1997 Mirage Sport 175, overheated engine

[cmriscin]

The 175 V6 engine on my Mirage Sport overheated last year and ingested saltwater. The spark plugs were rusted a few days later when the dealer was checking it over and am pretty sure one or both of the heads are warped. The boat and trailer are in nice condition for its age but I'm confused about what my options are. In running condition, the boat is only worth 5k-6k, and to fix is about the same as its worth. Any suggestions would sure be appreciated.

 

[Stomp10]

Welcome to JetBoaters @cmriscin!
So what was the dealer diagnosis last year?
At $5k it sounds like replacement of the engine, but not clearly stated.
If the rest of the boat has 'good bones', is It worth it to you to have the engine replaced?

For myself, I had always owned prop drives until I came across my current Sugar Sand.
I really like the simplicity of the jet drive and for me, if anything major came up, there would be no question what I would do. I would replace the engine, if that is what was called for, but I had already made this commitment at the time I bought this boat last fall.

But I think we need more information from you as to what kind of expectations you have for the repair.

Are you planning on holding onto this boat?
What kind of condition is the drive in? We need to know if your drive components are still in good shape or not.
Are the impeller to wear ring clearances still tight?

Even if the drive components are worn, it still wouldn't be a game changer for me if the rest of the boat still had 'good bones', but that's just me.
@Blkrvrbart replaced the engine in his Sugar Sand over the winter last year and documented his entire replacement completely here on this board at the thread titled "2001 Tango Engine Swap."

So, please share with us your thoughts and feelings as you move ahead on this project.
There are lots of knowledgeable folks here with probably a hundred years or so of combined boating experience at least.
We will do our best to help you out anyway we can.

 

[snowguru]

If the motor goes in these boats the only way it is worth fixing is to do it yourself .to pay someone and buy a motor is not worth it in my opinion , I my self buy blown up boats and fix them, it takes time but I love it.if you want to do it yourself get a service manual and go for it I am sure you can get any questions answer buy guys that have done it

 

[Chuck Buck]

Great points above by Stomp and Snowy!

Putting myself in your shoes, CM, I’d weight the pros and cons:

A) Choosing not to fix it means either practically giving it away or scrapping it – same difference.

B) Fixing it means investing cubic dollars. Before I did this, I’d ask myself:

• Do I absolutely prefer this model/year, or is there something else that better fits my needs now?
• Can I get it fixed within my budget with no “surprises?”
• Besides fixing the engine, what else honestly needs repairs?
• Would I be happier to just buy a new boat? Or maybe something used?
• Buying something used means buying someone else’s [unknown] problems. Am I up for this?

To me, all boats are compromises. I’ve owned a closed bow I/O and a cuddy cabin I/O. I am so DONE with the whole I/O thing – the weight, the complexity, the winterizing, the 3’ draft, the dinged props, the outdrive hanging out way beyond the swim platform, etc., etc., etc. Originally seeking a clamp-on ski boat, I accidentally found my Mirage, and while a jet is a whole ‘nother ball-game with regards to low-speed maneuvering (translation: they ain’t none neither), I find this boat attractive, fun, light, simple, nimble, and safer for the kids. If, God forbid, I needed an engine, I’d probably buy a short block or take mine to a local machine shop and do the rest myself. But that’s just me since I refuse to back down from a mechanical challenge. You may feel this is beyond your skill level, and I completely understand, but with a crankshaft lifting eye and a come-along, I could pull this 205 pound engine using a tree branch if I had to. I’m quite certain just the bare blocks of my two previous I/O’s weighed more than double this figure.

Yeah, two-smokes are gas pigs, but I’m not burning 300 gallons of fuel + oil each season, so who cares and so what. Up here, in the Water, Winter, Wonderland, Sugar Sand boats are pretty rare, and the well-kept ones that do come up are priced accordingly. I like the layout of my Mirage, and while it’s got less storage space than my other boats (there’s that ugly “compromise” word again), overall it’s pretty versatile.

