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Refurbished engine failure within warranty

A

AEZ

New member
I had one of my twin inboard 350 engines replaced last June with a "new" refurbished block. All of the peripheral stuff the engine needed were switched from the "old" engine.
Now, within one year of usage...the engine had a total catastrophic falure. The engine manufacturer "FIRST MATE" is totally washing their hands and they have classified it as "ABNORMAL COMBUSTION AND DETONATION".
Thus, its NOT covered under warranty.
Has anyone had a similar problem..how was it resolved. I feel totally frustrated by this incident..since I feel I had no control over what has happened.
Please help with any info what so ever....

Thanks in advance:mad:
 
I can understand the frustration but can also see the point of the shop.

I'm an outboard guy and when I rebuild a motor for someone if they are not willing to pay to have their carbs at least cleaned (and possibly rebuilt) by me, other components checked/inspected and replaced if I think it's necessary, then their warranty only lasts until the motor leaves my garage and before it has been started.

Definately get a "second opinion" but if the motor did die due to "abnormal combustion or detonation", then it was one of your "old components" that caused that and even a brand new block from Merc or Volvo would not have survived if an old component was the root cause...
 
makomark said:
What does the shop that did the installation say?
Click to expand...


Actually, the mechanic has been the one person helping me all along. As of Friday, between him and I; we got the manufacturer to agree on replacing the engine. The mechanic's labor fee is half of what he originally charged me...but he will take what ever the manufacturer pays him....He was highly recommended to me...I guess he's as good as the person recomending him to me said he was....
 
galamb said:
I can understand the frustration but can also see the point of the shop.

I'm an outboard guy and when I rebuild a motor for someone if they are not willing to pay to have their carbs at least cleaned (and possibly rebuilt) by me, other components checked/inspected and replaced if I think it's necessary, then their warranty only lasts until the motor leaves my garage and before it has been started.

Definately get a "second opinion" but if the motor did die due to "abnormal combustion or detonation", then it was one of your "old components" that caused that and even a brand new block from Merc or Volvo would not have survived if an old component was the root cause...
Click to expand...

What components in an inboard engine could cause this drastic failure?
 
Exactly what kind of failure are you talking about? How did it fail? Is this a carborated or injected engine? I would would want to know exactly what failed and why. It's really hard to make a 350 totally fail unless something goes completely wrong with the timing (e.g timing gear breaks, cam shaft breaks, etc.), or it drastically overheats. The 350 is a rugged, proven engine and rebuilds are routine.

It's good that you are receiving a replacement, but still understand what failed and why.
 
The manufacturer claimed "unusual combustion and detonation".
The problem they had was that only ONE cylinder showed the before mentioned problem....the other cylinders showed "some" scoring, most likely due to the metal parts from the cylinder that detonated...mixing with the oil and getting into the other cylinders (mechanic's point of view)

The mechanic's determination was that if only ONE cylinder detonates and gets subsequently destroyed, then it has to be a manufacturing issue. If the timing is so advanced as to cause detonation and unusual combustion...then all the cylinders would have shown signs of it....not just ONE.

The mechanic believes that "maybe"...they used a Preston style seat....he has seen it fail before.....

The engine never overheated, thus the "heat tabs" were unremarkable.

This one is a hard one to diagnose....that's why I believe the manufacturer backed off their initial denial...and they are covering the engine failure....of course this came after I gave them all a deadline of when I was going to start litigation proceedings against them...they waited till the last minute to inform me of their change of heart....
 
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Anyone knows how to obtain engine manuals?
I have a pair of Mercruiser engines/ Straight inboards/fresh water cooled (350) (5.7ltr)(260hp). I have no manuals for them..I've looked on-line..no luck...
 
The factory manuals have shown on a few sites. If you know the year (+/-) it makes it easier to ID which manual is required.

Detonation, if real, is usually fast and fatal - no pinging, rattling, just that sudden change that make you say "Oh $H!T". Causes are fairly well known but not by a lot as real detonation doesn't happen very often. Single cylinder events are possible but the root cause drives the single vs multiple vs all failure mode.

Glad the parties involved have had a change of heart - hopefully, you'll still see some of the summer on the water.
 
makomark said:
The factory manuals have shown on a few sites. If you know the year (+/-) it makes it easier to ID which manual is required.

Detonation, if real, is usually fast and fatal - no pinging, rattling, just that sudden change that make you say "Oh $H!T". Causes are fairly well known but not by a lot as real detonation doesn't happen very often. Single cylinder events are possible but the root cause drives the single vs multiple vs all failure mode.

Glad the parties involved have had a change of heart - hopefully, you'll still see some of the summer on the water.
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Thanks you. I do hope to get some quality time in the water with my family after all this S#@t i just endured.
I will tell all of you that word of mouth recommendations are something to consider, when choosing a vendor...
The mechanic was highly recommended to me a few years ago by a fellow boater in the marina....he had done some work for this guy...
I have to say that Joe Cunningham from "MOBIL YACHT REPAIR" stood by my side all along.....and by tag-teaming the other parties involved...we were able to get this repair covered under warranty...
He's almost ready to re-install the new engine back on the boat...
 
makomark said:
The factory manuals have shown on a few sites. If you know the year (+/-) it makes it easier to ID which manual is required.

Detonation, if real, is usually fast and fatal - no pinging, rattling, just that sudden change that make you say "Oh $H!T". Causes are fairly well known but not by a lot as real detonation doesn't happen very often. Single cylinder events are possible but the root cause drives the single vs multiple vs all failure mode.

Glad the parties involved have had a change of heart - hopefully, you'll still see some of the summer on the water.
Click to expand...

Regarding the engine manuals....I"m having real trouble locating them...
I own a 28ft Mako...1989...with twin 350/5.7ltr mercruisers...straight inboards...with Velvetdrive trannies....as I read all the manuals available...i can't make heads or tails of which one to choose
 
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