I purchased my first boat last summer, a 1995 BW Rage 14' Jet with a 115 HP OMC Turbojet. The boat had not been run for at least 8 months.<br /><br />There were numerous problems to fix before I ran it the first time. The only "major" repairs I made were to rebuild the starter and turbojet (new bearings and corrosion-proofing).<br /><br />When I finally did run it, I cooked the number 4 (port side lower) piston in about 40 minutes of operation. The piston got so hot it melted on the exhaust port side, with signs of pre-ignition. Note that I ran a rich fuel-oil mixture because I had verified that the VRO2 pump wasn't pumping any oil.<br /><br />I learned during this fiasco that the boat had not been winterized in the NE, and freezing had cracked the heat-exchanger manifold. I repaired that, spent about $700.00 rebuilding the power head (Wisco pistons, etc.), and took it out again, following the manufacturers break-in instructions to the letter.<br /><br />Well, the second running after the rebuild was a carbon copy of the first - I melted a brand new Wisco piston in #4 in exactly the same scenario as before, in exactly the same amount of time.<br /><br />I have it apart again, and I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong with it. I've had a local shop look at the piston, power head and reeds. They suggested my problem was old water deflectors and a double-firing power pack.<br /><br />I am a 4 cycle car engine kind of guy at the mercy of this money pit, and no one I have talked to can give me a conclusive diagnosis of this problem. Lots of theories, but no real answers.<br /><br />Any advice from any source would be welcome.
