1995 Merc 90 Hp Rebuild

I have an opportunity to buy a 1995 Merc 90 hp with a bad piston.
I havent seen the motor yet so I dont know the extent of damage yet but I was told that the outer edges of the middle piston had pieces missing. I consider myself a better than average do-it-yourselfer, I've rebuilt car engines and a few small 2 stroke motors so I would be doing the repair myself. Can anyone give me some pointers on things to be aware of?
Can these cylinders be bored?
Also, in your experience, what would cause this kind of damage to the piston?
There is a guy on ebay selling rebuild kits for for this motor, pistons, rings, seals, gaskets, bearings etc. for $495.00 which seems reasonable.
Im told the motor is otherwise in mint condition, what is a fair price to pay for it?

Re: 1995 Merc 90 Hp Rebuild

Didnt get any replies so I thought I would simplify my question.
1995 90 hp Merc with bad center piston. Is it worth fixing? Whats a fair price?

Re: 1995 Merc 90 Hp Rebuild

If I was going to buy this engine, I would not give over $900.00 for it.
Reasons why:
1-What made cylinder fail??(fuel,ignition,mechanical failure)
2-Will block be able to be bored? Is block cracked?
3-Is rod/s or crank damaged?
Inspect it closely before commiting/offering any prices.

Re: 1995 Merc 90 Hp Rebuild

Thank you for the reply. I intend on paying 600 or less for it and that includes controls and guages. As with any 2 stroke engine failure it's critical to find the cause before you repair. The engine Im told has not been touched since the failure except to pull the plugs and look at the pistons so I will be studying it closely with an expensive borescope before commiting. If I buy it and find out it's too much work / money to fix I would like to flip it and get my money back, I hope thats possible.
Thanks,
Steve.

Re: 1995 Merc 90 Hp Rebuild

If that engine were run for a couple of minutes with a bad piston, damage to a main crankshaft bearing could have resulted.

I am just finishing a rebuild on a 1996 Merc V-6 150 Hp. I was running the engine WOT last summer when the engine gave an eerie sound. I immediately shut it down, pulled the cover and did a visual (nothing out of place, heads normal operating temp). It would not turn over.

My #4 piston was toast, the top of #3 was charred (found a broken fuel hose between the fuel enrichment valve and the carb for the #3 and 4 cylinders, causing lean mixture at the high RPM. Machine shop overbored .015 the #4 and #2 cylinders, the rest cleaned up and honed within OEM specs (#2 had a ridge set in the cylinder wall caused a defect in the piston - channel cut in the piston between the ring lands).

Mr repair costs, including macine work is $1200 (including an upgrade to Boyesen power intake reeds.

Good luck with your rebuild, and get going now! The shops will be filling up soon.