2008 Challenger 180 se only getting 29mph at 6800 rpm

[rwehrle]

Hi, I'm new to this forum. My 2008 Seadoo Challenger 180se is only going about 29mph at 6800rpms.
Can this be a supercharger issue? The boat has 183 hours. I believe it has the better washers.
I'm going to remove the air intake to see if the inside spins or not but is there something else I should be looking at? Impeller? Wear ring? Plugs? I'm hoping it will be a less expensive fix. I should be getting about 43mph at 7800 rpm from what I've read. Any help is appreciated. What does a supercharger rebuild generally cost..$600?
Thanks, Rich

 

[Asecilop]

I have an '07 and at the moment has a top speed of 39 with a few people on board. But I have read about several places to check: impeller condition, wear ring. Supercharger rebuild is $400 or so with the rebuild service from the PWC Muscle. Also check the intake grate and verify all clear.

 

[ZRX Guy]

Are you going by the speedo or GPS? Speedo on my '08 150 is at least 10MPH slower on the speedo than GPS. The little wheel that spins has major slop in it. When I bought the boat from the original owner, I told him I heard this boat can do 50MPH at sea level, he said no way. 35 at best. I brought a Garmin onboard after I bought it, and WFO, I got about 47-48MPH at 3k feet on the lake up here.

 

[rwehrle]

I am going by the speedo but its definitely easy to see there is a definite loss of speed. I'm guessing the lack of 1000 extra rpms is costing me that 10-12 mph I'm missing. I'm off tomorrow and plan on taking the air intake off and going to see if the impeller spins freely...from what I've read. I'll also check the intake grate and wear ring while I'm at it. Does anyone know if and how you can tell if the washers went into the motor? Is it safe to say if I don't see them they went in or no? Where exactly are these washers? Also am I right that my 2008 did NOT have the "bad" ceramic washers, not that it seems to matter at this point. I am looking into PWC Muscle for the supercharger rebuild.
Thanks for the help!

 

[pvamax]

Most 2008's did have the bad ceramic washers. Mine did.

 

[ZRX Guy]

Ceramic washers? Where?

 

[Coastiejoe]

Officially the 2003 to 2007 had the Ceramic washers. But many 08 had them as well. I think they were left over "NEW in stock" SCs so they used them. When they fail, you will lose about 20 MPH. Sadly, if they did fail, the parts are now in the bottom of your engine. The only way to remove them is to pull the engine.

 

[ZRX Guy]

So that's only if mine is super charged?

 

[JPass]

So that's only if mine is super charged?

The ceramic washers is only an issue for supercharged engines. The normally aspirated ones are fine in this regard.

 

[pvamax]

With 183 hours, and almost 9 years , i bet the sc has been rebuilt before. So the ceramics are likely not in there. That does not rule out that the sc is not the culprit for speed and rpm loss though, they still can fail.

 

[rcguy]

My 2008 180 SeaDoo had ceramic washers in the supercharger. Replaced them three years ago after I bought the boat in 2013 with 44 engine hours on it. I was lucky, the ceramic washers were in one piece and not in the bottom of my engine. Goes 7850 rpm at 47 mph, No SeaDoo analog, using Lowrance GPS. Have 66 hours of fun since than.

 

[James.Moon]

2008 Supercharged?

If yours is a 180SE, I expect it is the 255 HP supercharged model. If so it should do 7500-8000 rpm for approximately true 50mph. My 2009 180SE does that quite handily - my speedo actually reads 5mph higher than GPS. If yours is the non aspirated 215 HP I have no idea what to expect although I am guessing the top rpm must be significantly less. If you don't have a supercharger you may have less to worry about except to live with the limited performance. My 2009 does not have the ceramic washers - I have 185 hours on it and don't expect to do any rebuild until the performance drops off - so far it performs like new. Hope this helps.

 

[pvamax]

If yours is a 180SE, I expect it is the 255 HP supercharged model. If so it should do 7500-8000 rpm for approximately true 50mph. My 2009 180SE does that quite handily - my speedo actually reads 5mph higher than GPS. If yours is the non aspirated 215 HP I have no idea what to expect although I am guessing the top rpm must be significantly less. If you don't have a supercharger you may have less to worry about except to live with the limited performance. My 2009 does not have the ceramic washers - I have 185 hours on it and don't expect to do any rebuild until the performance drops off - so far it performs like new. Hope this helps.

215 motor is supercharged too.

 

[rwehrle]

First I want to say thanks for all of your responses which make sense. I spoke with a seadoo dealer today for a quote on a supercharger rebuild and he said that if I have the ceramic washers they are probably in the engine and there are possibiiities of plugging the filters. he recommends pulling the engine to clean out debris and then rebuild. That equates to about $1000. I have a call previous owner who I know to see if he knows if there are ceramic washers and if he ever rebuilt the supercharger. Let you know and thanks again!

 

[Jcamaro]

My 2008 180 SeaDoo had ceramic washers in the supercharger. Replaced them three years ago after I bought the boat in 2013 with 44 engine hours on it. I was lucky, the ceramic washers were in one piece and not in the bottom of my engine. Goes 7850 rpm at 47 mph, No SeaDoo analog, using Lowrance GPS. Have 66 hours of fun since than.

This is what the boat should do....on a good day,maybe a touch more. On a bad day, maybe a touch less......If you are only getting 6800rpm....then you've got some issues. First check is S/C. My avatar is 50mph on GPS....a good day!

 

[taylorsharpe]

My father wants to buy 2008 Seadoo Challenger 180se! Planning to use Kelley Blue Book Boats