04 Seadoo GTX LTD taking on water.

[sselzer]

I took my Seadoo out for the first time this season and notice it was taking on water. I found a few areas of concern and are looking for advise. I also notice the drive shafts one not center. I notice the gel coat was dripping when I put water in the hull. Please look at pictures and tell what to do. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rrm1387]

Looks like a hair line crack .is the one with the hole the water intake?

 

[sselzer]

Looks like a hair line crack .is the one with the hole the water intake?

Water was coming out the bolt where the bolt goes. Is that normal.

 

[sselzer]

Looks like a hair line crack .is the one with the hole the water intake?

What can I do about the hair line crack. I inspected the area and no crack is visible, just seems to drip out the gel coat. In a few areas.

 

[Rrm1387]

This is a little bit above my pay grade but I will try. Was this ski dropped? Hit an object in the water? Did water freeze in the hull.? I would try putting the ski in a dark garage put a really bright light inside and see if anything appears.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

the leak, I haven't seen that before i'll wait for others that might have seen examples but if its seeping out of the hull there is a reason for concern, the hulls absorb a lot of force/impact while riding.

That crankshaft.... its gotta go bye bye. no shame in ordering the SBT version, its a short drive for you.

ps...
If your in springhill, there is no "season" and we had a pretty warm winter, what took you so long to hit the water?

 

[sselzer]

Is there any sealant or some thing I can put on the bottom of the hull? Haven't hit anything, but bought the ski used 2 years ago.

 

[Rrm1387]

Water will flow to its lowest point. That's why I suggested the light. You can fix from the outside but you need to see if the entire hull is compromised . You could grind down the keel and re glass it.

 

[sselzer]

I will tried the light in the hull and post the results.

 

[Nike12000]

you could do fiberglass repair but your going to have to find the spot its leaking for sure and then prep the area correctly cant just smear all over the bottom will not hold up unless your gonna sand down whole bottom hull and start from scratch basically... I would try the bright light as well or put some water in the ski and try again to find the source.

 

[sselzer]

Update the hull isn't leaking the water was just running along a scratch from the shaft. The shaft is the cause of the leak due to rust all the way to the engine. Is this hard to fix and is it expensive.

 

[ryffish]

Okay so you are leaking from carbon seal . You need to replace drive shaft you will need new carbon seal and bellows . And while your at it you might as well inspect impeller and wear ring .

 

[ryffish]

I just did one

 

[ryffish]

Also if it is supercharged you will need to take supercharger out to get to bellows

 

[sselzer]

Also if it is supercharged you will need to take supercharger out to get to bellows

Is this something better to have a professional do? My book states I need special tools to remove shaft rings and stuff.

 

[ryffish]

If you get a service manual you could do it yourself . As far as tools I bought the floating ring tool and the seal support tool from pwc Muscle. I figure I will be doing it again sometime. Some guys claim you don't need the tools . Also you will need oetiker clamps.

 

[ryffish]

Also I do know I've done the same on 2 strokes and 4 strokes 2 strokes are much easier to do a lot more room

 

[sselzer]

Also I do know I've done the same on 2 strokes and 4 strokes 2 strokes are much easier to do a lot more room

I have a seadoo mechanical book, but they make it sound like it really hard to do it yourself, is It straight forward.

 

[Michael211_2000]

Your 04 GTX is very similar to my 06 RXT....

I presume you took the intake grate off of the pump? That forward bolt hole goes all the way into the inside of the hull (there is supposed to be a blob of silicone covering it on the inside of the hull, but it frequently comes loose and then there's the bolt just sticking up inside there). Be certain when you put the intake grate back in that you use some Blue Loctite on all your grate bolts, and doesn't hurt to put a little silicone between the grate mounts and the hull to keep water from getting in there. if you don't use loctite and the forward bolt ever comes loose and falls out, there goes your grate it will break off and then water will start filling the hull slowly... you may not notice it at first, but leave it tied up at a dock to go inside for lunch at a marina and you may come back to a sunk SeaDoo!

I'm not sure but it looks like your engine may not be aligned properly to the jet pump, based on the way your drive shaft looks to be not centered in the hull pass-thru hole. That requires a special tool I believe. I've never had to re-align my engine though.

Your GTX has clearly been ridden in salt water and the drive shaft was not properly cared for at the end of the day (owner's manual details how to properly care for the GTX if used in Saltwater). That shaft is toast, get a good used one for your model off Ebay or buy a new one.

You might as well pull the pump off the back of the hull and examine the impeller and wear ring while you have it off. Check for any slop in the impeller bearings as well. Gap between impeller blades and wear ring should be about the thickness of a piece of paper.

To get the drive shaft out (once the pump has been pulled out), you have to pull back on the rubber bellows and stainless steel ring to expose a clip that's on the shaft (it prevents the shaft from moving backwards and keeps the SS ring from moving forward... the clip is sorta of hidden under the front of the ring) and then while holding the rubber bellows back use a large flat head screwdriver (or something similar) to push the clip off the shaft. It isn't easy to do without the proper tools but it can be done!

