2003 seadoo sportster LE several problems...

[mcfadden0905]

I would like to start off by saying that I am new to this and want to thank everyone in advance for their help. I apologize if I'm a little dumb when it comes to the seadoos but please bear with me. So here goes...

A little history...

I bought a 2003 seadoo LE a couple months ago from a guy I knew. At the end of last season he had a new resonator put on, new spark plugs, new wires, and the general winterization done at the local seadoo dealership.

I brought it into the same shop about a week ago to get the pre-season service done (and a few other minor things, drain bolt was missing from cone at the jet, needed a new battery tray, and new bushings for the directional nozzle at the back). They did a compresion check and they said everything was great (135/135) they said everything was running good. I thought I was good to go... wrong...

took it out the first time and that's where things started to go wrong. First it took several tries to get it started and keep it running. then when i got it out it kept bogging down and stalling out (thought maybe it was stale gas).after a while it started running a little smoother (running around half throttle for a little while). Then started opening it up a little more, still ran into a few bogging/stalling problems. I then notice that now when i had it at half throttle (Rpm's were still abou 3000 or so) the boat was hardly moving... however when i had the throttle open more (about 3/4) the boat would really move (it was like there was no in between).

I opened the engine compartment and notice water was spraying out of the water flow regulator (pretty sure this is what it is, looks almost like a little black ball on top of the big exhaust tube, has a red circle on top and says rotax rave on it). Brought the boat back home.

At home i tightened the regulator up at the base where it connects to the exhaust tube by simply turning it at the stem. I also opened it up and cleaned it out a bit there was a light residue inside and then closed it back up, also bent the metal clamp a little bit so that it would keep the regulator closed more tightly. Also took the spark plugs out and cleaned them (they were very black)

Took it out a second time:

-had the same trouble starting it up
-Once i got it going and moving water was no longer coming out of the regulator (I thought we were making progress).
-Engine was still stalling out, then I lost my forward and reverse (throttle was all the way up and we were moving nowhere, the throttle was also more difficult to move),
- after stalling and getting it started again had my forward and reverse back again (jet propulsion) however it was still bogging down and stalling out again.
- opened the engine compartment and smoke started coming out. Then i noticed a hole in the resonator (which i'm assuming burned through because it was hot water coming out and starting to fill engine compartment)
- the engine then stalled out again and it was time to pull out the paddles (arms are going to be sore tomorrow).

Sorry for the long-winded post i'm just trying to get as much information out there as possible, and i'm not sure exactly what is and isn't relevant.

I expected the boat to run rough the first couple times out but not this... So i'm not sure if it has something to do with that water flow regulator and not getting the proper amounts of water to the right spot or what..

thinking about starting by replacing the water flow regulator and the resonator... not sure if the problem goes deeper or not.

Thanks, Sean

 

[seadooya]

Alright Sean....you want to start by replacing the resonator(obviuos), then with compressed air, remove the water inlet and blow air thru, then the waterlines at the pipe, blow thru those. Remove the water regulator, and blow air into that...pretty much anywhere, where water is/goes...you wanna clearthe passages.

As for the losing F/R...could've been the position of the throttle, but inspect the pump assy for any debris inside there, not difficult to remove either, undo the cables from it..steering/reverse cables, then remove the 4-17mm at the hull, and pull on the pump, inspect the impellor and wear rring(material around the impellor), make sure no bent blades or grooves inside the reing.

Hate to say it, but i'd pull the carbs, or atleast pull the airbox off, then have wife/girlfriend/son..etc, actuate the throttle while your looking into the throat of the carbs at the little brass fittings protruding in each. While throttle is actuating, those fittings should squirt gas out, if not, then your excell pump is clogged up or those fitting are clogged, either way, it needs some attention.

With hard starting, once idle, your boat should be around 3k on the trailer, which then it'll drop to 1500-ish, inthe water.

Start with these things, then re-post your findings/conclusions...:cheers:

 

[mcfadden0905]

just a quick update... sorry it's taken me so long to get back but i've been a little busy with work. So far I have a new water flow regulator and resonator on order. Removed the melted resonator and the hose that connects the resonator and the muffler (also noticed it was starting to melft and blister on the inside, possibly restricting airflow). Also found another leak in the small hose that connects the muffler to the tuning pipe so i removed that and ordered a new one. Changed the spark plugs and am going to change the fuel filter.

After inspecting the jet pump housing closer I found a fairly large piece of wood lodged in there. After taking it apart i was able to remove the piece of wood and it doesn't look like there's too much damage (a few tiny knicks in the impeller and a few small scratches in the wear ring). Should be able to get my parts in next week, install them and get out on the water by the end of next week.

Thanks for all the help, any further advice would be greatly appreciated and welcomed.

Thanks, Sean