2003 Sportster 4-tec, Milky Oil, 4-Beeps

[ma2t]

New to me to me, I've got a 2003 Seadoo Sportster 4-tec with milky oil, let's say chocolate milk. I'm hearing that means there is water in the oil. I
don't know the history of this boat.

This is what I have done so far. I first changed the oil and filter, let it run for about 2 minutes (turn water on after engine start, turn water off before engine stop), and the oil color seemed a little better. So I did two more oil changes, now a total of three, and each time it has improved the oil color over the last. Now it looks like skim milk in hot tea, although thick like oil.

Should I keep going with more oil changes? Oil floats on top of water, would there be a pocket of water in the bottom of the engine? Each oil change is about 2.3 quarts and I am reading that the oil capacity is closer to 3 quarts. I am using the dipstick straw to remove oil.

It sounds pretty good when running, but perhaps a little rattling going on. I am new to this motor and don't know what is normal. I can probably post a video and/or a picture of the dipstick someplace.

Video of it running

Problem 1: Cloudy oil, water in oil
Problem 2: 4-beeps when not running
Problem 3: Tach not working

Thanks in advance for your ideas on this.

 

[ma2t]

I found this post about how to get ALL of the oil from an engine.

Help. Oil Change has left me puzzled.

The following instructions are from the Sea Doo shop manual section 04 (4-Tec engine lubricatiion system page 04-07-5.
1. Run engine for 10 seconds @ 4000 rpm and shut it off at this rpm. This will move oil from pto housing to oil tank to allow maximum oil draining.
2. Remove oil filler cap & dipstick
3. Using an oil vac, siphon oil through dipstick hole.
4. Caution: Never crank or start engine when siphon tube is in dipstick hole.
5. So the siphon tube is located at the proper height to remove oil, put electrical tape on siphon tube at 18.7" from it's end. Then insert siphon tube until you reach the tape. Make sure the siphon tube is in all the way into the pan up to the electrical tape.
6. Siphon oil until it stops flowing.
7. Remove siphon tube, crank engine for 10 seconds without starting. Reinsert siphon tube again & siphon oil again. Repeat crank-siphon cycle 2-3 times until no oil is coming out. Remember not to crank engine while siphon tube is in dipstick tube.
8. You should be able to extract 4.8 qts of oil following this procedure.
9. Replace filter after crankcase is emptied.
10. Refill oil with approx 4.8 qts XPS 5W30 4-Tec oil.
11. Check oil level according to manufacturers directions.
12. FYI, you can purchase thru Amazon 1 gallon Sea Doo oil, filter with o rings and 3 NGK spark plugs all for $73.95. Much less than dealer prices.
If you like call me at 716-535-0618 for further instructions if you get stuck.
Good luck,
John Pfennig
2004 Sea Doo Sportster 4-Tec

When the neighborhood wakes up I'll give this a try and report back.

 

[MacSeaDoo]

If you have a milkshake, it is one of 2 things. Coolant or water.

From you video it looks like the coolant reservoir is empty, so I would hazard a guess that is the milk to your milkshake.

The engine cooling is closed loop, the only place oil and coolant pass is the headgasket and the oil cooler. The oil cooler is on the right had side and is pretty easy to pull and pressure test. I hope that is it, because the other spot is a head gasket., which will be far more involved. If you do fill the coolant resevoir with coolant, you can buy a tool that detects hydrocarbons in the coolant.

 

[ma2t]

If you have a milkshake, it is one of 2 things. Coolant or water.

From you video it looks like the coolant reservoir is empty, so I would hazard a guess that is the milk to your milkshake.

The engine cooling is closed loop, the only place oil and coolant pass is the headgasket and the oil cooler. The oil cooler is on the right had side and is pretty easy to pull and pressure test. I hope that is it, because the other spot is a head gasket., which will be far more involved. If you do fill the coolant resevoir with coolant, you can buy a tool that detects hydrocarbons in the coolant.

I'm afraid you pegged it. The coolant reservoir was half full and is now nearly empty after a total of about 5 minutes running time.
This video has nice detail on 4-tec cooling:

 

[MacSeaDoo]

Now you just need to figure out if it is the oil cooler or a head gasket.

