Has anyone heard of any potential engine issues resulting from the installation of a Stage 2 or Stage 3 Whipple upgrade ? Valve train and more specifically Pistons ? I've been told that the 700's don't have true forged pistons and could be a weak link.

If a 502 mag has forged pistons, I find it hard to believe that Mercury wouldn't have forged pistons in a blower motor

I don't think the NXT transmissions are too fond of the upgrade

My buddy has stage 3 on his OL. 200 hours, no issues.

He also had the stage 4 on his Donzi 600SCI no issues, made 840 on Sterlings dyno.

Ttt

Call Whipple Industries - they will tell you straight up if you have concerns.

The Merc 700Sci in a nice motor. It can be argued what all the weak links would be, but the springs would be on the top of that list. Whoever told you that that motor doesn't have forged pistons knows nothing, as they sure do. As stated above the NXT transmission is not to fond of even the stock 700 Sci let alone an upgrade, but it all depends on how you drive it. Alot of guys have done Dustin's 700 upgrades with great results. Its all about what your looking for and how much dependability you want. Anytime we want more speed, there is always a price to be paid.

I've heard of the transmission issues but only on the early ones. I thought it was rectified with the more recent Mercury updates to them.

I have a 700SCI/NXT with the Stage 3 kit. Every this was great for a couple seasons then I lost a coil with code on the computer. noticed the power loss and fuel in the oil. Replaced coil and changed oil. Engine seemed to run fine idling around the channel in Havasu. Got up on plane and power seemed to be back to normal for about 5 min. Looks like I ended up loosing a cylinder for some reason. Coil failure was on #2 but looks like I lost #5. Motor has not come apart yet. I have heard this has happened to a couple other people with the Whipple upgrade but don't have 100% verification on this. If anyone else has any information it would be appreciated. I am considering removing the kit when the motor is rebuilt.