My 175 HP 1997 Ocean Runner froze up over this past winter due to salt water damage from super storm Sandy. This is my first ever rebuild and have followed the manual all the way. The motor had been previously rebuilt a few years ago and I'm guessing it has less than 100 hours of run time since then. The only damage was the lower crankshaft bearing (froze solid). All 6 pistons were clean an no signs of wear or carbon. Following the manual, it says if the pistons are removed from the cylinder bore then replace the piston rings.....so I ordered new rings and have just discovered they don't fit into the piston grooves. The new rings are approximately .020" thicker than the existing rings. The online supplier has agreed to the return but has no answer to the correct P/N. At this point I am very tempted to reassemble the powerhead using the existing pistons (with the rings still in place). What is the downside if I do this???? I did deglaze with a 240 grit flex hone (no balls). I'm rather sure I have cast aluminum pistons vs. the drop forged type, but should they not use the same ring??? There must be a reason for the two different thicknesses. Any and all comments and suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
