$680 100-hour big service... and other servicing questions

[Guy on the water]

We picked up our jetski 3 weeks ago. It had 80 hours, now 89. After talking to two local dealers I am unclear about what I need for servicing. Actually the ski runs perfectly, so I really don't need anything right now.

Shop A says that at around 100 hours I should get the "big service". They say that around 100 hours on our '03 GTX supercharged there are 3 parts, all about $100 each that tend to go bad. Does that make any sense? They said the failure of any of them could leave us stranded on the water.

Shop B didn't mention this at all.

Also, with our season ending around the first of October, I'm wondering what I should do for "winterizing". The ski will be kept in our garage, which isn't heated, but stays in the 40's-50's most the winter. Do I need "winterizing"? It will sit for 6-7 months.

After talking to both shops, I'm still not clear what the oil change interval is.

And finally, when should I changed the spark plugs?

 

[sporsterjoel]

Mine sits in a garage and it can be as cold as -20 C, if it gets cold enough for water to freez then you would need to flush the lines/pump with antifreez, when i bought my boat, found it on http://www.kijiji.com/ ,http://toronto.kijiji.ca/ the dealer that i had look it over said the supercharges need a rebuild every 100hrs,as far as the cost i dont know. He also said that the only reason why the supercharger washers go bad is from when the ski comes out of the water and people dont let off the throttle the superchager revs and banks out to quick.:ack:

 

[seadoosnipe]

Sucker?......

The dealership thinks there is a sucker born everyday....!

If you keep it in a garage, it's protected from the elements. We will be posting the winterizing for the 4-TEC procedures around September.

But I can tell you this. The 4-TEC is more like a car. It has a radiator and antifreeze, so you don't have to worry about freezing. The exhaust should be flushed that one last time before storage.

Start the engine briefly and fog the engine for a few seconds. No water hookup needed. Then, remove the battery. Your done!.....now, if you let it sit outside for the winter, we'd through in a couple more things. BUt for the most part, that's it.

I live in the south. It freezes maybe 2 times through the winter. I have the 787cc engine. I do not winterize what so ever. I do work on it constantly through the off season and start it pretty regularly, at least once every two weeks.

So, the dealer is there to make himself some money..........please, come to the forum and ask questions before going to one of the "legal" robbery bandits. We'll help you decide if there is anything they need to do to your ski...........there are no parts that you have to replace.

In the spring, put fresh oil it, change the oil, flush your old coolant out and add a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and you'll be ready for the nest riding season.

The newer models use grease in the impeller bearings rather than oil, so at the moment, I don't now the requirement on how often that has to be added to.....................

Your fine. Put it in your garage and forget about it...............

 

[Guy on the water]

Thanks seadoosnipe. I was hoping I'd hear something a little more down-to-earth and reasonable. The dealers around here do an equal amount of snowmobiles to jetskis, and do a lot more motorcycles and ATV's. To my knowledge there are no seadoo experts here, and no independent shops.

I've been lurking here for a couple weeks and look forward to reading up on some of the write-ups, etc. I'll be buying what I need to do my own oil changes and other real basic stuff. Thanks.

Hmmm... I'll need to search "fog the engine"... not sure what you mean here.

 

[seadoosnipe]

fogging......

It's not a real big deal. If you notice on the air induction system, there is usually a little, black plug that is removed for the dealer to fog the engine. It's (bombardier fogging spray) a preservative that is used to coat the internal components, crank/pistons, etc... that provide a barrier from moisture to settle on the metal, causing it to rust.

I fog with WD-40.......for the short period it's not running. I make it a habit to run my motor at least once every 2 weeks, that way, the fuel system moves older gas out of the lines and puts in a fresh supply, rather than taking a chance of gumming........you can also use fuel stabilizer right before putting it up, running it in to make sure it's all in the lines etc.......then, you don't have to worry about running it........I just like running mine. Especially during the winter, when I'm taking things apart, cleaning, repairing and upgrading..........so, I don't do a lot to winterize.

Keep up with the forum, I"m sure there will be some posts on winterizing soon. I know there is one in there from a year or so ago, but it mostly deals with the 2-cycles.........really, the 4-TEC's are a lot easier to take care of.

Because of the humidity down south, I do have a small ceramic heater that I keep in my engine compartment. But I don't ever want to recommend that to any member because it can be dangerous if not monitered and combustibles removed from the area, also, ventilation. But, for me, it does keep the humidity at bay.........................:cheers:

 

[Guy on the water]

I'm going to put fresh plugs in the Seadoo today. Should I use anti-seize or is it not necessary? The grease for the coil packs doesn't really matter, does it? I was planning on a thin coat of black all-purpose grease just to seal water and aid install/removal.

What should the gap be?

 

[Guy on the water]

Ok I found the gap to be 0.75mm (0.030"). I used a little anti-seize on the plug threads and just used black all-purpose grease for the coil boots.

When I removed the previous plugs they were gapped differently - all 0.60mm (0.024"). I took a look at Snipes Korner regarding spark plugs, and think these look like the motor has been running lean.

Or... could it be because those plugs were gapped incorrectly?? Here's what they look like (took 2 pictures, one with flash, one without).