2005 Bombardier RXT IC problems

Note: This site contains eBay affiliate links for which SeaDooForum.com may be compensated
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Poeman446

New Member
Hey guys, I just inherited this jetski. I was informed that it was broken and indeed it is. The spark plug was bashed in and the oil is milky after taking the valve cover off. Im guessing a broken connecting rod and bad head gasket as well as possibly a damaged head. Anyone had any problems like this? I have no idea how many hours are on the PWC, and the screen is broken i think. I dont know yet. I didnt look at it in detail yet. I just tore into it. Can i get a new screen anywhere for cheap? where is a good place to get parts and such? any advice to a new jetski owner would be great. Thanks everyone. Also, can i get a service manual for this marvel of machinery? its a little different from cars. not too much, but a little.
Thanks in advance,
-Ethan
 
Poeman446 said:
Hey guys, I just inherited this jetski. I was informed that it was broken and indeed it is. The spark plug was bashed in and the oil is milky after taking the valve cover off. Im guessing a broken connecting rod and bad head gasket as well as possibly a damaged head. Anyone had any problems like this? I have no idea how many hours are on the PWC, and the screen is broken i think. I dont know yet. I didnt look at it in detail yet. I just tore into it. Can i get a new screen anywhere for cheap? where is a good place to get parts and such? any advice to a new jetski owner would be great. Thanks everyone. Also, can i get a service manual for this marvel of machinery? its a little different from cars. not too much, but a little.
Thanks in advance,
-Ethan
Click to expand...

Wow...some inheritance...heh. Coulda been caused by anything...but usually only 1 thing comes to mind.

Fragged sc clutch washers were allowed to enter the motor and proceded to tear everything apart. Or..maybe a timing chain went and your motor sucked a valve...or an exhaust valve stem broke....or.....maybe someone hydro locked a motor...bent a rod...then changed oils and fired it up w/o having done a thourough job...bearings got water on them...maybe sat for a while...then only a matter of time.

Want me to go on? jk.

Got a decent battery in it?
 
The battery is good I suppose. The hydrolocking is a good guess. the timing chain looks okay so far. At least from what i could see after taking the valve cover off. The SC washers (i know next to nothing about superchargers...) could have gotten into the engine? ouchhhh. you should see the spark plug though. It looks like someone locked it in a vise and smashed it with a 2 pound hammer a few times on the sparking side. Anyway, im still diagnosing. If it is the head and valves or anything really, where is the best place to get parts? should i go back with OEM or aftermarket parts?
Youre already super helpful with your suggestions.
 
Pull the sc and see how many washers are on the shaft in front of the gear.

PPG I suppose does a big business with entire blocks....not sure of their quality...never bought from them myself. Prolly a safer bet finding a wrecked ski in the classifieds and taking it's motor. As for getting anew block ect from bombarbier...gonna cost a bit more.
 
How many should there be? Ill also look for a wrecked jetski, but for now, im going to hope i can fix this one. maybe i can. who knows.
 
That helps me. If i find those parts in the cylinder, ill look at the SC next. Ill probably tear it down and inspect/ perform maintenance on it as well.
 
I got super lucky getting this jetski, like you said. I'm glad you are helping me get it on the water. Many thanks!
 
Poeman the only thing that could do that kind of damage to the sparking end of a spark plug would be a dropped/broken valve inside the cylinder. I'd suggest leaving the supercharger alone for the moment, get that head off and see what the condition is inside the cylinders!

If you take the hose off the end of the supercharger, and cannot easily turn the wheel in it by fingertip, then it's probably ok for now. I think you got much bigger fish to fry there! JMO!

ps. You can also get the service manual for your year model on cd off Ebay for just a few bucks if you like. You'll need one for all the torque specs. Also note that the bolts that have like rings up and down them are "stretch bolts" and not reusuable (this includes the head bolts, and the crankcase mains bolts, and the connecting rod cap bolts as well). Do not reuse them, they can break the 2nd time around! Ditto for the head gasket, toss it in the trash and get a new one when you're ready to put the head back on.

pps. If the engine is salvageble and you repair it and reassemble it, then the last thing you'll want to do is go ahead and get the supercharger rebuilt since you don't know how many hours are on it. They have a 100 hr rebuild interval. The rebuild kit will include new upgraded steel washers to replace the OEM ceramic washers which were prone to cracking and breaking apart and wreaking havoc. But again, this would be best left till last you have bigger problems to deal with there right now. Good luck my friend! :seeya:

