Post I did not want to make (2024)

Well since Rock decided to actually make this post, I'll fill in my side. He told me he would "flame me" on here if I didn't help him.

I'm the guy he traded with.

My side of the story:

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Last fall I picked up a new to me 1997 Triton TR21 from FB Marketplace. The guy I got it from got it from Auction. It apparently came out of Texas. When I got it, it didn't run. I did a compression check before I bought it and it was good. The started worked just fine for that. I figured with good compression the rest is easy to work with, so I bought it.

I got it home and found a bad switchbox. I swapped it out with a known good switchbox and the motor ran well. I put a 25M prop I had, on it and the boat struggled to get on plane, but would push that 21 foot boat 67mph. It was a prop I had, so I ran with it for the time being.
If the motor ran poorly, it sure fooled me. A 200hp 2.5 pushing a 21 foot Triton Bass boat to that speed isn't running poorly, and it idled just fine. I can add a video if anyone would like to see it.

I started asking questions on a thread here last fall asking about bolt patterns and things to try to understand the differences between the 3.0 and the 2.5. Along the lines of if I found a 3.0 would it drop onto a 2.5 midsection. The resounding answer was no.

Rock reached out and said he was looking for a 2.5 and had a 3.0 he rebuilt that he would trade.

I told him flat out that I had just gotten the motor and it ran well, but I knew nothing about it beyond the switchbox repair I had made. I didn't have a scan tool to see what hours or anything like that. I had simply got it running and checked the timing.

I sent videos and pictures to be sure he wanted to do the trade. He did. At this point I had the motor a total of 3 weeks. We set up the trade for a Saturday. I live in Southern MN and he's in central Illinois.

I had a work event on the lake the Friday before. I sent him videos with 3 of us on the boat cruising around the lake. I finished my work event, went home, pulled the motor off and put it on a poorly made motor stand on my Brother in law's trailer. I never had an issue with the starter, right up to THE DAY I pulled the motor off and put it on the trailer.

I left at 4am to make the trip.

I arrived at his place mid day and we made the trade. He has a running stand and I figured that he would for sure want to put the motor on the running stand. I even asked if he wanted help pulling the motor he had on the stand off to put the trade motor on. He said it wasn't needed.
We even used the threaded flywheel tool to lift the motor with his forklift and put it on a regular engine stand.

I again told him all that I knew about the motor and we talked for a couple hours. He then had the 3.0 225 on a pallet and loaded it onto the trailer with his forklift. He didn't have a lower unit on it, but had another blown up 225efi (non opti) sitting there. I asked him if I should pull that lower off, and he said no he was getting rid of junk and loaded the whole thing onto the trailer.

I strapped things down and away I went.
I got home and installed the motor. I did find a couple things wrong (TPS, a group of ground missing the bolt, and 2 sensors not plugged in) but once I got those fixed it ran pretty good. First start sounded like one hole didn't have compression, but he said he had rebuilt the whole thing, 5 old pistons with new rings, honed and one cylinder was bored with a new oversize piston and rings. After I ran it up to temp and let it cool a couple times the compression on that cylinder is good. I did the break in last fall and it has been running good since.

Yes he did message me here asking about parts and my phone number. I gave him my number and we talked. He explained what was found. I'm not sure how I would have ever noticed the welded flywheel, I never messed with the Timer base or the Stator. I also told him the starter worked fine the day before I drove it down to him.

I did tell him what I have for parts, and he declined a flywheel, timer base, and 16amp stator that was on my other 2.5 when I got it. I had upgraded that motor to a 40amp stator so I had the 16 amp I could send. That motor I sold with my old boat, but the new owner didn't want the spare parts. He said he wasn't looking for money, just "to be whole" with the deal.

I do have a set of reed cages, but they are attached to another blown up motor that is buried in my shed. I haven't had time to dig it out and get them yet.

I told him ALL of this on the phone when we talked just a short while ago.

I understand that he is upset, and I do plan to get him the reed cages as quickly as I can, but I also have a day job, kids and 2 part time jobs. I told him that this wasn't going to happen quickly. I also told him that I would keep my eyes open for other parts and IF I could find them I'd let him know. He said there was no rush, but he would appreciate it.

But here we are. Now everyone knows both sides. I assure you that IF I knew that was the condition of the motor I wouldn't have done the trade. I have been nothing but totally honest through this whole thing. I apologize that it happened, but I can only do so much so quickly.