1994 Sea-Doo gtx lose of acceleration

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Shorede

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I had replaced my bearings and wear ring over the winter. After taking it out on the lake for the first time this season it does not run smooth at all. Ran smooth before I replaced the parts. Does the shaft, and carbon ring area look normal. Could I have just misaligned something? There is a knocking noise coming from under the motor and top speed I get is 30mph.
 

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First off, you do not have a carbon ring. The thru hull seal is the aluminum unit on the large hose, this assembly has two seals and a needle bearing inside. The seals can go bad, the housing has a zerk fitting to give the bearing a shot of grease.

How much clearance do you have between the impeller sides and the surface of the wear ring?

Did all the bearings get set into the pump body without damage and to the proper measurements?

Is the drive shaft bent?
 
I never took the drive shaft out to look at it. It looks straight from the view thru the hull. I just took the jet pump housing off the shaft on the outside. The spacing on the wear ring looks right. I can turn it by hand with little resistance. Because my lack of knowledge I had bought a seadoo bearing installer tool to set the bearings so I can only assume that is where they are suppose to be.
 
After posting the question I did pump some grease in the fittings on both sides. Grease did come out around the shaft on the one in the rear of the hull. I assume that would mean replace the seal? And am I correct to see the hull seal sells as 1 piece that replaces the seal and bearing. Does the spacing on the drive shaft pictures look normal?
 
If things were smooth before the parts were replaced and things are rough after the work was done doesn't add up for something simple like the pump.

You can't tell if the shaft is bent unless you remove it from the machine, block it up on the bench and spin it by hand.

You say you did the work last season but did not run it until this season. Are you sure the performance problem is pump related? 30 mph is too slow assuming the pump is set up correct. Even if the thru hull seal is not perfect there should still be descent top end still. If the seal doesn't let water into the hull then it should still work well enough to get you moving. However, double check the wheel mounted in the ride shoe back by the pump and make sure all of the "arms" are on it still. My wife has a 94 gtx that reads slow on the speedo due to a missing arm. That is the sensor for the speedo.

The knocking sound from under the motor you describe sounds like a seperate problem based on your description.

Some grease squishing out when you pump grease in doesn't always mean the seal is bad, most if the time it means you pumped in too much grease. Water leaking in while sitting still, no motor running, or cavitation during the hole shot are indicators a seal should be looked at. However, if you are pulling the drive shaft out you can remove the thru hull bearing, clean and inspect the bearing and seals and decide if they are damaged. Just loosen the hose clamp and it pops right out in two seconds.

As for misalignment? Unless you loosened the motor mounts since you rode last season then everything should be in the same alignment as when it ran good last year.

The factory bearing installation tool you used is the way to go. When you put the thrust washer, thrust bearing and impeller shaft together did you make sure the bearing centered on the shaft before you tightened the impeller down? If the bearing was off center it can be pinched/crushed as the impeller is torqued down, but even that happening doesn't fully explain the performance loss, vibration or knocking.

I would pull the pump and drive shaft out. Inspect the shaft for kicks, make sure that impeller spins smooth without any feeling of binding from inside the pump. Most important, for trouble shooting, start and run the motor with the pump and shaft removed and see if you still get that knocking sound. Just to clarify, is the knocking at all rpm's or just at an idle? If it is all r's then that doesn't sound good. If it is only at an idle then confirm that the rubber bumper plugs are installed on both ends of the drive shaft.
 
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I was running good when I winterized it this past October. When spring came around the only thing I did was take the jet pump off at the back of the hull. I will take the jet pump back off (after vacation of course) and make sure the drive is straight. When I hook it up to the hose now it actually sounds normal. But while not running I turned the flywheel by hand it has a spot that it gets held up with every rotation Does that impact the the situation at all. I will update when I get it torn apart. Thanks for your help.
 
Okay from what I've been told the resistance I'm feeling in the flywheel is because I have compression as I said I do not have much knowledge in mechanics. The knocking was while I was running although I don't hear it when I'm hooked to the hose. I took the jet pump back off this weekend put it in the vise it spins freely with no hesitation. Drive shaft does not look bent although when it's in the jet pump there is a lot of play from side to side is that normal? Replace the grease fitting and bearings on the opposite side of the drive shaft just in case although they also looked good. With everything looking normal to me I'm going to put it back together this week and try to get it back in the water to see if I have the same symptoms. Is there anything else I should check before putting it back together. I did not hear the knocking but I also did not hear it when I hooked it to the hose before I put it in the water the first time.
 
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