Freestyle Engine blew-10 hours into it- who is @ fault?

[ChrisFiore15]

Looking for some insight here.

Bought an engine, broke in properly, it was brand new from what I thought was a reputable place...
ran it for MAYBE 10 hours total including break in, and then it grenades.
Destroys everything. Not only the cases, cylinder, crank, pistons, but also my intake manifold, reeds, starter, etc.

Engine builder says its not his problem. Says its the cranks problem and not his..and is putting it all on me to pay for another engine from him...


... is it just me here, or does this not seem right?

 

[ChrisFiore15]

Edited.
Did not want to sound like i was blasting someone, and after re-reading, it sounded that way.

 

[SuperJETT]

How can the builder verify you ran the correct oil ratio, carbs weren't too lean, etc etc?

 

[raytherace]

Maybe you have to tell more details of what exactly broke on your engine ?

Maybe the ski sunk and ingest a lot of water ?

 

[XJCrawler]

pics of the damage?

 

[ChrisFiore15]

There are a lot of photos, I need to locate them though.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Since he specifically mentions the crank, what's the full story there? Did he recommend one brand and you went with another to save money? Did he spec and supply everything?

 

[Quinc]

Being you bought the engine complete and assuming you followed the builders advice as far as carb settings etc (Which I assume you did being it lasted 10 hours) I would say the builder. But
if the crank or a piston failed would it still be the builders fault or the piston/crank manufactures fault?

 

[raytherace]

the connecting rod broke. SBT crank.

 

[Captain PegLeg]

No hate to any engine builders at all by this comment.............. This is why I pay good people to port, and all the parts I will need to reassemble, then I reassemble myself. Because I am very picky about reassembly, I re torque probably ten times at least, but when I rebuild it, there is no question on if it was reassembled correctly or not. Sometime builders do it for a living and get "comfortable" and sometimes some tiny detail can be overlooked. And I am not blaming the builder by any means for this blown motor. I am simply stating what I do.

Ride a bunch of different motors and pick the builder you like, then pay them for the porting ect, then build it yourself. (if you have the knowledge and tools)

 

[raytherace]

SBT answer about the rod problem.

"No we don’t cover damages – What were they doing when the rod broke? We typically don’t see that type of failure on a 2 stroke crankshaft – There is usually a problem in the motor itself, hydro lock, lack of oil etc. Rods just don’t break themselves, we use the same crankshafts to build all of the 701 motors. If there was an issue with our rods we would see massive warranties."

 

[ChrisFiore15]

Speaking of carbs, the carbs came with the engine, from the builder!

As for the crank, yep a rod broke, no water, no nothing, its in a full length superjet too, so that thing never went upside down etc.

So, that all being said, is it the builders problem to go after whoever they bought their BRAND NEW parts from?
How is the customer supposed to go after a company, when the customer never bought the part from the company in the first place?
is it the customer that is supposed to just cover the 100% of damaged(totaled about 2000$)? and eat it and call it a day?
Should the engine builder help the customer cover the expenses, then the engine builder can take care of going after the crank MFG themselves?
Just questions i have at the moment.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Way too many variables and no way to prove anything and like mentioned above, the crank builders won't cover damages anyway so there's nothing to go after. Quite a few OEM's don't even offer warranty on brand new products right off the showroom floor.

Some builders might offer to help with pricing on building up another in good faith but I don't believe that to be an expectation at all. A lot can happen in 10 hours and they would go broke if they blankly covered off every problem. This is why the more experience builders usually only recommend OEM parts. Because they know the failure rate is lower and therefore less risk to them and their customers.

It's unfortunate and a hard pill to swallow. Sorry man.

 

[raytherace]

SBT wont cover it. I sold you the engine at my cost price since you helped me a lot in the past. I rebuilt the engine for you also at my cost price to give you a hand. I did not even count my 8 hours of my time I took for you on that.

 

[Big Kahuna]

If I am not mistaken, SBT has a no fault warranty on the crank. They replace the crank......... Period. Your own your own on any repairs. This is an extreme sport when it comes to the wear and tear on the motors.

As for your comment about it being a full length superjet. That is BS. My full length SJ goes upside down into the water all the time. I even stuffed Gil's Superjet into the water upside down. Did not suck water in....... Have I sucked water in and destroyed a crank, you bet your ass I have......... And it was my fault, not TLR's who ported my motor, or Yamaha who built my motor.......... Or myself who installed my old crank in new cases after the starter boss broke off..... It was my fault for the way I was riding........... 10 hours? I am gonna say water intrusion most likely. Or something dumb like stuffing a paper towel down the carbs while working on the ski with the carbs off and forgetting to remove them when you put the carbs back on. Yes, I have done that also, but got lucky........ but that could also snap a crank rod

 

[IS0LD0UT]

You probably can get sbt to warranty the crank but thats about it. Sux that you had this happen.

 

[Big Kahuna]

I like that SBT helps support some of the rides. But honestly, You get what you pay for. OEM only.

 

[raytherace]

We built those 850 as a cheap alternative to go Big Bore. Retail of these engine are 3100$CAD with SBT crank. We have sold many in 2 year. The first one is still running. We had problem with 2 other engine, but not big problem, only piston damage due to water intrusion.

SBT covered the crank without a question. That not the problem. He want me to pay to rebuilt all the engine, he said that Im faulty. Like everybody said, who know what really happened before the rob broke. I live 8 hours from Chris, I never met him or rode with him. At the way he talked to me over facebook ealier this morning, i dont feel anymore to give him a hand with that. The engine is all rebuilt and ready to ship and now he does not want to pay. We discussed about all that about 8 month ago and never he asked me to cover the damage. I guess now he is broke and does not have money to pay me, he want me to cover it. I have sold close to 30-40 SBT crank since im in business. I had 2-3 crank who broke, and only one who broke a rod, this one.

 

[Vumad]

How would a grenaded crank be the builders fault? Melted pistons, case leak, etc, okay. But a crank failure is a crank failure. Sbt makes no secret of the fact that their warranty only covers their parts and work. Their cranks are know for a higher failure rate. Choosing not to pay the extra to have the upgraded was the dice you choose to roll. Not pointing fingers, I have a sbt crank too.

 

[Big Kahuna]

The Irony here.