2004 Seadoo GTX, no coolant

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keegster17

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guys just looked inside my jetski to browse around, and I noticed there was no coolant in the reservoir. Sorry not much of a engine guy, is this normal? I am viewing this while it is on the trailer sitting level. there is not a drop in the white reservoir tank. The unit was serviced in may when I purchased it.
 
Well, it's not normal, but it doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem. Depending on what they did to service it, they may have not topped off the coolant, etc. Fill the reservoir with coolant (premixed 50/50) to the full mark. Run the ski (on the water if you don't have a flush hose hooked to it) until it gets warm, check for obvious leaks then shut it down and let it cool down for a few hours or overnight. Check the level again. Top it back off if needed and you should be good to go. If you see you are having to top it of regularly there may be need to look into it deeper.
 
I did have a small issue during the summer, weeds blocked the intake, and the high temp. came on and I let it cool for an hour and it was fine. could that have caused this. Is there a recommended coolant? I have read don't mix with different coolant, problem is I just purchased this year and I have no idea what was put in it. What is a flush hose? Is this a connection on dry land?
 
keegster17 said:
I did have a small issue during the summer, weeds blocked the intake, and the high temp. came on and I let it cool for an hour and it was fine. could that have caused this. Is there a recommended coolant? I have read don't mix with different coolant, problem is I just purchased this year and I have no idea what was put in it. What is a flush hose? Is this a connection on dry land?
Click to expand...

If the high temp came on it is very possible that you "boiled out" some of the coolant. That could explain the low level. If the engine ever gets overheated you should be sure to check the coolant level. Any recommendation you find in the manual or from a dealer for coolant will most likely be Bombardier branded. I don't know if there is a typical recommendation outside of that, but Valvoline puts out a good antifreeze "MaxLife" that you can buy in most auto parts stores. It comes in a red gallon jug. You mix it 50/50 with water. It is designed to be used in any type motor/radiator (aluminum, steel, etc) and can mix with other coolants without causing issues. It is better to have all the same coolant but this should be able to be used as top off without any concern.

Yes, Seadoos are equipped to be able to have a garden hose connected to them so you can run the ski out of the water while winterizing, etc. It is also recommended to flush the fresh water cooling system every time it is used in salt water or occasionally when used in fresh water. There is an important method to this so read the manual carefully.
 
nice tips and great info. thanks. I will go with this coolant, since I have no other recommendations. I really appreciate this info. thanks for taking the time.
 
I just bought my used ski and the coolant is a little above the cold line. I would like to top it off and plan on draining it well before any freezing temps. Would it be ok to use distilled water to top it off for this short time?
 
speedster98 said:
I just bought my used ski and the coolant is a little above the cold line. I would like to top it off and plan on draining it well before any freezing temps. Would it be ok to use distilled water to top it off for this short time?
Click to expand...

That small amount needed to top off the coolant reservoir wouldn't hurt. You could use distilled water for that. You would only have to worry about it dropping the freeze protection if you had to do it several times with just water.
 
keegster17 said:
Can anyone recommend another coolant, i don't think you can get the Valvoline Max life in Canada.
Click to expand...

Prestone is another good antifreeze. No matter what you get, the important thing is that it is rated to be safely mixed with any existing antifreeze.
 
fyi: When you drain and refill the coolant, it has air-pockets that get trapped in the engine cooling spaces... after it's been "refilled" and then run for 30 minutes or so, the coolant level in the bottle will drop significantly as those air-pockets work their way out of the engine. It need to be topped-off a time or two after short runs until the coolant level stabilizes. It should stabilize though in short order and not require continually adding coolant, if it doesn't then you may have a leak somewhere!

Regards.

- Michael
 
If the coolant in there is over 3 years old (or you don't know) then yes it should be drained and refilled with fresh. You're supposed to change the coolant every 3 years generally, no matter how many hours you put on it.

When you refill after draining you can refill to the top of the bottle once just because there will be air pockets in the system and as they work their way out the level will drop significantly... once it's done "burping" though, the bottle should only be about 1/2 full and it's level shouldn't change mine's been stable for 2 years now haven't had to add a drop once it stopped "burping".

Always pull the seat(s) off and check engine oil level and coolant level periodically... look things over inside there. Actually I leave my seats off for several hours after a day's riding just to let the hull cool off inside and let the humidity out (when shut off, it get's steamy and hot like a sauna inside these hulls the engine is radiating heat and there's at least a little water in the bottom of the hull it becomes super humid inside... not good to leave it buttoned up like that!). JMHO.

