2005 Islandia Plane Issue

[Jjolls21]

I have a 2005 Sea Doo Islandia that is having issues getting up on plane when you get 5 to 6 adults on board. It planes just fine when when there are 1 to 4 people on board. I checked the impeller and nothing is stuck in there. The RPMs will get up to 6,000 to 6,500 but the boat won't get above 15 mph when there is even a little extra weight. Not sure where to even start to fix this because this can't be normal. No boat shops will even take a look at it anywhere near where I live. Sea Doo gurus, please help!

 

[ripcuda]

Does sound like an jet pump issue... if your engine can rev to 6500... but the boat isn't moving faster than 15mph. Even though nothing is stuck in the jet pump... the wear ring around the impeller (and/or the impeller itself) are likely pretty worn causing reduced thrust (especially with increased weight in the boat). I'd pull the impeller and measure the impeller to wear ring clearance as a place to start.

 

[Jjolls21]

Does sound like an jet pump issue... if your engine can rev to 6500... but the boat isn't moving faster than 15mph. Even though nothing is stuck in the jet pump... the wear ring around the impeller (and/or the impeller itself) are likely pretty worn causing reduced thrust (especially with increased weight in the boat). I'd pull the impeller and measure the impeller to wear ring clearance as a place to start.

Do you know how much (if any) clearance there is supposed to be between the impeller and the wear ring? Are they easy to replace?

 

[Tim75]

Do you know how much (if any) clearance there is supposed to be between the impeller and the wear ring? Are they easy to replace?

After you take the stator off, the shaft and impeller will "sag" toward bottom of wear ring. Ideally, there should only be the thickness of a dime at the top between impeller and wear ring. You may have more. Less clearance is better. Next thing is the leading edge of the impeller blades. They should be smooth and clean. About .010 to .020 inch thick at the edge. Too thin and they are easily damaged. Too thick and it can cavitate.

New parts (impeller and wear ring) runs about $600. Repair from company called Impros. Never heard anything bad about them, except their turnaround time. I repaired mine for about $20 with fiberglass and epoxy. Lasted about 4 years.

Don't damage the shaft. You can make an oil leak. Special socket required to remove impeller.

 

[Jjolls21]

Thought I'd do a follow up on this. I got the jet drive all taken apart and the impeller, stator and wear ring sent off to Impros. Turn around time was a little less than a month. These are the before and after pictures. They do an awesome job! Going to take it out in a few weeks once the weather warms up a little and see how the repaired parts hold up.