1995 Speedster Engine slips/cavitates with 400+ pounds

[jonv15]

Hi all, what a wonderful forum here, I have spent hours perusing other threads that are very similar to my issue however not identicle (that I could find). I purchased my single owner 1995 speedster twin 85 rotax 3 years ago and have been enjoying it.

I have this year however encountered a major issue...the motors "slip" when I have over about 400 pounds onboard. With just me (220lbs) the boat takes off almost instantly and flies on the water at 54mph HOWEVER as soon as I get another 200 lb adult or 2 0r 3 kids and I try to accelerate, the rpms increase and the engine roars but there is very little "grab" or pick up, the boat has a hard time getting moving and is struggling to plane out. The boat is absolutely miticulous and is has been seadoo dealer maintained and they feel the engines run strong when in their shop.

Also, last year I was on "weedy" water and got some weeds stuck in the intakes but didnt realize it and unfortunetly drove back to dock not knowing what the problem was with the rpms at 6000rpm and the boat only doing 10 mph - could this have done major damage driving with crud in the intakes for 10 minutes? ( I know realize I should just turn the motors on and off a couple times to shake out any weeds)

Mostly I am seeing you all talk about the impeller or wear rings, may these apply to my above mentioned problem that only seems to be occuring with multiple passengers?

Thanks for taking the time to read my question and I will greatly appreciate all input!!

 

[Murph_13]

Sounds like you may have ingested more than just weeds into your jet pumps. Have you gotten under the boat and inspected the intake area? I would inspect both the leading and trailing edges of each impeller and the stator vanes in the pump housings for any damage.

 

[jonv15]

Hi Murph, thanks for replying to me, might you be able to provide me very explicit directions on how to perform those checks, what am I looking for on the trailing/leading edges of impeller - what and where are stator vanes? I may not know too much but I can take direction very well... I also have the shop manuel to assist me...

Thanks

 

[Murph_13]

Check the leading/trailing edges of the impeller for any deformation, nicks or gouges. Same with the Stator Vanes, look for any deformation, nicks or gouges.

I've attached a photo of the stator vanes, the view is from the backside of the pump housing. If you raise the Reverse Gate to the Forward position you can then take a flash light and look into the backside of the pump housing. In the attached picture I have put a star shape on the black cone you will see and I've placed a diamond shape on each of the stator vanes. I believe you have the brass stator vanes which will help you to identify them.

Like you said, it appears that you have a cavitation problem. While there is a laundry list of things that could cause cavitation, I think that it may be damage to the impeller or possibly the stator based on the fact that you ingested weeds/debris into the pumps and ran them at a high RPM while jammed.

 

[jonv15]

I took a look and everything looks sound and in shape, I cant get the greatest look at the impeller but the edges look tight and sharp from what I can see, I may try to get a good picture to put on here to get others opinion of what is normal and what is not.

 

[jonv15]

Well its time for me to be looking into my above mentioned problem, I am thinking of just taking it to my local BRP dealer (team Vincent) but Im afraid their just going to tell me to do major work on the bottom end of the motors......anyone wish to try to shed some light?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Have you check the condition of the wear ring and the clearance between the end of the impeller blades to the wear ring. Should be NO MORE than .040 on a feeler gauge.

Can you post some pics of the pump area? Does water get inside the hull at all?

 

[RFoster130]

Yeah i bet you just have a wear ring issue. Dot pay the dealer to rip you off on such a minor job. Read up here...its an easy fix.

 

[Murph_13]

I agree with Foster...don't let the dealer overcharge you for a job that is not that difficult. It may seem difficult due to the unknown and being something different and new, but when you get done with the job you'll look back and be glad that you tackled it yourself (plenty of people here to help along the way if needed).

Additionally, you may get debris in the pump again and if you do damage, you'll have the experience and knowledge to make the repair yourself. You may even choose to upgrade to a better set of impellers once you've gotten the experience of going through the pump yourself.

Like the others have said, I think you need to get a better look at your impellers, wear rings and stators to evaluate their condition and check clearance between the impellers and wear rings. Any pictures would help.

Good luck with it...boating season is on it's way!

 

[jonv15]

OK guys, what can I take some pictures of, I dont know where the impellers or wear rings are located on the boat.....let me know what to take a picture of and I'll try to get them posted asap.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Two ways you can view it.
from the very back of the jet pump, look through it to see the vanes and impeller blades. The shroud in which the impeller spins is the wear ring.

#2 way (the best viewing) is to get under the boat and look thru, but it's best to remove the grate, to see the whole impeller. Look for nicks, bent blades, etc. Also look at the wear ring to find any gouges, rips, bubbles, chunks missing, etc.

check the distance between the longest part of the impeller blades and the wear ring...it should be less than .040 inches with a feeler gauge.

 

[jonv15]

Thanks seadoobuddy, i hate to ask such a silly question...do I have 2 impellers and 2 wear rings since this is the Speedster?

 

[Seadoobuddy]

in your first post you stated that you have twin engines so you have 2 impellers and 2 jets, therefore 2 wear rings. Do all inspections for each engine. My family used to vacation in Kitchener, we also spent many weekends in Chatham.

 

[jonv15]

OK here are some pics, first from behind the boat then through the grate from underneath the boat - It looks to me like there may be a bunch of string wrapped anround a rod for the impeller?? Dont know if your able to see the wear ring or not....so guys...I hope you can view these pics ok, anything look amiss? ..............sorry no pics, im trying again

 

[Seadoobuddy]

If you are using the forum procedure you must click "insert then done"

If lots of string around the shaft, that's probably a big part of your slow speed.

Take off the grate, it's essy....4 bolts.

 

[jonv15]

I think seadoobuddy is graciously lending a helping hand....

 

[Seadoobuddy]

OK guys, I'm having trouble loading Jon's pic to the forum.
When I go to upload them, i get message saying "upload failed" They are save as jpg and are 3200x2450 in size. I have loaded pic that size before.

What's the problem?

 

[Murph_13]

Hey jonv15,

To post your pics you'll need to select "reply" like you've been doing, but beneath the window where you would type your reply you will see three buttons "Post Quick Reply", "Go Advanced" and "Cancel". Select "Go Advanced" and from there you should be able to make your way through the selections that will allow you to attach a file (image file in this case) to your reply. Let's see those pics!

If you have a bunch of anything wrapped around one of the driveshafts it is definitely going to cause the condition that you are experiencing.

Hope this helps.

 

[RFoster130]

It's so much easier to just upload to photobucket. No size restrictions. Just upload there and copy the image tag into your post here and you get nice big images. Everyone should try it, it's free and easy.

 

[jonv15]

I THINK IVE GOT IT!! Take a look guys....thoughts? That string obviously cant be good but how much of a/my problem could that be causing? how does the other stuff look?

http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc433/jonv15/95 Speedster/

 

[RFoster130]

Let me help ya.

 

[RFoster130]

I see some grooves but I've seen a lot worse. Hard to tell from the pics. For less than 100 bucks I would replace them. You have clearly sucked up some type of rope. Get it all off the shaft and swap the rings and I bet you see a difference. At least the impeller looks good.

 

[jonv15]

See some grooves and replace what rfoster? Wear rings?

 

[RFoster130]

Yeah the grooves in the wear ring. It's hard to see them good in the pics though. The wear ring is really the only part there besides the impeller.

 

[RFoster130]

Also that rope will effect performance. It contributes to a disturbance in water flow.