Buying Advice

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Jnz

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Looking at a 2005 Challenger 180 which is local to me. Seeking advice as upon inquiring the seller said "the only issue that it may have is with the turbo charger. At times it will not reach full RPM's (I believe due to the turbo charger as it is suppose to kick in at 6000 RPM and thats where it cuts out at times). I have done a lot of research and apparently with any Sea-Doo product they recommend a turbo charger rebuild every 200 hours. They also say the washer used in the turbo charger from the factory is ceramic or something and they highly recommend getting a rebuild to put in a new non ceramic washer. I am not sure how many hours are on the boat or if the previous owner ever did a rebuild. I found out you can just pull the turbo charger and send it into a company to rebuild for like $400 to $500." Asking 9k, is there any way I can be sure the supercharger is just going and has not gone yet. Doing my own research I know when these go the ceramic washer go into the motor. Any advice?
 
If you can remove the air inlet hose to the supercharger (with the engine off) you can check the impeller. If it spins fairly easily the clutch is gone. You should not be able to spin it with your fingers. Hard to spin may be a worn clutch.
If it is gone and was a ceramic disc, it's in the engine somewhere in pieces and the proper repair is pull the engine and clean the internals. Or, if the engine runs fine otherwise, the ceramic pieces may do no harm or may someday cause engine failure. It's a gamble.
 
I've heard there is a screen that catches the disc parts? I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth the risk.
 
To me, the seller saying that it sometimes has good rpm and sometimes not ...is not a supercharger issue. The sc clutch, if broken, will not randomly allow good rpms, they will always be low. Sounds more like a fouling spark plug issue...
 
If you'd like to check the washers, I'd suggest following D0NNI's instructions, as that would be the quickest way, otherwise you may need to pull the supercharger out and inspect it. If you do choose that route, or would like to know what you're looking for, I would be glad to send you pictures of my clutch I had rebuilt.

Moreover, pvamax is right, not necessarily an supercharger issue. Not sure at how loose the clutch is, but the boat RPM's would begin to flutter and skip, as the clutch slips. Since the Rotax engines use positive displacement superchargers, the supercharger is always providing boost, even at idle. If the RPMs aren't going above 6000 RPM, would check the clutch first. While at it, would check spark plugs as well.

Again, if you need help with anything, I will be glad to help out in any way I can.
 
Just trying to figure out what I can and if it'd be a good purchase. Price is down to 8500 and I'm not sure how much wrenching someone will let me do on their boat before a sale.
 
I understand, I was in a similar situation when I bought my first Sea Doo. In that class, I would definitely look at trying to remove the air inlet hose on the supercharger and trying to spin the impeller wheel. If it gives quite a bit, something is up with the clutch, hopefully slipped. If the clutch as failed, thats another issue. For a good quality boat, I would recommend getting one from an owner who has properly maintained their supercharger, otherwise you can face trouble. I had to pass on a few boats because of it, but I'm very happy with mine and don't have to worry about the history so much. With the issues you're stating, I would advise to stay away.

In my honest opinion, I would weigh your options on how much you could spend fixing this up verses looking at another boat. I hate to dissuade you from a boat you're interested in, but want to inform you the best I can. Personally, I only have 1 dealership in my state that can realistically work on my boat if something happens I can't fix. As for rebuilding both my superchargers, it took me over a week, with some help, to figure out and learn how remove one and required me buying special tools.

I hope this helps and if there is anything else I can help out with, let me know.
 
Is it safe to say if it's getting to 8k the washers are still there and it's just starting to go?

From seller

When I had the impeller replaced the old one was dinged up pretty bad. That was causing a lot of cavitation where RPM jump all over. With new impeller it took care of that. So I now know what that issue is like. It runs at the 8000 RPM it's suppose to majority of the time. At times will cut back to 6000.*
 
The washers would have to be there otherwise it wouldn't build any boost, what we don't know is what washers they are?(first ones came with ceramic washers, 2009 they started coming with titanium washers, I think it was 2010 or 2011 they started coming with moly coated steel washers and those kits are good for 200hrs) like the previous posts said superchargers can cause loss of performance and the ceramic washers they used to have on the original superchargers were prone to failure even at very low hours, but if it was a supercharger issue you would see the issue at acceleration also not just at wide open throttle and I don't think it is going to cut out and come back, once it starts to slip it isn't going to just recover, for that reason I would suspect an intermittent spark or fuel pressure issue, I have seen the fuel pumps lose pressure and come back, it can be a problem in the fuel pump itself or the regulator in the pump, I have seen rebuild kits online for them but nothing that is offered by Brp to rebuild the pump, it could be something as simple as an ignition coil or a bad connection on a terminal or bad wire in the harness, the problem will be simple but you have to find it first. If it were me and I was looking at a boat that the seller is admitting to having an issue with the boat it had better be a lot cheaper than what the repairs are otherwise why wouldn't the he sell it repaired? and why are you taking the risk?
 
Why?,take a chance, just assume you will need to rebuild the super charger, change plugs, oil etc and deduct that amount from price. (PMC has a video that takes you step by step through the removal, one bolt is a pain in the arse but it's not that hard. Crapping out under load could indicate the coils are failing, (they are 13 years old) you may want to include replacing those in your offer. ***JUST NOTICED THE ORIGINAL POST WAS LAST SUMMER sorry to waste the band width...
 
Lol, I also didn’t realize it was an old post but that is ok, there might be someone else in a similar situation and they can gain some knowledge out of this.
the point that I was trying to make was that if the someone knows there is a problem with what they are buying but doesn’t know what it is going to take to fix it then it is a risk they are taking and the price should reflect that. we already know the boat is old enough to have the original ceramic washers and if the seller can’t prove that it has been rebuilt or not then that should be considered in the price. What is hard to consider is what it is going to cost to repair the performance issue, it may be coils, it may be fuel pump, it may be ecu related. Hopefully we don’t just go out and start buying parts to try because that gets expensive fast. if the seller is willing to deduct a whole bunch of money off of it then it may be an interesting deal, but if the buyer doesn’t want to take a risk of having to spend the time and money dealing with it then it might be better to spend a little more money and buy something that doesn’t have any issues. I know buying something used is already a risk but if it is stated as being in excellent working condition you would have some recourse to get a refund or help with fixing verses buying something as is and being stuck with a hole to throw money into.
 
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