Once the shaft is out you can easily unscrew the clamps that hold the rubber bellows and carbon seal in place and take them out for replacement.

Then you put it all back together with fresh(er) parts... then align the engine correctly to the jet pump.

If you have a couple weekends to spare to work on it, you can do it all yourself with basic tools (and that SeaDoo engine alignment tool... I see used alignment tools for sale on CraigsList occasionally as once the engine is correctly aligned there won't be much need for the tool for a long long time again so most people put their's up for sale after using it).

Regards!

- Michael

 

[sselzer]

Your 04 GTX is very similar to my 06 RXT....

I presume you took the intake grate off of the pump? That forward bolt hole goes all the way into the inside of the hull (there is supposed to be a blob of silicone covering it on the inside of the hull, but it frequently comes loose and then there's the bolt just sticking up inside there). Be certain when you put the intake grate back in that you use some Blue Loctite on all your grate bolts, and doesn't hurt to put a little silicone between the grate mounts and the hull to keep water from getting in there. if you don't use loctite and the forward bolt ever comes loose and falls out, there goes your grate it will break off and then water will start filling the hull slowly... you may not notice it at first, but leave it tied up at a dock to go inside for lunch at a marina and you may come back to a sunk SeaDoo!

I'm not sure but it looks like your engine may not be aligned properly to the jet pump, based on the way your drive shaft looks to be not centered in the hull pass-thru hole. That requires a special tool I believe. I've never had to re-align my engine though.

Your GTX has clearly been ridden in salt water and the drive shaft was not properly cared for at the end of the day (owner's manual details how to properly care for the GTX if used in Saltwater). That shaft is toast, get a good used one for your model off Ebay or buy a new one.

You might as well pull the pump off the back of the hull and examine the impeller and wear ring while you have it off. Check for any slop in the impeller bearings as well. Gap between impeller blades and wear ring should be about the thickness of a piece of paper.

To get the drive shaft out (once the pump has been pulled out), you have to pull back on the rubber bellows and stainless steel ring to expose a clip that's on the shaft (it prevents the shaft from moving backwards and keeps the SS ring from moving forward... the clip is sorta of hidden under the front of the ring) and then while holding the rubber bellows back use a large flat head screwdriver (or something similar) to push the clip off the shaft. It isn't easy to do without the proper tools but it can be done!

Once the shaft is out you can easily unscrew the clamps that hold the rubber bellows and carbon seal in place and take them out for replacement.

Then you put it all back together with fresh(er) parts... then align the engine correctly to the jet pump.

If you have a couple weekends to spare to work on it, you can do it all yourself with basic tools (and that SeaDoo engine alignment tool... I see used alignment tools for sale on CraigsList occasionally as once the engine is correctly aligned there won't be much need for the tool for a long long time again so most people put their's up for sale after using it).

Regards!

- Michael

Thanks for the info. I am going to try to do it myself. Do you know how long this might take?

I bought the ski used for $2,600 with 200 hrs on it. The super charger was rebuilt and I was told it was only used in fresh water. Since I owned it I have always cleaned it right and flush out the motor after every use.

I also noticed the steering is really tight, and suggestions?

Thanks,
Sesn

 

[Michael211_2000]

Sesn, freshwater doesn't corrode stainless steel drive shafts. It was probably in that condition when you bought it, you just didn't know about it. Seller was either lying or had also acquired it used and was lied to... that machine was used in saltwater, rode hard and put up wet.

That said, not sure I'd trust the supercharger rebuild either.... who rebuilt it and at exactly how many hours? The latest rebuild kits claim they can go for 200 hours or 2 years whichever comes 1st (I personally do not believe in the 2 year time frame, I'm sticking to the hours for my RXT since I don't put anywhere near enough hours on it in a year's time much less 2 years time!). Also was the supercharger rebuilt after a failure or was it a general maintenance rebuild? When these things fail they shed parts and bits of metal (or ceramics, if original ceramic washers failed!) down and into the motor generally requiring complete dis-assembly of motor to clean out properly.

Finally, the '04 models also had an issue with hollow sodium filled exhaust valve stems cracking and breaking resulting in dropped valve(s) falling down into the cylinder while the engine is running tearing the cylinder up pretty much destroying the motor! It is something you might want to look in to and learn more about. '04 thru early '06 4TEC engines had this issue (my RXT was a late '06 and I checked my exhaust valves, they are the solid stem ones so I got lucky and didn't need to replace them).

As I indicated previously, your replacement of the drive shaft and carbon seal/bellows should take a a couple weekends under the shade tree (seeing how you have not taken it apart before so you'll be going fairly slow and carefully I hope).

Tight steering can be caused by a rusted steering cable (given that it appears your GTX was ridden in salt water at some point in it's life, and not taken care of properly by whoever owned it then), or it could be the OPAS linkages to the steering nozzle are too tight (I presume it has OPAS paddles at the stern? The bolts that connect the OPAS linkages to the steering nozzle should not be tightened all the way they need to be able to move a little as the nozzle is turned).