I would not run the machine considering how much coolant is being lost in such a short period.

If the head gasket is bad, sometimes even in short periods the plugs can have signs that there is a problem with a specific cylinder.

 

[ma2t]

The oil cooler looks easy to get to as you point out above. This video shows a way to test an oil cooler. Is this a good way to test it? Thanks!

 

[MacSeaDoo]

Yes,

It is not hard. I used a plug on one end and built an adapter on the other to test the intercooler.

Basically the same concept. Just be careful not to put too much pressure in it.

 

[ma2t]

Got the oil cooler out and it's probably not good news. The input radiator fluid line (see photo) was clogged, with thick milkshake oil. The input rubber hose had the same thick stuff. The output line had oily fluid but not so thick. Not only is there radiator fluid in the oil system but there is oil in the radiator system.

After cleaning it up a bit I hit the radiator side with a little compressed air. After a few seconds, the plug released and the system cleared. Next, I put mild pressure on the radiator side, and it holds air. I could not hear or detect any leakage from the radiator side to the oil side of the cooler.

I'm thinking the oil cooler is not the problem. If it clogged on the radiator fluid side, and the fluid was under pressure, the fluid would find the next weakest point to escape and perhaps through a gasket into the engine? Head gasket? Why would it clog in the first place?

Options?
a) I could clean everything, put it together, add oil and radiator fluid and try it.
b) Remove the head, inspect the engine, and replace the head gasket.

Option a, I can do, but I would probably find a shop to help with option b.

Thoughts appreciated

 

[MacSeaDoo]

Hey dude that sucks as the outcome would be a lot easier if it were the oil cooler.

The only other place Oil and Coolant come in close contact with each other is the head gasket. I know that is not what you wanted to hear.

Personally, I would look at the following options:

1.. Pull the engine out and tear it down and rebuild it. (Closer to a sure thing as you can see it all)
2.. Pull the head off and start there, knowing that you might have to eventually pull the motor.

I don't know how much you have into the machine and how much you have to take it to the finish line. If you are mechanical, which it seems you are, you should be able to do alot of the work.

Option 2 might be you best option as it allows you to wade into the problem without going fullly into the deep water. If it were me, I would do a compression check before you move forward to give you more info to work on. I fully get the head gasket can affect the results but it helps you understand the cyl end of the equation. If compression was good across the board, it would put confidence into just a head pull.

One thing I would do right away is take off the rear hatch as it will make your life so much easier so you will spend less time in messed up positions trying to deal with things. (I have a speedster as well. )

 

[ma2t]

Here is the latest, and it's possibly good news. I bought and installed a replacement oil cooler. The install went fine and the oil seals were in good shape. Next flushed the cooling system with cold water then hot water, and finally it finally cleared up. I then filled the radiator first with Prestone Max, Total System Cleaner. The bottle says it "Eliminates Oil & Fuel Contamination". It started fine, I ran it for about a minute, checked the oil and for the first time, the oil looks like oil! I'll probably do another 60 second run on the hose and if all goes well put it in the lake for an extended test.

 

[MacSeaDoo]

I hope this is your issue and you found it.

Keep us posted.

 

[ma2t]

We took it out for a test run yesterday. It started up, and ran rough at first but smoothed out somewhat over time. There was a little white smoke at first but that stopped after the first couple of minutes.

After about 20 minutes the check engine light came on, not sure why. I stopped, waited a minute, started again and the warning went away.

We were going about 35 mph at about half throttle. It does not get on a plane very fast, 5-6 seconds? The wear-ring was replaced I am told.
The oil is no longer milky! And the coolant level was good, not leaking.

Now I am thinking:
1. Inspect spark plugs
2. Put dry gas/sea foam in the tank

After that:
1. Compression test?
2. Test injectors?

Hopefully, this will do the trick. Other suggestions?

This is no longer about milky-oil, perhaps I should start a new thread. Thanks

 

[MacSeaDoo]

I have learned along time ago to ignore unless you see evidence that they replaced or rebuilt anything.

If it were me..

1.. Do a compression check.
2.. Replace the plugs.

Crawl underneath and take some photos up into the water intake of the condition of the impeller and wear ring.

