BAD NEWS 1998 250 OX66 WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

[can129]

I TOOK MY BOAT IN FOR A MAINTENACE CHECK AND INDICATED THAT I HAD A SLIGHT OVERHEAT PROBLEM AT LOW RPM AND I HAD NOTICED BUT DID NOT MENTION TO THE DEALER THAT I HAD SEEN LOW RPM AT FULL POWER 4600 RPM AT FULL THROTTLE.

I WAS TOLD TODAY BY MY DEALER THAT #1 CYL WAS GOUGED AND NEEDED REPAIR. I HAVE IT ON MY 1998 GULFSTREAM. I AM TORN AS TO WHAT COURSE TO TAKE. REPLACE POWER HEAD, COMPLETE REBUILD OR REPLACE MOTOR. IF I REPAIRED WHAT LIFE SPAN SHOULD I EXPECT?

I WOULD PREFER TO REPAIR AT A LOWER PRICE ALTHOUGH I DO NOT HAVE A ESTIMATE YET (WILL KNOW TOMORROW). DOES ANYONE HAVE A "WAG" AS TO THE COST. FOR ANY OF THIS SERVICE

IF I REPLACE THE MOTOR SHOULD I GO WITH A YAMAHA 250 4 STROKE OR LOOK AT THE SUZIKI 300 HP. I KNOW YAMAHA HAS THE NEW 300 BUT THE PRICES I HAVE SEEN MAKE IT UNREASONABLE UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN OUT A FEW YEARS.

 

[georgemjr]

Depends on how bad the gouge is, and how bad the mechanic wants to gouge you. I had similar problem on a 1990 OX66. My friend (Yamaha certified mechanic) went in through the carb, disconnected the piston from there and replaced the piston. I had to replace the head as well since it was damaged when the piston let go. Put it back together and the compression was within tolerance, boat ran perfect for 10 more years until I sold it.

 

[fishingFINattic]

If it was me, I would hang a used OX66 of the back-
I personaly have never had good luck with rebuilding any motors, ever-

Tim

 

[jellyfish]

I would re-power with a good used one or if you are going to keep the boat get a 4 stroke.

 

[Parthery]

Ed's has a demo 250 HPDI for $7500 on their website, and it has a year of warranty. If its never been registered to an individual owner, I believe it would be eligible for YES coverage as well.

As long as its had the updates, and has warranty coverage, it might be worth looking into. These motors got a bad rap, but most of the issues have been fixed. And, you could use your old controls, gauges, etc... and save some money.

 

[Patsy Mac]

I had an overheat issue last year on my 1998 OX66, and burned up a piston. Sleeving was not an option as it was already rebuilt once, 1600 hours. I had a powerhead installed off a trade in motor (200 hours) for approx. $5500, and put 100 hours on it this summer, and am happy so far.

 

[chillintime]

You've received several good ideas already. I'll just add my 2 cents as I'm going through a rebuild currently and can give you some hindsight-based advise.

If you are fond of 2-strokes (as I am) the OX66 is one of the best. Depending upon the overall condition of the motor - the hours are low, well maintained and all that AND you have a shop you trust (that a biggie) - you very well might come out ok with a rebuild. If it has not been rebuilt before and the other cylinders are in good shape, the one scored cylinder can be oversized and you'll be back on your way. This should be the lowest cost option, but anytime you tear down one of these - it's not cheep - there is alot of labor involved.

A new power-head will set you back about $5k plus labor and used power-heads go for about $2-3k (again plus labor).

Whether you rebuild or replace the power-head, you simply must service the oil injection and the fuel injection to insure these are operating up to spec (low oiling or lean fuel mixtures are killers - often showing up as single cylinder failures).

That $7500 HPDI might be a very good solution for you. I have a 2005 one that has never given me a lick of trouble (yes, it has all the updates and I run ring-free and yamalube). And it's very good on fuel - I consistently get 2.0 nmpg from on-plane to WOT. If I was seriously thinking about a new power head, I'd definitely go this route instead.

But, then again, I'm more handy than I am loaded with cash, so I'd probably rebuild it. Everyone looks at this a little differently it seems.