2009 Sea Doo RXT 215 RPM and speed are not what they oughta be. Help?

[Coastiejoe]

Ok,,,
First let me commend you on how well you are doing as you have not had a ski in the past...
As things tend to get lost in a long post, let me re-cap a bit.

Though learner keys are limited, ANY key can be programed to be a learner, renter, or full go key. The color has no bearing on this. It is up to the programer to grab the correct key color and then program it. As noted above, be willing to try another color to ensure they were not programed incorrectly.

The oil over full will absolutely limit engine RPM which directly relates to engine speed. So by pulling 1/2 a quart out as you have may solve your issues.

Fuel,,, if you have either old fuel or low octane, this could be the issue. Two things to consider. If the fuel is from last winter, you could have "winter blend" fuel. It is an additive put into the fuel in colder climates (northeast of the country for example). This additive actually gives you less fuel per gallon as the additive physically takes up room as it is a liquid additive. Further, the additive will reduce octane. Sooo, if you had 87 octane AND winter blend fuel, there is a good chance you are in the lower 80's in regards to octane. In the case of my skis, it clearly states to use 93 or higher octane. So again, you could easily be down by 13 points.

Your plugs look pretty good but not excellent. The brown color on the porcelain looks good, the electrodes show some pitting that is indicative of less than the perfect spark. This could easily be the fuel issue as well...

Good luck to you, let us know...

 

[jisgett]

So get ready to laugh/cry/mock, whatever you like. This has been a day for the diary...

I finally get the hand pump and remove a pint of oil (half a quart) from the Sea Doo. Unfortunately, what was going so well went very badly at the end, when I realized that I had to pull the tube from the dipstick without having basically gotten all the oil out. In hindsight, there are a dozen better ways for me to have done this, but what do I do? Just pull it out. Nice. Oil...spattered...all over. There went one of my favorite pairs of lacrosse shorts and a nice mess to clean up on the garage floor.

While I am floundering a bit with my mess, the boss (my wife) says, "If you want to go test that thing out on the river, we need to go!" So, instead of taking my time, I start to rush...again. See a trend here? So I swiftly try and get the kids in the car and the trailer hooked up, realizing for a brief moment that the cotter pin is missing from the other side of the hitch. No worries, I thought, I think I saw it over there (somewhere). I'll get it in just a sec. Well, you guessed it. "Just a sec" got lost when a child needed shoes and started fighting, etc. Oh boy, you're thinking...and you're right.

So we get on the road for the river, only a few miles down the road. Somehow, the hitch stayed on until I was backing down the boat ramp, and then...clunk! And in the back up cam I see the trailer holding on only by the steel cables that I actually did remember to connect. Story ain't over.

So I'm sitting there scratching my head thinking, "crap, how in the world can I get out of this one? And where in the heck is the pin???" So, at this point I realize I can't pull the trailer back up the ramp to the hitch, so I tell the wife to slowly back it up and get it to the water where we can maneuver. This is working until it starts to turn to sharply and now it ain't gonna make the water, it's gonna stop at the edge of the boat ramp. Here comes another genius moment...

I then decide, rather than to unhook and have the boss go get help, that I can probably just "assist" the trailer into the water. After all, there are only about 6-8 feet until the trailer reaches the water. How bad could it be? I found out. As soon as I got the trailer pointed around, Isaac Newton and his little idea of gravity took over. The ski and trailer sought the water and I frantically tried to steer/stay with/minimize the speed at which the trailer reached the water. I did that, believe it or not, until I reached the area where the water and boat ramp touch. Brother, that is some seriously slick concrete. I lost my feet and really am lucky that I did little more than bang up my side and upper arm.

At this point, we have the ski in the water, trailer in the water, but no real way to hook them back to the vehicle. I tell the boss to see if she can see where the through pin was lost. She sees nothing. And it's gettin' darker. Sooo...I say, go try and find it, it really should be nearby somewhere. So she does, and I don't see her again for almost 45 minutes. She hasn't found the through pin, but went all the way home and got a neighbor's. Fine, but for the fact that she left the younguns with yours truly (who was nursing a seriously wounded ego and bruised side). Now I had no way to go test the ski and see if any of my repairs had worked.

She turns up right at dark, we hook trailer back up, triple check it, then go home, where I pray I haven't cracked a rib and thank the good Lord it wasn't worse than it was. Heckuva lesson to learn about rushing when it comes to towing things and water craft. Heck, maybe just a great lesson about being in too much of a hurry in general.