So there you have my opinion, and in 400 words or less. YMMV. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Blkrvrbart]

I was fortunate enough to find one for less than $600. The boat was in excellent shape except for the blown motor and broken throttle bracket. I really like the layout of this little boat, the fact that it’s a jet (because I had a Mercruiser outdrive before this one and rebuilt that and it was the worst experience in my mechanical ventures), and the research I did before deciding on a Sugar Sand instead of a Seadoo have all helped me decide it was worth the work to put in a rebuilt motor. Plus I didn’t want to put in all the work with a used motor. It was a $1200 difference between used with 200+ hours or brand new remanufactured.

Another family had an overheated Tango 175 and decided to sell their Tango. They were able to get $800. Whoever bought it could potentially find a used motor and have about $3500 in it, or go new motor and have $5000-$5500 in it. It was also in exceptional condition except for the motor.

So I guess it comes down to whether you like it enough to invest the time and money, or you’re ready to “give it away” for a few hundred dollars.

I did add a bimini top and custom cover, but still have less invested in a six person boat than I sold my Seadoo jetski for. I plan on keeping this one until I’m done boating. The people I bought mine from wanted to wake skate which requires a big wakeboat with ballast so they were ready to part with the Tango. Wakeskating to a 42 year slalom veteran seems like watching paint dry. Whatever floats your boat, I reckon. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

 

[WREKS]

Did it overheat after running in shallow water?

 

[ASquires]

First time post...have a sugar sand jet boat with the Mercury 175 XR2 sport jet engine. We were cruising about 20 mph and the engine just locked up and quit. Will not turn over at all. Any advice?

 

[Stomp10]

Welcome @ASquires!
So, are these starter gear pictures after it locked up, and after trying to start it again, or did the starter gear jam like that somehow and now its stuck?

 

[ASquires]

When it stopped, it locked up that way, and now will not turn over, any suggestions on the next step?

 

[Stomp10]

Hmmm....
Be sure your battery is disconnected, shut off the fuel valve and loosen up the starter mount bolts enough to allow the starter gear to retract again. Then get a socket on the flywheel nut and see if you can turn the crank in the direction of rotation to see if its still stuck.
I'm hoping it still turns....

Don't get too crazy on turning it fast, if it still turns, try to get one full rotation by turning extremely slow.
You don't want it taking off on you while your turning it.
Extra saftey, disconnect and ground your spark plug wires too!

 

[ASquires]

Thank you for your help. I was able to loosen the starter mounts enough to get it loose under the flywheel gears. Unfortunately, the flywheel does not turn by hand and will not turn when I try to start the boat again. The starter gears get lodged in again. The flywheel is stuck solid, like the engine is seized, not sure what would have caused this to lock up without warning

 

[Stomp10]

Ouch! I don't wanna be the one to tell you this.....
It happens unfortunately.
See @Blkrvrbart 's post for 2001 Tango Engine Swap.
He did a great documentation on his.
Pictures in the beginning of the thread show how bad it can get.
He invested some time and money tho and has himself a top shelf boat now!

Just maybe you may get lucky and all that happened was you sucked up a rope or something and now its wrapped up around the impeller\shaft?
Did it make noise prior to dying?

 

[snowguru]

Oil pump let go most likely it happen all the time to these motors ,sounds like you were not going fast, hopefully there is no damage to the crank,just pull it out and rebuild it,the kit is around $1000, need to pull motor an inspect it before you go any further. I was running my boat Friday night and it overheated and locked up ,had to get towed in ,pulled the motor Saturday and found two stuck piston on Starbord side,clean out aluminum on cylinders and hon them ready for new pistons,order them yesterday

 

[snowguru]

 

[Stomp10]

Hoping and praying I get this season out of mine.....

 

[Blkrvrbart]

If it’s seized, you probably didn’t snap a rod and throw it through the block, so even if you have to get a rebuilt, you can possibly get your core money on your block and crank. Or have yours rebuilt by a reputable company. I’m still waiting to break mine in, but it’s ready to go. Check out my rebuild thread. Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

 

[ASquires]

Thank you for all your guy’s feedback, I will let you know how we turn out

 

[Bilmon]

It might have been mentioned already but check your pump and make sure you didn't suck up something that locked you up solid