- Michael
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ive almost got the head off. The first cylinder (well... the one closest to the front of the craft) looks like a hammer was taken to it. It is extremely damaged. From what I feel on the head, its also severely damaged. Now, I cant get the timing chain off of the timing gear at the head, on the cam. How the heck do i do that? Other than that, the head is free. I cant get the gear through the bottom of the head, and i cant get the chain off of the gear. I looked at a shop manual, and im not supposed to need an explanation to get the gear off apparently. :) Ive been working on it a few hours. Should I take the body off to work on it. There has been some serious damage, but how do i get the body off of this thing? If it takes an hour or two i would do it, but if it takes a few days, maybe not. Also, be on the lookout for a new engine for me... I have a feeling ill need it. :p Im still not sure if the lower block cylinder wall is damaged or not.

Thank you all so much for the help.
 
crap... it wont show the website. its the first site under google when you search for "seadoo manuals". 2005, then rotax engine 4-tec or something like that. a manual comes up. Its not a haynes manual, but its okay i guess...
 
You have to take the gear itself off to get the timing chain loose. It's "fun". There are 3 bolts holding the timing chain gear on, remove them let the gear drop down a bit then you can get the chain off it and pull the gear out then pull the head off. DON'T drop anything down into the engine, in fact stuff some paper towels down beside the chain 1st so just in case a bolt or washer gets away from you so it won't go down into the crankcase!

The cylinders are 3, 2, 1 starting at the bow of the watercraft heading to the stern. Cylinder 1 is at the pto where the driveshaft goes into the engine.

ps. Sounds like you might as well pull the engine out of the hull. On an RXT you shouldn't have to remove any of the hull parts just the seat bridge, once the exhaust manifold and intake manifolds are removed and all the wires and hoses disconnected unbolt the engine from the motor mounts and pull the jetpump and driveshaft, the engine itself then simply lifts right out.... not by hand though, it's just a little too heavy IMHO. Get a hoist to lift it out, place some old soft towels on the edges of the engine compartment 1st so as not to scratch or chip it if the engine bumps the edges as it comes out. Ditto for reinstallation later.

Check Ebay for good used takeout engines and parts. I see 2004, 2005, and 2006 4TEC engines on there frequently. Ask seller questions 1st, check seller's feedback rating, and if it looks and sounds good and the seller has good feedback then pull the trigger.

- Michael
 
You all are the most helpful people in the world. I usually hate forums because the guys are Know-it-alls who have never actually done anything. Thank you for changing my mind. After reading your post, I had already come to the same conclusion. "I need to pull this engine..." I need a good service manual that is written in detail. I could probably figure all this out, but it would be a little simpler with a manual. A paper copy would be cool, but i can always print it. Ill search ebay. Still, I cant get the timing gear off. Ive taken the bolts off, removed the rocker assembly (i dont know why, it just felt like progress.) and i've removed one of the tensioners. I cant get to the other one to remove it (i think its attached in the lower block, or I broke it? Im not sure.) I cant get the chain to release the gear. After saying a few choice words, I left it alone for the day. It was dinner time anyway. Ill go back tomorrow and work on it again. Any tricks? just try to get it off? I already took the head bolts off and removed the head a bit. I think that was a mistake, so i might reattach it temporarily and try the timing chain again. Im not worrying about keeping the cam and crank in the same positions. Its just timing... I marked the cam, chain and gear, so it might go back together right the first time, but im not worried about it. I can fix timing issues. I'm antsy to get the head off, I might go back at it tonight. Persistence and patience are key... I can see that now. Thanks again for the help.
 
Ok so you removed the 3 bolts on the timing chain gear correct? There's a thing with a sensor in front of the timing gear (name eludes me at the moment) that centers on it, did you remove that too?

See the microfiche, item 22-24: http://fiche.seadoowarehouse.com/seadooforums/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=seadoopwc&A=116&B=6&modelid=2006 Sea Doo PWC RXT ENGINE BLOCK W/ ACCESSORIES

Ok it's called a "vent valve" I see now. So if so then it's just stuck, try tapping it from behind carefully with something. Those 3 bolts are all that holds that gear on as I recall from putting mine together. Removing that gear is the only way of getting the timing chain off of it short of intentionally breaking the timing chain. I can assure you, it's just stuck on there at this point though a light tap should pop it loose.