Hope someone learns from my supremely bad decisions today. If things start going bad, just knock it off and try it again tomorrow. Safety first. Safety first. I hope I don't have to relearn this one again...

 

[Coastiejoe]

First,,, kuddos for admitting all that happened...
It was very entertaining at the very least.

I would think all will go smoothly for you and I hope it runs well when you get to testing your ride...

 

[djredman99]

Wow, what a story.

At least you learned a lesson without costing you any more than the bruised ego.

Also, I would suggest you invest in a lock instead of just a pin. You may come back from riding one day only to find your trailer is no longer behind your tow vehicle. It happened to my uncle and his boat trailer. Tough spot to be in with a boat in the water and no trailer to put it on. Police never found the thieves or trailer.

 

[lovbyts]

Do people still use piins? I agree with the above, I have used locks forever, pins are useless and if anyone every wants to steel your ski or even your trailer it's gone.

Glad to hear everything worked out and not serous damage was done or anyone really hurt.

 

[Coastiejoe]

One step further,,, I use the lock for the receiver as well as the mated key lock for the trailer, (meaning the little lever that latches the trailer onto the ball).

 

[jisgett]

Yep, had the lock on the trailer, but nothing to lock the pin, just a cotter pin. Kind of silly, when you think about it, since obviously the receiver could be removed just as easily as the trailer with the ball.

Picked up a locking pin today from Lowe's. $15, and money well spent.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Cheap money...
Serves for piece of mind in both theft and security in regards to actually staying attached to your vehicle...
As far as theft goes, if someone WANTS your skis they will get them, this is why I keep them insured year round, its only money..
Locks just keep honest people honest..

 

[jisgett]

Everything is finally ready for me to do a test and see if we get back to warp speed with my little RXT. Plugs are all new. Engine oil level has been reduced to a better level. And the old fuel has been 99% removed. It's got maybe a liter left in the bottom. Maybe. So tomorrow I will go out, put fresh higher octane in and then pray. Literally. I will let you know what happens.

 

[djredman99]

Good Luck!

 

[jisgett]

Well, I took the rxt out to the river with new NGK plugs, good oil levels and new fuel. NO change. Still will not get above 6500 rps or 53 mph. I suspected one last simple cause, and took the key and ski to the dealer. Key is the normal key, programmed normally, so no problem there either. The Sea Doo tech checked fuel pressure (it was good), and there are no codes being thrown, everything is green (according to the BUDS software). As I said before, compression was 131 psi on #2 and #3 cylinders, 129 psi on #1 when I checked them this week.

The tech suspects the supercharger and said that I should not have been able to move the supercharger at all when I did my little free spinning check on the vanes the other day. Granted, they moved only with a good amount of force, but they moved, which he said should not have been possible, causing him to suspect the sc.

I am looking now at at least an $800 part, and that is if I install it myself. But how can I be sure the sc is the problem?

All your help is appreciated, guys, and any suggestions are welcome, of course. If I do wind up having to replace the sc, is this something I can manage myself? Is it possible to rebuild it only?

Jeff

 

[jisgett]

Hallelujah! (I'm pretty sure, anyway)

Well, I am 99.9% sure I found my problem. After calling around to different places about supercharger prices, etc., I finally had a tech in NC (Albemarle, of all places) who told me that the easiest way to see if the sc was working would be to take it to the river, crank it up (with the back seat off), put the hand around the hose between the sc and the throttle body, squeeze it with my hand and then hit the throttle. He told me that if the sc was working correctly it would "blow your hand off the hose". I wanted to make sure I could ID the hose he referred and so I went outside while we were on the phone, took of the seat, removed the plastic container, the coolant reservoir and saw the hose between the sc and the throttle body. I gave a slight squeeze and noticed something I had not seen before--really had not even looked for before...a small crack in that formed hose, just on the other side of the clamp that is nearest the sc. I tried to see how bad it was and with a bit of pressure, it puckered out.



Oh man...the hose. I couldn't believe it. A damaged hose. Then looking further I realized it was more than a small crack. I saw this (red arrow):



At this point I know I have found at least 1 HUGE problem, and one that could have been/should have been seen much easier--but not just by me, by the Sea Doo tech who suspected a supercharger problem this morning when he spent 30 mins with it and hooked it up to BUDS, etc.

Thank the Lord. Of course I had heard of hose problems, but I had heard so much about failed washers, etc. that I had not looked for the more obvious--ruptured/damaged hoses. I had only looked to see that all hoses were still securely connected.

