2003 Challenger 2000 Help!

[angiegood]

Hi I have a 2003 Seadoo Challenger 2000, we bought it used with really low hours. The person I bought it from took it in trade for a car, according to him the first owner used it very little and the person I bought it from used it once and stored it for a year. From all accounts the boat is in very very good condition and does show very little usage/wear. According to the person we bought it from he had it recently serviced and said it was ready to use.

We used the boat alot!, after about a month or so the boat started cutting out, it first started happening really rarely and it was only at top speed, over time it got more and more frequent to the point where it will cut out every few minutes. You can get it re-started really quickly, and sometimes it cuts out and turns itself back on. We have had it serviced and they were unable to find anything wrong, I had all the typical stuff done. (spark plugs, fuel filter, changed the gas, battery). They checked the electrical system and the fuel system and according to the serviceman all was okay. (You'll have to forgive me for my lack of knowledge.) I think he said the fuel pressure was around 10 and it should be 14, but replacing the fuel filter fixed that. I checked all the wires to the key, battery, ignition, all seem to be fine and look really clean. Any help would be great. I have paid a fortune in service fees, and I can't seem to get this fixed. I live in the San Diego area and can't find many people who service these boats, the people I have been using don't seemto be able to track it down, so hopefully someone has some experience to point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance

Angie

 

[tbburns]

Challenger 2000 Cuts out

I had the same problem when my boat (2002 240 hp) was still under warranty. In my case it was the high pressure fuel pump.

 

[claresutton]

I am having the same problem with my 2002 challenger. I also put a fortune into repair bills. After finally lookng at it myself I realized that the repair shop never replaced the AIR FILTER. It was so bad that it was actually collapsed. The motor was being choked and the plugs were fowling badly as a result until finally it started to bog down and cut out. It always started but I could not get enogh power out of it to plane out. I don't know why the air filter was never changed during the service intervals but it wasn't. Could be your problem too. The compressor air filter is real easy to get at and change. Good luck!

 

[wjones11]

My continuing nightmare

This is the same problem I'm having. The 2004 Utopia I have had been running fine and suddenly started cutting out while cruising. First, the mobile boat mechanic I hired changed out the fuel filter mounted to the side of the engine and changed the plugs. Back on the water, with the mechanic it still happened. He spent the next two hours at the dock trouble shooting everything. He ultimately found that the low volume fuel pump, also attached to the side of the engine was cutting out. When it cut out it lost the ground connection. We ultimately proved the diagnosis by running the engine with the pump grounded directly to the battery. The boat then ran fine. Tracing the wiring back, we found the ground was controlled by the ECM. Since he could not analyze the ECM, I ended up at a "stealer." Though I explained all this to the dealer's service manager, he spent weeks chasing issues within the gas tank. Six weeks later he suggested replacing the ECM at a cost of $2,000, though he wasn't certain it would solve the problem. When I asked for them to send it to Mercury or somewhere it could be tested, he ultimately found a business in Alabama that for $500 claims to be able repair them.

I've now missed the best time of the summer to use the boat. It's now been out of commission for nearly eight weeks. After this repair, the boat will probably go up for sale. I bought the boat last June. According to the mechanic at that time it was in excellent condition. After the first weekend of use, I spend over $2,000 repairing the jet-drive after a tine off the intake grate sucked through the jet. Now this. I'll never buy another Mercury product and wouldn't recommend one to anyone.

Any advice would be welcomed! :boxing_smiley:

 

[seadoosnipe]

The Hybrids.........

I don't like to slam the Mercury venture with Seadoo, because many members still own this engine. When running well, it's a great engine. But just as you've experience, if you have one that has problems, you'll have a real hard time having it serviced.

Seadoo will say they don't work on Mercurys and Mercury will say they don't work on jet boats. Either way, your at the mercy of these guys.

It seems you had a good mechanic that diagnosed the problem. With the age of the boat, I don't see why you just didn't leave the ground direct to the battery, install a 12 vdc break switch in it and use the boat as is. There are several parts to the ECM (electronic control module) that control the engine. But if a simple part goes out, like grounding the pump for operation, I'd have had no problems grounding it and using as is. I'd have never took it to a "steal shop" for repairs.........to trouble shoot at your wallets expense! Almost all systems running some type of electrical sub-system, break the ground to shut the component off. The ECM must have lost that capabliity to do that...........

I agree with you. If your buying used, stay away from the M-2 engines.

 

[al45]

Angiegood,

In San Diego Hipp Marine works on the Mercury engine and does a good job.

Of course they charge just like any mechanic but my experience is that they seem fair enough and know the engine.

They used to sell Seadoos up until a few years ago. Anyway, my limited experience with them has been positive as far as any work related to the Merc engine and diagnosing the problem and getting it fixed.

 

[wjones11]

Thanks for your response!

"With a boat of this age..." The boat is only four-years old and everyone has advised that "hot-wiring" wasn't a good idea, but I may have no choice.