Was riding fast today, and with no warning, a noise like I've never heard. At the split second I heard it, it was like I hit something. Then, it just kept making a "clanking sound." My first instinct was to remove the seat and check the oil, because this is the kind of noise i would think an engine would make if it ran out of oil. The oil level was perfect, and a friend who listened to it (I started it for a split second so he could hear it) said he thought it sounded like something in the pump. This made me feel a little better, because I was afraid the engine had pretty much blown up, although there was never any smoke, and no trace of oil when looking down in the bilge, etc. In fact, I suppose the fact that it starts maybe tells me the engine itself may be ok, but it makes a terrible clanking noise if started. I'm just wondering if anyone reading this has ever experienced anything like this, or if anyone thinks they know what happened. Thanks. By the way, this is the 155hp engine.
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2003 GTX 4tec noise
- Thread starter ffhd1clt
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If not the motor then check under the boat in the intake grate and impeller area.
Were you in shallow water when the noise occurred?
Maybe you sucked up a rock, stick, or tin can.
Where is Lake Norman?
Were you in shallow water when the noise occurred?
Maybe you sucked up a rock, stick, or tin can.
Where is Lake Norman?
Lake Norman is just outside Charlotte, NC. I was in very deep water, going very fast. I think that's why I never thought it could have been something that was "sucked up" by the pump. I guess I've never heard of pump issues, including issues where the pump sucks in debris of any kind, occurring in deep water at what was probably around 50 mph.
theone3055
New Member
doesnt matter how deep the water is you can still suck something up in the pump..im pretty sure those pumps push more then 1000psi :conehead:
Yeah, I' sure that's true about the water depth. I tend to think in terms of sucking up sand, mud, and rocks in shallow water, but I realize you can also take in debris that is floating in deep water. What is harder to believe is that it could happen at that speed, and more importantly, what it is that I'm hearing when I start the engine. I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I pull it out onto a trailer. At least I'm a bit more comfortable now that the issue is with the pump, and not the engine. I'm not going to be surprised if i see the impeller in pieces, because there is such a metal on metal sound coming from back there. I'll post again once I see what's going on...
Michael211_2000
Well-Known Member
Sounds like the bearing in the back of the pump came apart... pull the pump out of the hull, it should be pretty obvious if the rear bearing has failed. The impeller will wobble all around and will have really torn the wear ring apart, may even be scraping thru the wear ring against the pump housing.
Often times you can find a good used pump housing on Ebay or CraigsList, if your's is too badly damaged to save.
Regards!
- Michael
Often times you can find a good used pump housing on Ebay or CraigsList, if your's is too badly damaged to save.
Regards!
- Michael
I just finished messing with it. I turned it on its side, and saw a piece of ski rope around the shaft. I removed the intake grate, and the rope came off easily. I was still dumbfounded by the noise it was making, so upon further inspection, I found that the shaft had actually broken where it enters the "female" part of the impeller. The corner of the shaft that was broken appears to still be lodged in the impeller. So now I know what was making the awful noise. I suppose the rope got lodged between the shaft and the impeller, and the high rpm's was enough to break it. Now I get to buy a new shaft. Thanks for the quick response; this forum is always helpful.
Good $ luck that it's not the motor.
True, because after hearing what I heard, my mind was prepared for a blown engine. I have looked around on-line, and it looks like the driveshaft is going to be between $200-$225. Does anyone know about how much I can expect to have it installed? I don't normally use the dealer for service, and I probably won't this time either because I have a local repair shop with some guys I trust, and who know what they're doing. Having said that, does anyone know what kind of job this is, i.e., is it a 1 hour job, 2 hour job, etc.? I know the pump will have to come off, which is no big deal, but I don't know what has to be done where the shaft actually attaches to the engine. Also, are there likely to be other parts that will need to be replaced, other than the shaft itself?
Make a new thread asking if anyone has the shaft and whatever goes with it.
OR
Private message minnetonka4me as he parts out a lots of skis and he knows his stuff.
OR
Private message minnetonka4me as he parts out a lots of skis and he knows his stuff.
Just as an FYI to those who responded to my post, the jet ski is now repaired. I have the broken shaft, and maybe I'll take a picture and post it. Apparently, these drive-shafts have a much larger diameter than those on the 2-stroke machines, and the guys who work on my machine had never seen one break. First of all, there was corrosion on the drive-shaft, caused by saltwater use from the previous owner. It should be noted the break occurred where the worst part of the corrosion was present. Also, there was rust in the center of the drive-shaft, which indicates the shaft was cracked for sometime before it broke. This explains how I was able to break it with just a ski rope. Even at 50mph and high rpm's, I seriously doubt you could break one of these shafts that wasn't otherwise damaged, simply by sucking in a ski rope. If anyone is interested in seeing it, I'll be glad to post a picture or 2 of the broken drive-shaft. If you have seen one of these shafts from a 4-stroke, you'll know how unlikely it is for one to break. If anything, this should show people just how destructive corrosion from saltwater can be.
Here are the pictures...
Attachments
Good to know that you didn't get "shafted" too much.
Fairly easy fix for your mechanic.
Fairly easy fix for your mechanic.
Actually, that didn't turn out to be the case. I didn't mention this part, but because of the corrosion, the bearings and seals that normally slide right off the shaft so it can be removed, had to be cut off in this case, because they were "welded" to the shaft because of the corrosion. Therefore, not only was there more labor, but none of those parts could be used either. Basically, it went from a 1 hour job to a 2 hour job, and there was about $160 of parts that normally can be reused. The carbon seal alone for this thing is $70. Having said that, I wouldn't have wanted to reuse those parts anyway. The ski is actually 1 or 2 mph faster now, probably because of the bearings having corrosion. By the way, the OEM drive-shaft runs around $225, and my guy sold me one for $200. I feel really good about it now, knowing that all those parts have been replaced, and the drive-shaft is nice and new. The engine only has 226 hours on it, and it purrs like a kitten.
Michael211_2000
Well-Known Member
Wow! That sucker is nasty looking.... I had no idea stainless steel would corrode like that in salt water. Why didn't the annodes on the back of the pump protect it better I wonder?
And yeah it's a very beefy shaft they should never break unless something jams the impeller solid at high rpm's... I wonder how long yours might have been cracked and how that happened? I know we'll never know, but makes you wonder....
Glad you got it all fixed up and didn't even have to pull the engine. That would have been very $$$$$$$$!
- Michael
And yeah it's a very beefy shaft they should never break unless something jams the impeller solid at high rpm's... I wonder how long yours might have been cracked and how that happened? I know we'll never know, but makes you wonder....
Glad you got it all fixed up and didn't even have to pull the engine. That would have been very $$$$$$$$!
- Michael
I dont understand why people dont flush they ski out after a salt water ride. I have been riding in salt water for 20+ years and naver had a drop of corrosion. Typically I also try to find a river that flows into the salt water to launch from so on my ride back it's flushing out all the way but I still hose it down and fog everything with WD40 and silicone spray.
Michael211_2000
Well-Known Member
Yeah this is why I only ride in freshwater lakes!
The river idea is nice but unless the river has a really good flow to it saltwater can intrude many miles upstream I'm told.
Regards!
- Michael
The river idea is nice but unless the river has a really good flow to it saltwater can intrude many miles upstream I'm told.
Regards!
- Michael
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