I've ordered the hose, plus two new clamps (green arrow). Even having them shipped, the dealer got me out the door for just under $115. I will have to clamp them myself, which means buying an oetiker clamp tool. I have never used one, and I do want to be sure and get the clamps correctly fitted. Anyone done this?

BTW, where does Sea Doo come off charging $149 for this hose (retail) and $17 per clamp. That is more than outrageous, particularly when you consider that this is a 10" piece of formed rubber hose.

So...I think we're almost resolved, but anyone who has worked with these clamps before, any techniques on getting the correct tension on the clamps (green arrow)?

 

[ski-d00]

yep, that's your problem. that is just the same as having no sc at all so it explains the magic speed and rpm numbers you were getting that I referred to earlier. I would buy a used one off ebay, they are pretty common and don't normally split like that.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Nice job in finding the issue. A shame it took so much work.

Using the clamp tool is easy. I have even re-used the original clamp by spreading them where they are crimped at.

 

[jisgett]

Using the clamp tool is easy. I have even re-used the original clamp by spreading them where they are crimped at.

So then there is no real prescribed "tightness" on these clamps? In other words, you just try and get it "pretty darn tight"? I'd hate for it to not be tight enough and blow off, or be too tight and start cutting into the next hose, eventually leading to failure.

 

[jisgett]

I would buy a used one off ebay, they are pretty common and don't normally split like that.

Wish I had thought to do that, but I already ordered from a dealer. He cut me a pretty good break. The hose is costing me $80, and the clamps are about 7.50 each. Not bad for new OEM parts. With tax and shipping it was all less than $115, which I am sure is still about double what I might have gotten away with on a used hose and clamps from somewhere else. Live and learn. I just can't wait to get it done.

 

[BMANN06]

Sweet!! I'm glad you got that sorted out :thumbsup:. I hate that feeling when you buy a new toy and it isn't working right. I'm kinda surprised there isn't a sensor that monitors that air pressure from SC. BTW I hear yah on the OEM parts .... thievin' whores they are ...

Let us know what that ski tops out when you get it back on the water.

:cheers:

 

[crisso]

I do not have any experience with these skis.would a crack that big change the sound of the motor.Like a telltale whistle or something?This will have to go on the Check this 1st list.
Very good thread Jisgett.You taught me a new thing today.TY

 

[djredman99]

Glad to hear you got it worked out. I bet you are back to happy you bought the ski

 

[Kozerxp]

I would imagin the sound would be different but as he just bought the ski it is all new to him so he would have nothing to compair it to as for the boost leak that's happened to a friend of mine same problem I wish I chimed in earlier on this one

 

[crisso]

Koz.Agree with you 100%
It would be good to put this thread in the memory bank to help others with a similar problem.It taught me some stuff that I had not thought of.It was a very good thread.

 

[jisgett]

To put this one to rest (maybe) let me say a HUGE "THANK YOU" to all the fellow members who had so many excellent suggestions. I learned a great deal through this one. Here is the resolution: The formed hose between the supercharger and the throttle body was cracked (almost impossible to see--must actually feel for the tear). For about $100, purchased the formed hose and the clamps to secure it. Took it out for the first time last week since the repairs and "oh my..." There is such a difference between the supercharged and non-supercharged performance. I hit 70 on the water with a wide open throttle and decided I didn't care to see if I could reach 71 or 72. And the hole shot...Anyway, she is running great, and I will hate to put it up for the season, but look out Spring. Thanks again to all those who contributed. Successful resolution!

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Thank you jisgett for posting the final answer.
Lots of people ask questions then do the work and never let the forum know if it worked or not.

 

[JFizzleJR]

Many of the speedometers won't read above 70. They aren't accurate anyways. The hose will expand from heat after running it hard so you'll want to check the clamps for tightness right after you run it as they might be slightly loose.

To put this one to rest (maybe) let me say a HUGE "THANK YOU" to all the fellow members who had so many excellent suggestions. I learned a great deal through this one. Here is the resolution: The formed hose between the supercharger and the throttle body was cracked (almost impossible to see--must actually feel for the tear). For about $100, purchased the formed hose and the clamps to secure it. Took it out for the first time last week since the repairs and "oh my..." There is such a difference between the supercharged and non-supercharged performance. I hit 70 on the water with a wide open throttle and decided I didn't care to see if I could reach 71 or 72. And the hole shot...Anyway, she is running great, and I will hate to put it up for the season, but look out Spring. Thanks again to all those who contributed. Successful resolution!