 

[ma2t]

1. New spark plugs
2. Added dry gas
3. Flushed radiator fluid

Run 1: The results were nearly great. It started and ran smooth with slight fluctuations around 30 mph. I sstarted pushing it higher and the check engine light came on. We sat for a few minutes, then continued on a little slower, the check engine light never came on. We shot a video of the smoke, more on that after Run 2.

Run 2: The next day we hit it again, and each session it runs smoother. With a GPS app we topped out at 42 mph, windy day. After run 2, the oil looked fine, oil level fine, but the radiator fluid was down 1".

These are only 20 minute session, so I am not sure what can be concluded. I'm wondering if the radiator fluid is getting vaporized to white smoke. I just bought a compression tester.

@MacSeaDoo, Your #1 and #2 are spot on. The wear ring was replaced, and I have the old one. It takes off ok, not crazy fast but ok. I had a jetski with a bad wear ring that feels like a worn clutch in a car, lots of RPM but no go, but I don't think that is an issue right now..

 

[MacSeaDoo]

Depending on the temp and humidity I get a little whisoy smoke and I do not consume coolant.

The video is not like that. You appear to be burning coolant.

I am going to say you have a head gasket issue.

Now the question is do you go half way and pull the top end only, or go full Monty and pull the engine.

If it were me... I would pull the engine. Put it on the stand and tear it down and rebuilt it solid.

A compression check could be skewed by the HG failure but it will help to tell you where it is at and what the cyls look like. If they are relatively good, you could just pull the head and put a new HG in it and go with whereever that will take you.

 

[ma2t]

@MacSeaDoo, Thanks for the note and it still may come to that but it appears to be running better, good enough? I'm not sure.

I'm checking daily and if the radiator fluid level is dropping, it is not by much. BTW, the radiator tank is a near opaque white material that is difficult to see through. I'm tempted to mount an LED light behind it. The oil level is not changing, centered between full and fill.

Here is a video from this morning's run, still too much smoke?

## Side note
We had a water sports party and the boys hit the sportster hard. It was epic, and they only broke the radio cover, one of the gas struts for the rear compartment fell off. In fairness, both were already sort of broken. The big issue was sucking the rope into the impeller and wrapping it around the shaft about 30 times. This was one of those plastic-lined, zero-stretch ropes that semi-melted. It was after midnight and they swam it back to the house in the dark. Next day we made a little progress removing rope with wire cutters and snorkle gear, but finally put it on the trailer got after it with a sawzall. No damage done, and that was an old rope anyway.

 

[MacSeaDoo]

Been there done that... Twice. First was able to get it out in the water. 2nd was under the trailer with a knife for an hour or so.

 

[Blckbrd]

It was mentioned in the original post the tachometer was also not working, any luck in sorting out a fix for this and if so any troubleshooting tips?

 

[ma2t]

It was mentioned in the original post the tachometer was also not working, any luck in sorting out a fix for this and if so any troubleshooting tips?

Update: I have some positive updates to share. Removing the gauge was quite straightforward and didn't require any tools. I noticed a bit of corrosion on a few of the contacts, but it didn't pose a significant problem. I proceeded to clean and spray the electrical connections, then tested each one for continuity using a meter. The results were satisfactory. However, I found that the light bulb was defective, so I've ordered a replacement for $4 from Amazon. Despite these efforts, I regret to report that the tachometer is still not functioning after I restarted the system.

Sorry, nothing to report yet. The gauge looks easy to take out. Next step take it out, look for corrosion, bad wire, bad connectors. I'll report back. I'm also keeping a Sportster blog here.

 

[ma2t]

Update: I have some positive updates to share. Removing the gauge was quite straightforward and didn't require any tools. I noticed a bit of corrosion on a few of the contacts, but it didn't pose a significant problem. I proceeded to clean and spray the electrical connections, then tested each one for continuity using a meter. The results were satisfactory. However, I found that the light bulb was defective, so I've ordered a replacement for $4 from Amazon. Despite these efforts, I regret to report that the tachometer is still not functioning after I restarted the system.

Does anyone know where I can find a replacement tachometer? I saw $250 on some site but justify anything close to that amount.