Disconnect the steering cable from the nozzle and see if the handlebars are still stiff.. if so, cable probably has rust in it and needs replacing too.

On the bright side though, you didn't pay too much for it and assuming it's in fairly good cosmetic condition it is worth correcting these problems especially if you do it yourself and are careful! I often come across good used parts for very good prices on Ebay for these SeaDoo's just make sure the part is correct for your machine as there are generally no returns on used parts.

- Michael

 

[sselzer]

Your 04 GTX is very similar to my 06 RXT....

I presume you took the intake grate off of the pump? That forward bolt hole goes all the way into the inside of the hull (there is supposed to be a blob of silicone covering it on the inside of the hull, but it frequently comes loose and then there's the bolt just sticking up inside there). Be certain when you put the intake grate back in that you use some Blue Loctite on all your grate bolts, and doesn't hurt to put a little silicone between the grate mounts and the hull to keep water from getting in there. if you don't use loctite and the forward bolt ever comes loose and falls out, there goes your grate it will break off and then water will start filling the hull slowly... you may not notice it at first, but leave it tied up at a dock to go inside for lunch at a marina and you may come back to a sunk SeaDoo!

I'm not sure but it looks like your engine may not be aligned properly to the jet pump, based on the way your drive shaft looks to be not centered in the hull pass-thru hole. That requires a special tool I believe. I've never had to re-align my engine though.

Your GTX has clearly been ridden in salt water and the drive shaft was not properly cared for at the end of the day (owner's manual details how to properly care for the GTX if used in Saltwater). That shaft is toast, get a good used one for your model off Ebay or buy a new one.

You might as well pull the pump off the back of the hull and examine the impeller and wear ring while you have it off. Check for any slop in the impeller bearings as well. Gap between impeller blades and wear ring should be about the thickness of a piece of paper.

To get the drive shaft out (once the pump has been pulled out), you have to pull back on the rubber bellows and stainless steel ring to expose a clip that's on the shaft (it prevents the shaft from moving backwards and keeps the SS ring from moving forward... the clip is sorta of hidden under the front of the ring) and then while holding the rubber bellows back use a large flat head screwdriver (or something similar) to push the clip off the shaft. It isn't easy to do without the proper tools but it can be done!

Once the shaft is out you can easily unscrew the clamps that hold the rubber bellows and carbon seal in place and take them out for replacement.

Then you put it all back together with fresh(er) parts... then align the engine correctly to the jet pump.

If you have a couple weekends to spare to work on it, you can do it all yourself with basic tools (and that SeaDoo engine alignment tool... I see used alignment tools for sale on CraigsList occasionally as once the engine is correctly aligned there won't be much need for the tool for a long long time again so most people put their's up for sale after using it).

Regards!

- Michael

Micheal thanks for the info. I have done work on two stroke's, engine and everything. He had a receipt for the super charger rebuild. It was done at 120hrs, because of the ceramic washers. The ski has 205 hrs on it now.

Sean

 

[Michael211_2000]

The original supercharger was actually due a full rebuild at 100 hrs on the machine, not 120 hours. If they ran it that long with the ceramic washers in the supercharger, man they were playing Russian Roulette with that machine! The ceramic washers gained infamy when it was found that most were cracking or completely gone (down into the engine!) by the first 100 hour supercharger rebuild. By 2008 the ceramic washers were phased out in favor of steel washers which wear slowly but don't crack and fall apart.

Also note that replacing the ceramic washers with the upgraded steel washers did not in itself require a full rebuild of the supercharger (though most dealerships would only do a full rebuild, they don't want to be liable if the supercharger falls apart the week after they changed out the ceramic washers so they insist on a full rebuild no matter how many hours were on it). I changed out the ceramic washers on my '06 RXT at 58 hours total on the machine (basically, the same month I bought it used with 58 hours on it in 2009) then last summer at 98 hours I went ahead and fully rebuilt my supercharger with all new bearings washers and seal because it was almost at 100 hrs and my supercharger seal was starting to leak oil pretty badly.

Being that yours has 205 hrs on it now, I have to wonder if the supercharger kit that was used was rated at 100 or 200 hours of operation? Current rebuild kits call for 200 hours or 2 years of operation whichever comes 1st..... but we don't know what kit was used in yours.

Don't want to add more things for you to worry about or try fixing all at once right now, but do keep an eye on your supercharger. It wouldn't hurt to take the air intake hose off the end and reach in with your fingers to make sure it isn't spinning freely or easily... it should take all your finger strength to turn that air impeller wheel even a little bit. Check it periodically, and of course note if there is any oil residue in the air intake hose that is a sign the seal is starting to wear out.

Wish somebody would make a boost pressure indicator kit that would light up an led installed where rider can see it to show when there is boost pressure being sent to the throttle body by the supercharger... would make me feel all warm and fuzzy just being able to see while riding that the supercharger was making boost! Just saying...

- Michael