I just replaced the crank on my 2003 Viper, and if it wasn't for the issue I had with the rebuilt crank it was a lot of fun. Thank to MrViper700's help, the sled is up and running really nice.
I'm going to disagree with your mechanic, most of the work was taking the motor out and putting it back in. The link is below to follow the thread I posted if you're interested. By the way, how does your mechanic know the crank is toast, it's really hard to tell unless there was catastrophic failure?
It also sounds like your looking for an excuse to buy a new sled......I did at the end of last season when my crank exploded. Nothing wrong with this, don't feel guilty at all, but once you have the new one, it might be worth tinkering with your SRX, nice machine.
http://www.totallyamaha.net/forums/threads/99058-PTO-Cylinder-Not-Firing