30L bad engine

"I have a 2000 Bayliner Model

"I have a 2000 Bayliner Model 1954 purchased new. Followed the breakin and maintenance procedures completely. Changed oils and filters every year. Used Mercruiser lubricants. Last year heard a LOUD knock in the bottom end. Pulled the engine and found a bad rod bearing. Pulled the crank and all the bearings and crank were bad. Bought the parts to rebuild. Finished the tear down and found the camshaft lobes had been disintegrating. Three were almost round. Mercruiser says it's not their problem and GM says the same. The cam shaft was tested for hardness and failed. It was bad from the beginning. With 1000 hours on the engine, it can't be normal wear and tear. Has anyone else seen this problem. The parts are expensive and a new engine is expensive. I'm trying to prove to Mercruiser and GM they bear some responsibility."

"Unfortunately boat warranties

"Unfortunately boat warranties are not very robust and comparatively short lived. It's the nature of the beast. Hate to say it, but I think you're going to end up footing the bill. What kind of hardness test did you do?"

"Who did you talk to at Mercru

"Who did you talk to at Mercruiser? Ask for someone in technical, not warranty. Unfortunately for you, they have already documented your claim and anyone you talk to will be able to pull up the info you gave before. Technical is in Norman OK.

Have you checked out the oil pump yet?"

Sounds like an oiling failure.

Sounds like an oiling failure. You may have to spring for a long block. Too bad.

Jeff

"These guys are right Rob. It

"These guys are right Rob. It is an unfortunate situation, but your boat is 6 or 7 years old. If you had purchased the extended warranty, Mercruiser would be more willing to do something, maybe a "policy" longblock with you paying the labor. This would merely be a goodwill gesture and would never be considered on an engine with only a one year warranty.

Fortunatly there are some very good remanufacturers out there offering warranties longer than the original. Just be sure you use an installer who is just as good.

Good luck,
Rick"

"Thanks for your responses. I

"Thanks for your responses. I already figured I was going to foot the bill. I was trying to determine if any other owners had any similar experiences. Trying to see if there may have been a pattern of failures.
The oil pressure had always been good but for the rebuild I have purchased a new one, just to be safe. The hardness test on the cam was done by a local heat treater that has extensive experience with automotive and racing engines. He pointed out under magnification that the casting was very porous. The lobes tested from 43 - 54 on the Rockwell C scale. 43 is much too soft, which explains why some lobes had disintegrated.
I talked to someone at corporate in Stillwater, OK. I'll try for technical in Norman. Thanks again!"

"I have found these engines to

"I have found these engines to be very stout and reliable if maintained correctly. 1000 hours on a 2000 boat, did you ever shut it off? The industry average life of an engine in a freshwater boat is 1000 hrs service life. 500 in a saltwater boat. Many folks will say how much more they got but, the average is still the same. It would probably cost you more in court than to buy a reman long block."

"I may have the same problem w

"I may have the same problem with a 2004 3 litre. I started the engine after the winter and it started fine and ran for about 10 minutes then gave a small knock and stalled. I will be taking it to the marina, but I only have about 30 hours on this motor. If these engines are that stout and reliable there shouldn't be too much go wrong with them. This motor has only been serviced by the marina. The other thing is, if the engines are that good why are they only warranted for 1 year? GM warrants most of their cars for three and some for as long as 5. Are their marine engines inferior products?"

"[b]Are their marine engines i

"Are their marine engines inferior products?

No,....... But their Marine Products are Alot More Abused........."

"Mark, I would be interested

"Mark, I would be interested in hearing the results from the marina. We will be finishing the rebuild on my engine soon, and I am looking forward to getting back on the water. I also noted a recent post asking about correct oil pressure. The response was 20 - 60 psi. According to my manual 3 - 5 psi is normal at idle. I don't think that is adequate.
Boatrep1, I don't see how 1000 hours in 5 years is excessive. That equates to 8 hours per week for 26 weeks/year for 5 years. When I was younger, we would use a boat for waterskiing 4 or 5 hours per day for 4 or 5 days per week. That would wear out an engine in a couple of years. By the way, the 1000 hours was an estimate and is probably high. Also, I still have a 1972 Caravelle with the 2.5L 120 HP engine that is all original and it has way more than 1000 hours on it.
In March I sent a letter to GM Powertrain about all of this. To date, no one has responded. I would never again recommend anyone buy this product. In the future I'll be buying something else."

"Keep in mind that 3-5psi is f

"Keep in mind that 3-5psi is fine if there's higher volume getting to the valve train. However, a cam that fails a hardness test is still a bad part. Talk to a lawyer about this after talking to technical (they're in Norman OK). Keep going up the foodchain and if you're decent about it (keep reinforcing your frustration over the situation), they may fire up for some free parts and/or labor. I have seen it happen and have made it happen, it's just a matter of how the problem is presented, along with your idea of a remedy."