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1997 GTX Water in Hull

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LoyolaCub68

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Hey everyone,

I have a 1997 GTX that has some kind of water leak in the hull. I had it running on the hose on it's trailer and realized water was coming out of the drain holes. I'm guessing this is some kind of the leak in the exhaust system, but I don't even know where to begin looking. If someone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.
 
LoyolaCub68 said:
Hey everyone,
I have a 1997 GTX that has some kind of water leak in the hull. I had it running on the hose on it's trailer and realized water was coming out of the drain holes. I'm guessing this is some kind of the leak in the exhaust system, but I don't even know where to begin looking. If someone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Try running it again on the hose and watch for the water spurts, probably from the pipe like Lou said.
but don't run it longer than a minute or two on the hose as the carbon seal isn't being cooled with hose water.
 
Thanks Lou. I'll have to check that out. Guess the only way to figure out for sure is to put the hose back on and look for the water source.

I know the water had not been drained from the ski and had not yet been winterized. We has a spell where some freezing came on very suddenly so there is a chance that maybe one of the rubber hoses has burst somewhere.
 
Seadoobuddy said:
Try running it again on the hose and watch for the water spurts, probably from the pipe like Lou said.
but don't run it longer than a minute or two on the hose as the carbon seal isn't being cooled with hose water.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info, that did not even occur to me. I did run it for about 10-15 minutes the other day, luckily though there was so much water in the hull the carbon ring definitely had water on it!
 
LoyolaCub68 said:
Thanks for that info, that did not even occur to me. I did run it for about 10-15 minutes the other day, luckily though there was so much water in the hull the carbon ring definitely had water on it!
Click to expand...

So it looks like the water leak is coming from the bow side cylinder head. I can feel a crack/split in the head.

What are my options to get this fixed? Do I need to replace the head or is it possible to get it repaired? Is there anything I need to so immediately to prevent further damage with regards to water getting into places it shouldn't?

Thanks.
 
Yup that thing froze. Too bad.

Check everything else for other cracks especially the other jug. The exhaust pipes and "muffler" will also hold water that can freeze.

Sent using Tapatalk
 
It sure looks like freeze damage, and yes the cylinder is cracked. I don't understand how this could happen, the guy lives in southern California. It sure is a mystery to me.

You need to split the case and check for water in the lower part of the engine, check for rust on the crank.

Lou
 
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jammin777 said:
thats a cylinder jug and looks like it wasn't winterized, water froze and split the jug. does it freeze in your part of calif? looks like a top end job is in order. if indeed it froze hopefully that's all the damage done.
Click to expand...

It very rarely if ever freezes to the point where you'd have problems like this where I live. In fact, it has been so warm I have been using the seadoo (it was about 85 degrees the last two days here). We had a strange weather system move in that created ridiculously low temps for about a week or two while I was out of town.

I've read that some people have pulled the head and been able to press the crack back together and weld. If there is no damage to the sleeve I should be okay right? The ski fires right up and I don't have a loss of compression in that cylinder so I'm guessing it might be superficial.
 
LoyolaCub68 said:
It very rarely if ever freezes to the point where you'd have problems like this where I live. In fact, it has been so warm I have been using the seadoo (it was about 85 degrees the last two days here). We had a strange weather system move in that created ridiculously low temps for about a week or two while I was out of town.

I've read that some people have pulled the head and been able to press the crack back together and weld. If there is no damage to the sleeve I should be okay right? The ski fires right up and I don't have a loss of compression in that cylinder so I'm guessing it might be superficial.
Click to expand...
i'm sure that can be repaired but i strongly suggest having the jugs magnafluxed to check for cracks in the cylinders first. most good machine shops can do that for you. if there is a crack in the cylinder it can cause major problems getting water inside and will eventually lock up. check every part of the cooling system thoroughly for damage.
unfortunately, there has been crazy weather calif included and heard of freezing temps there. hopefully that's all the damage done.
yes you can pull the cylinder jugs with out pulling engine.
 
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jammin777 said:
i'm sure that can be repaired but i strongly suggest having the jugs magnafluxed to check for cracks in the cylinders first. most good machine shops can do that for you. if there is a crack in the cylinder it can cause major problems getting water inside and will eventually lock up. check every part of the cooling system thoroughly for damage.
unfortunately, there has been crazy weather calif included and heard of freezing temps there. hopefully that's all the damage done.
yes you can pull the cylinder jugs with out pulling engine.
Click to expand...

Thanks jammin. I do have a good machine shop that is local that can do this type of work. I will pull the heads and see what's going on. Thanks for the help. I'm just glad to have found the problem now, usually I end up finding something right before the start of the season. This gives me time to get her running right.
 
Just looking at that picture again, and it puzzles me a bit. For that to crack that high up on the jug that would mean that the jug would have a significant amount of water in there, because the crack is so high up on the jug. If this was indeed the case I would think that the drain at the bottom on the pipe side is plugged or the line going to the thru hull fitting and preventing the jugs from gravity draining.


 
Ive seen it plenty up around these frosty parts (we currently are -30 below windchills!), and if it hasnt come apart yet Im guessing he will find a bunch of sand in the cylinders.

Thats usually the culprit, either just stacked in the cooling area and/or the right angle fittings on the cylinder drain hose or on the exhaust fitting are obstructed with sand, making the cylinders hold water.

It only takes one cold night, or a few 30s nights and then dip just below freezing.
 
kicker said:
Just looking at that picture again, and it puzzles me a bit. For that to crack that high up on the jug that would mean that the jug would have a significant amount of water in there, because the crack is so high up on the jug. If this was indeed the case I would think that the drain at the bottom on the pipe side is plugged or the line going to the thru hull fitting and preventing the jugs from gravity draining.


Click to expand...

I'm hoping to have it pulled apart tomorrow. I'll check that drain and see what's going on.

Thanks guys.
 
Ive got cylinders available std bore that need a bore/hone which I think would be cheaper than repairing...it would definitely look better for resale. Shoot me a PM if interested.
 
I would go with the used parts from Minnetonka. It will help resale, look better, and be more reliable for you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
One downfall is the cyl and piston are matched, so if they are not scuffed and in nice shape it might be a cheaper option to fix...hard call.
 
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