'96 Challenger. This thing takes forever to come to plane, regardless of how I trim it. Just took off the whole jet pump housing and the impeller and wear ring are intact, perfect fit between the two. I would think that when I hit the throttle it should jump up and go! What else could possibly be the issue?
1996 Challenger - Takes Forever to Plane
- Thread starter JCI2112
- Start date
artr
Well-Known Member
Sounds like cavitation. If wear ring, impeller and clearance between them all check ok then maybe air leak from jetpump to hull (neoprene seal). Check carbon ring and hat for wear,pitting and the rubber boot that holds the ring for wear and looseness (not exertering enough force pressing the carbon ring to hat and the band clamps are tight enough). If there is a ride plate, it may be leaking air if the seal to the hull has deteriorated
mejim707
Active Member
How did this work out for you? Was your issue with the neoprene seal or some other issue artr called out?
If you're still having this issue, check if your trim is working correctly. If you move the gate into the forward position, move the trim up and down checking the cone on the pump to see if it's in-fact working. Mine wasn't at all due to a misconfigured linkage setup in the lever controls.
I had a thread about this for what to check for and how to fix it. Essentially, when you move the gate to forward, it pulls two pieces of plastic together by a cable attached from the forward and reverse lever to the trim lever. When these pieces press together it holds the trim cable in position so it becomes functional. If this linkage isn't adjusted correctly, your trim will not work and it may be in the wrong position to get on plane resulting in prolonged plane times.
While you're checking at the gate, make sure when the forward and reverse lever is in the fully forward position that the gate at the pump is 100% out of the way of the water outlet.
Also, what are the RPMs of the engine when you're trying to get on plane? Is the engine responsive with the throttle and hitting high RPMs quickly or does it feel at all held back and sluggish? If you push the throttle to about 3/4 you should be hitting about 6500RPM quickly with zero bogging or sluggishness.
