not be able to look at it until later this week. I have previous experience swapping engines in and out of PWCs. The owner told me that the engine was running fine and then it would only run on two cylinders. Upon inspection, he discovered a hole in the center piston. It has 170 hours on the clock. I would appreciate your thoughts on the following questions:
1. What causes this type of problem and how can it be prevented in the future?
2. What types of trouble shooting/diagnosis should I perform when I inspect the Sea Doo?
3. Should this engine be repaired or should I buy a rebuilt from SBT?
4. What other parts should be replaced while the engine is out?
5. What special tools are needed to complete the repair/replacement?
6. Did Sea Doo issue any service bulletins or warranty recalls for this problem?
7. Has there been any litigation involving this problem?
Thanks for your assistance!

 

[PWCdoc]

3. Should this engine be repaired or should I buy a rebuilt from SBT?
QUOTE]

Rebuild it yourself if you can. It's a much better proposition.

 

[sporsterjoel]

1) Has this motor been taken apart?
2) what the spark plug from the bad cylinder look like?
3) Ive heard that 2004-2005 4-tec sc "could" have bad valves witch could be what happend to it. Its not a recall but if its a dropped valve bug the **** out of them to replace the motor. Theres lots of documentaion of this on the web you just half to look for it.
4) NEVER I SAY NEVER buy a 4-TEC motor from sbt. A factory SC 4-tec motor has forged piston, SBT uses there own cast pistons. Youll blow it befor you can say goats cheese.
5) not sure if you would be able to rebuild but it will depend on the damage. If its apart take some pic and post them.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Hole?

There are probably a few things that could make a piston burn through.

If a fuel injector begins to gum up or slow it's atomized burst to a point it was leaning out,........it would over heat the piston at the plug location and burn a hole through.

If the timing had been retarded a bit, that might cause it.

But, without looking it over with my own eyes, it would be hard to make an educated guess as to what happened.

Oh, .........I don't know anyone who has used SBT for their 4-TEC engines but as everyone who knows me, knows I've used their 2 stroke engines on more than one occasion. So, since they aren't here to speak up for themselves about the facts of their pistons composition, I thought I'd look into it a bit.......The following is a paragraph from their site on their piston replacement policy........

SBT offers the first piston to be sold with a LIFETIME WARRANTY against defect. Our pistons are cast using a high-silicone-content alluminum, and anodized on the top surface to increase the operating temperature range and retard normal wear. SBT's rings are made of chromium-plated ductile iron and are included along with all new wrist-pins and c-clips. The piston and ring sets are available in an assortment of oversizes to accommodate your needs.

:cheers:

 

[PWCdoc]

Sorry snipeman, I'll never ever use an SBT motor, or part, in anything whether 2 or 4 stroke.

 

[sporsterjoel]

Dont buy SBT 4-tec there junk. I do care what anyone say a cast pistion wont last long on a boosted motor. There's a reason they come with forged pistons from the factory:cheers: The NA 4-tec come with cast piston from the factory and the supercharged motor comes with forged pistion, if the didnt need them then why would they use them???

 

[seadoosnipe]

I can't disagree.....

I can't disagree with either of you. I've never bought a 4-TEC from them. But, I have made many core changes on the 787, 717 and 657. Only had one that was below standard and they honored their warranty. So, my experience with them has been good.

I have heard from other members though, that their experience had less than a happy ending. So, I must have been one lucky buyer........

I guess I've always liked the idea of someone who puts a "guarantee" on what they sell, though sometimes, thats no guarantee (unless you take them to court). :cheers:

 

[sporsterjoel]

I can't disagree with either of you. I've never bought a 4-TEC from them. But, I have made many core changes on the 787, 717 and 657. Only had one that was below standard and they honored their warranty. So, my experience with them has been good.

I have heard from other members though, that their experience had less than a happy ending. So, I must have been one lucky buyer........

I guess I've always liked the idea of someone who puts a "guarantee" on what they sell, though sometimes, thats no guarantee (unless you take them to court). :cheers:

:agree: i think there 2 stroke stuff will get the job done but 4tec are very high performance motor so if sbt used factory oem part then i say buy form them but they dont for the price of a rebuilt sbt you can get a used motor.