gtfireftr and Strecker25: Here is the abbreviated version of the Port Engine saga:
The port engine was replaced in 2011 after an exhaust riser failed; went with a Jasper short block (we'll call this Engine Port#2).
Piston #4 of that engine fractured 6 months after the engine was installed. Jasper refused the warranty claim, so the local shop paid for a replacement Jasper engine (we'll call this engine Port#3), installed in October of 2011.
The head of that engine failed two years later (2013), and was repaired. The lower portion of the engine was assumed to be ok. I agreed to pay for head work.
Then in August of 2014, the engine failed (rocker stud failed, causing the #5 piston to go through the wall of the block; so many engine shards in the bilge!). It was a long process of finding a new mechanic, determining failure, attempting to work with insurance, and proceeding with repairs. In the investigative process, we discovered that the engine has been significantly over-bored, which is not normal for marine engines. I wonder about the background of that engine that the local shop paid for. From an insurance standpoint, BoatUS paid for the investigative process, but since the failure was deemed mechanical, I was left with paying for a new engine (calling that Port#4).
I went with a long block Mercruiser. The base warranty is less than Jasper, but Mercruiser has an extended warranty program (less than $300 for an additional two years). I hope to not need it.
I'm sorry to hear that. Insurance can be so frustrating. The fact they didn't cover an engine failure because it was deemed a mechanical failure. What other kind of failure do they expect an engine to have. That block failure must have made some serious noise!
Makes me not mind paying the ~2k to do riser/manifolds this year though. I'd rather shell out the cash then have to deal with one of them letting go mid july when we want to be on the water.
Good luck the rest of the way, I'm sure you sleep better with a new merc under the hatch.