You are correct, the other timing chain tensioner has a bolt holding it in place and another spring-loaded bolt that puts tension on it. Leave it alone for now. Go ahead and bolt the head back down loosely and work on getting everything disconnected so you can pull the engine out, there's no point in leaving it in the hull it sounds like it's badly damaged it must have had a valve head pop off to do so much damage inside that cylinder. :-(

It is the same cylinder that had the banged up spark plug am I correct?

ps. The timing is done electronically, a sensor reads the position of that top timing gear as it turns. There's no need to mark anything, there're 2 holes 1 in the head 1 in the block you insert a rod in each and turn the head-cam and engine crankshaft till the rods go in fully and "lock" the head-cam and crankshaft each, that has the head and crankshaft in the correct positions for re-assembly. They sell the locking rods made just for this purpose, but I was able to find steel shafts (from various hobbies I have) that were the exact right diameter to use on mine and they worked perfectly. You'll need to read the section in the manual about locking the head-cam and crankshaft into position for re-assembly, it works like a charm!

- Michael
 
Genius Locking re-assembly mechanisms! I have a lathe and steel rod stock. ill probably make my own. Alright, ill work on getting the head reattached and taking the timing chain off. I didnt see the tensioner on the side of the head. I only saw the other one. Ill go back to it. I didnt take the cam position sensor (it like a hall effect sensor or something like that) off of the head. I took the cover off, took the three bolts holding the sprocket on the cam off, took the actual sprocket off of the cam, but i couldnt get the chain off of the sprocket.

It is indeed the same cylinder with the banged up spark plug. It looks really bad. :( ill look at the bottom of the head and see exactly whats wrong when i pull it off. The thing that confuses me is that there is nothing actually IN the cylinder... I dont know where it went after it completely wrecked the inside of the engine. I dont think it went through the exhaust in pieces.

Where is a good place to get engines? I looked on ebay but i cant spend 3k on this thing for an engine. If it was a new looking ski I might, but at this point thats a bit much. A new head is around 300 - 500 dollars. If im correct. What would be wrong with buying a new head and new pistons? i dont think the crank is bent, because it turns over like a champ without binding as far as i know. Ill inspect it but i think everything else is fine. Ill still have to remove the engine for that. eghhh, Dang. Looks like ill be getting out my trust chain hoist tomorrow. i really hope it will fit through the hole in the hull.

Thanks again. Also, what would be wrong with milling the surface of the piston flat, or actually not doing anything to the piston other than making sure it fits and doesnt do any damage? compression ratios might be off, but could it still work?

I have a nice camera. Ill take pictures tomorrow and show everything. I think it will be more valuable to you than my uneducated attempts at explaining the problem.

Your help is great. Its like having a jetski engine coach online. Just what I needed!
 
Ok so you did get the sprocket (which I was calling a "gear") off then? That's good!

Ok that other chain tensioner piece, #18 in the microfiche link I posted before, it holds tension on the timing chain that's why you still don't have enough slack to get it off the sprocket.

See:http://fiche.seadoowarehouse.com/seadooforums/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=seadoopwc&A=116&B=6&modelid=2006 Sea Doo PWC RXT ENGINE BLOCK W/ ACCESSORIES

Part #25, a "plug screw", holds the chain tensioner spring part #23 against that part #18 which pushes on the timing chain keeping the slack out of it. Remove #25 and then #23 will come out of the hole, then the timing chain will have slack in it not alot but enough to walk it off the sprocket so you can set the head aside real quick to take a look in the cylinders...

... if they kept running the engine with the valve head broke loose in the cyclinder it may well have beat a hole in the side of the cylinder wall and fallen into the block. To bang up that spark plug so badly, they almost had to have kept running it on the remaining 2 cylinders for a bit possibly to get back to a dock or boat launch.