- Michael
 
Michael211_2000 great thanks, but how do I drain the system? You now opened another can of worms for me. lol. Also should I wait until I winterize the unit? I plan to ride a few more times this year, and from what I see there is no coolant in the reservoir. Also when you say burping, I just let the unit sit and work it's way through this or must I start the engine or something?
 
Keegster, just add some distilled water to the tank then and go enjoy it till cold weather sets in... plan on draining it a few days or weeks before your 1st freezing temps hit. Do check the coolant tank though after every ride make sure the level is staying consistant or else you may have another problem somewhere.... :-\

There is a plug right in the middle of the ride plate as seen from behind, you pull that plug and all your coolant dumps out of it.

It only "burps" while the engine is running, so you need to refill to totally full only once and then run the engine (either on flush port, no more than 5 minutes at a time, or go ride it a few minutes) to get the air pockets out of the system them refill to the middle of the tank. If you refill to the top, it'll just push the excess fluid out and into your bilge as the coolant heats up and expands which is not good for the environment and a waste of perfectly good coolant it needs space in the tank to expand just like automobile radiator overflow tanks that's all this coolant bottle is in fact.

Again, if you keep losing fluid then you're leaking somewhere or possibly even ingesting it you'll need to investigate further if the tank level doesn't stay stabil! I do not believe overheating it with the weeds boiled your coolant out, anti-freeze actually has a much higher boiling point than water also so.....

- Michael
 
great advise. I did see a pic on another site, where plug is, but good to be sure. So when winterizing it, won't affect the coolant? I am just thinking if i fill it now with coolant i may have to drain it for whatever reason. just a thought. I just got a quote locally to winterize the unit they want $340, wow that seems expensive.
 
Just a update on the coolant. purchased Prestone premixed coolant and antifreeze. I bought 3.78L container, drained the coolant, took forever, getting it all out, kept dripping, I think I got 95% of it out, then screwed drain plug back in, filled reservoir with coolant. hours later took unit for about a 40 minute ride on the water. once settled I did notice there was very small puddles on both sides of the Seadoo floor, but I think this from the overflow hose, I did go just over max on fill up, but it did go down before heading out on the water. then once cooled down I topped it up, i ran out of coolant but it seems to be sitting consistently at the low level, I will have to buy more to get between low and max in the reservoir. Is a little bit of coolant on the floor of the Seadoo sound possible?
 
keegster17 said:
Just a update on the coolant. purchased Prestone premixed coolant and antifreeze. I bought 3.78L container, drained the coolant, took forever, getting it all out, kept dripping, I think I got 95% of it out, then screwed drain plug back in, filled reservoir with coolant. hours later took unit for about a 40 minute ride on the water. once settled I did notice there was very small puddles on both sides of the Seadoo floor, but I think this from the overflow hose, I did go just over max on fill up, but it did go down before heading out on the water. then once cooled down I topped it up, i ran out of coolant but it seems to be sitting consistently at the low level, I will have to buy more to get between low and max in the reservoir. Is a little bit of coolant on the floor of the Seadoo sound possible?
Click to expand...

Sounds very possible. As it bubbles the pressure could have pushed some out of the overflow tube. I would wash it out of the hull good, then keep an eye on it over the next few rides to see if you see any more puddles and if the level drops much. Sounds like you're good to go though!
 
Duane beat me to the punch... yeah when the bottle is full to the top and it "burps" out air from the system it would tend to push a little coolant out of the bottle. Rinse it out of the hull, refill the bottle to the middle and then keep an eye on it for the next ride or two to make sure the level stabilizes.

- Michael
 
You guys are both a great help. thanks. I will try to clean the hull, not much room to get in there, is there a creative way to clean? lol. Hope you guys are around for my other questions.
 
Antifreeze rinses pretty easily. Just hose it down pretty much. If you want, after it is wet, spray the area with some sort of a cleaner and let it sit for a short while. Then rinse it again...
 
how are you guys spraying anything inside there is no room for anything? lol. I took a small spray bottle with dish soap and sprayed where i could along the walls and some parts of the floors, was also careful about electrical connections, then dry clothed it. how do you guys go about it, there is literally barely enough room to get a small hand in most places.
 
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