1996 spx - wrecked, engine mounts

[k_dog345]

My day yesterday was a bit more exciting than I intended. I was riding in a creek with a few others, my dad wrecked in front of me around a turn. I couldn’t make the turn without hitting him so I ran into the bank

The force was so intense that it broke my engine mounts and my entire motor shifted forward which caused my carbon seal and drive shaft to fail. I sunk fast!

I make this post because I’m curious what it takes to replace the motor mounts, hopefully without having to lift out the engine. What should I keep my eye on as I’m pulling her apart? Any special tools needed, or tips/tricks to help me get her done? Any general advice from someone who knows about this process more than me is really appreciated.

 

[JeremyD615]

I’m sorry you had such an eventful day on the water! That sucks!

Well let’s start with the hull. How is the fiberglass on the bottom of the ski? I can’t imagine running aground that hard without doing some hull damage...

Second, from what I can see, it looks like the mounts tore through the rubber, which left the mounting plates intact. At least on the one I can see... If they are all that way, you can just lift the motor and swap the mounts out. If it tore the bolts out of the hull though, you’re going to be glassing new mounts in.

Lastly, take a good look at your pto and crank. It may just be the way the photo was taken, but it looks like it’s tweaked a bit...

 

[matempl]

Honestly if the engine has came loose for any reason the correct way to repair is pull the pump, lift the engine, replace the mounts, then use an alignment too too get the engine aligned correctly. I know it’s a drag but really it’s the only way to know the alignment is correct so you won’t have issues down the road. The up side is all of what I have described is pretty straight forward. The down side is you need an alignment tool.

 

[etemplet]

DAy-Yum !!!

 

[JeremyD615]

He’s definitely going to need an alignment. I’m more worried about whether or not the inserts in the hull are still intact though. If any of the bolts pulled through, he may be better off finding another hull.

 

[AKnarrowback]

Tell your buddy to be respectful and at least walk into the woods next time.

From the looks of the inside of the hull I'd say the motor mounts were already weak or you possibly had a bad one already and the others were getting bad.

Check the outside of the hull for cracks since it is doubtfull the hood put up enough resistance alone to break the motor loose.

You will need to do a motor alignment after you get the new mounts in. Manufacturing tolerances are not perfect and you might need to re-shim the mounts to get things in straight.

 

[k_dog345]

The bank that I hit was a muddy wall. With a tree stump, which my cover took the brunt of. Thank God I wasn't hurt, could've been bad! I have not noticed anything concerning on my hull, surprisingly. It was a hard hit. We shined a bright light in a dark room and didn't see any light showing through. Slight damage around the area where hook your trailer to. I'm hoping all I'll need are motor mounts. Can't really see the forward mounts. Off for some birthday celebrations this weekend, ordering motor mounts and alignment tool from SBT now. Hopefully, I won't need to do fiberglass repair thanks for the tips guys!

 

[AKnarrowback]

Bombardier sent out a service bulletin in the early years of Sea-Doos 88/89/90 that highlighted how battery acid was interacting with the rubber mounts and causing them to fail. If you still have a flooded battery battery make sure the vent line is hooked up.

Good to hear you are okay. I put my xp into the bank last week but swam away with less damage than you did. The good thing about glass is it's easier to fix, if you had a Spark you would be buying a new hull.