Now honestly you're going to spend ~$2-$3K for another engine no matter what. Even for an SBT short block, I doubt they'll take your block as a core tore up like it is they're going to charge you for the core as well as a short block (definitely about ~2.5K that). Your best bet is going to be to get a good used engine off Ebay.... or else just part the watercraft out and sell it in pieces for whatever you can, take the bad engine block and head to a scrap metal dealer and get something for that then sell the hull and trailer and jetpump on Ebay in seperate auctions perhaps. It may just not be worth fixing. IDK. There is no cheap fix though. Even if you were to find a same year model RXP or RXT that had been wrecked and sunk or caught fire locally you're still going to pay at least ~$1.2K to $2K for that depending on how badly it's torn up.

There was a 2006 RXP that had caught fire and sunk listed on the Houston Craigslist for a few weeks 2 summers ago about the same time I bought the one I now have, and that guy was asking $1.5K for it and it's hull was half burned up and it'd been sunk completely. Eeek! Like I said, no cheap fixes that I know of yours might not be worth fixing. :-(

- Michael
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I might just sell it depending on how much damage it is going to do to my wallet. If i can spend some cash on it (2-3k) and get it working properly, would i make more money on it? i have the money, im just stingy i guess. haha! but seriously, i dont want to spend 3k and turn around to sell it for 500 bucks just to get rid of it. If i fixed it, i wonder if i could make my money back and maybe a bit more for aggravation. At this point, still going to investigate and look at the damage. right now im planning on at LEAST getting one of these: http://www.shopsbt.com/sea-2005-drxt/63-112.html (head) and a new piston/rings at 171.00 the head is right at 500 bucks with a core charge.
 
If the hull is in decent condition (no fiberglass damage, gelcoat not too chipped/scratched up... ie. a gelcoat repair kit some sandpaper and a little elbow grease will make it look like new again) then it could be worth ~$5-$6k on a trailer ready to run. Thing is, from a parts perspective you can fix it with about $2-$3K to spare but that's just parts it doesn't include any of your time and your time is worth something so if you're fixing it just to sell it you're not really going to gain much if anything when you add your time to the equation and you ARE going to have to invest some time in this beastie to get it ready to run again. If you're fixing it to keep it because you like it, then you're time doesn't really count.

Also you still have issues with the instrument panel am I correct? That's going to cost another couple hundred at least, then we don't have a clue at this point if the rest of the electronics are in working condition or not and what do we know about the jetpump's condition?

I'd say it's not worth fixing it to sell it, you'd do better parting it out if you don't want to keep it. Only fix it if you REALLY want to keep it, because this is going to take quite a few man-hours and $$$ in parts to get it back to enjoyable again. It's your call.... people will buy the hulll if it's fairly clean, people wreck theirs in collisions with docks and other boats all the time they have all the mechanicals and electronics but their hulls are ruined.

- Michael
 
Why don't you take a few pics of this watercraft and post them? Makes it easier to judge the condition and all. Also have you tried that timing chain again today? The tensioner spring-piston is what's keeping the chain tight, once that's removed you'll be able to get the chain off the sprocket and remove the head so you can finally see what has happened inside the cylinders. I myself am very curious what happened in there. 2005 (and some 2006) 4TEC engines had hollow sodium filled exhaust valve stems that were prone to corrosion cracking and then the valve head popping-off and banging around inside the cylinder wreaking havoc, I'm curious if that's what happened to this one or not. :-\

- Michael
 
 
I just noticed that the cylinder wall is cracked down the side of the engine. Ive made up my mind for the final time. New engine time! I really want this thing now. Im considering my time free, because i want the enjoyment of riding it. Does this look like a good deal?http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seadoo-4-Tec-215-Super-Charged-Rebuilt-Engine-/120785812737?pt=Personal_Watercraft_Parts&hash=item1c1f653d01&vxp=mtr I need to send them my engine first and they either rebuild it (highly unlikely) or give me a refurbished one. Anyone have any other good connections to get a cheaper version of this engine that's rebuilt? This looks like a decent deal though. Now I just have to finish pulling this engine out. Thanks for the help!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
2012 GTX 260 4tec overhaul
Replies
2
Views
501
ski-d00
ski-d00
S
2011 gti se C0073
Replies
9
Views
449
srestum
S
TwinTurboJ_25
Sea-Doo RXT-x 260
Replies
0
Views
270
TwinTurboJ_25
TwinTurboJ_25
K
2005 gtx
Replies
2
Views
253
Keith1000
K
THEBRIT
SEADOO 2019 GTI VTS LEFT BUTTON
Replies
2
Views
388
THEBRIT
THEBRIT
Back
Top