2008 GTI130 Cavitating. Need new prop?

[TN_Dave]

Hi all, I have an 08 GTI130 and it began cavitating. At least I think thats what it was. It would go full power but would never plane out or go above 5-6 mph. Pulled it out and discovered a rock that made it through the impeller and was stuck against the cone at the back. The first photo is of the rock. The rest are close ups of the impeller and wear ring.

So my questions are:

Is this wear ring in bad shape? Where the impeller is near it there is very little scuffing, just on the 1" or so in front of the prop.

Should I worry about this impeller, trade it in on new one, or upgrade.

Lastly is the gap between the ring and the imp too large? There is little to no scraping or scratches on the ring by the impeller but the gap is almost 1/4".

My ski is bone stock with a couple hundred hours on it. And had been running good until a couple weeks ago. This past weekend was when it really took a nose dive in performance. Prior to that it had "sounded wierd", so I think the rock may have been jammed but still allowing it to rotate "almost well enough".

Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Oh and I have not had a chance to put her back in the water to test it out yet.

 

[mattydipps]

i would look into replacing BOTH impeller and wear ring.. you could upgrade to a solas but i really dont think your going to see much gains out of the 130..

if your not in a rush you could send the impeller out to be refurbished.

 

[KK40384]

I'd refurb the impeller and replace the wear ring.

 

[Coastiejoe]

I'm at 30,000 feet. Signal isn't good enough to open the pictures.

Based on your description, you need a wear ring for sure. Gap should be the thickness if a dime.

If it were mine I would buy a Solas impeller. You MAY see a slight top end gain. But you almost always see low end and mid-range performance gain.

 

[TN_Dave]

Thanks for the replies! The gap is definitely larger than a dime. I checked with a local boat prop shop and they wanted >$100 to refurb it. I am under the gun, we have a big weekend planned next weekend and would love to have it fixed. I may just go with a Solas and new OEM ring. Wear does everyone get the OEM rings? Kind of scared of ebay (getting the wrong part).

 

[Coastiejoe]

In many cases aftermarket items are fine.

Wear rings is NOT one if them. They are often thinner and have a larger gap from day one.

Call your local dealer or check online. There is a link at the top of the home page of this site. I think the ring they sell us OEM. But double check.

 

[Coastiejoe]

If you get a ring and good impeller you are going to think you got a new ski as it will run unlike what you were use to.

 

[KK40384]

In many cases aftermarket items are fine.

Wear rings is NOT one if them. They are often thinner and have a larger gap from day one.

Call your local dealer or check online. There is a link at the top of the home page of this site. I think the ring they sell us OEM. But double check.

The only thing I can tell you about aftermarket rings such as those on eBay, make sure you don't get the $25 ones. I've had good luck around $40-45 as they are the same spec as the factory ones. I bought one for $25 and installed it in the pump. As soon as I installed the impeller there was already a gap and impeller wasn't touching at all. A good wear ring should rub the impeller but still allow it to spin by hand. Once you install it and fire it up the impeller wears in almost instantly and you have a nice tight gap.

 

[TN_Dave]

OK going with the $61.99 ring locally and going to order a solas. 10/18 or 11/19. I have tried to find the factory pitch but have had no luck.

 

[TN_Dave]

After further inspection the jammed rock totally f.... errr messed up the housing so now we are in for that too. Should I just bite the bullet and get it from Seadoo or is there an aftermarket dealer fro them? I looked around on the internet and have found almost every other part, but those don't seem to be readily available.

 

[KK40384]

I just checked eBay for ya and all I found was housings for RXP/RXT. Not sure if those are the same as the GTI.

 

[Coastiejoe]

After further inspection the jammed rock totally f.... errr messed up the housing so now we are in for that too. Should I just bite the bullet and get it from Seadoo or is there an aftermarket dealer fro them? I looked around on the internet and have found almost every other part, but those don't seem to be readily available.

Many people here have housings for sale. PM [MENTION=41828]Minnetonka4me[/MENTION] or [MENTION=46279]99spxxx[/MENTION] as they will likely have what you want..

 

[TN_Dave]

Update.... I broke down and ordered the housing + ring from Sea-doo. Ouch! Was ready to do it all and realized I have to swap the bearings into the new housing. I found the thread where Dr. Honda makes the tools and I may order those. But I couldn't figure out how to get the seal out after you remove the cerclip. The manual just says "remove the seal". Its in there very tight and did not seem like it would budge at all. I would like to just reuse all the parts so I don't have to lay out anymore cash. Thanks for all the help/tips so far!

On a side note the housing I got is metal instead of plastic. I guess they switched in 2009.