Didn't winterize 2007 GTX

[scotian]

So... to make a long story short, had my 2007 GTX wake edition held captive by the ex since September. Things were messy... I wasn't sure if I was even going to get it back. But we've settled and its now back in my hands but...

It didn't get winterized , i'm in eastern Canada so we've had minus 15C, its currently in my front yard and i'm not sure what to do.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, kind of panicking something is going to crack as soon as I pull it in a heated garage.

 

[mkov608]

Scotian, you'll want to winterize it ASAP ... better late than never. Keep in mind you have an older ski, and you didn't tell us how many hours on on the meter. The jet pump seal is a 100 hr replacement item, but they will deteriorate over time even if you have less than 100 hours on the ski. You'll want to pull the jet pump and rebuild it. During the disassembly look for crack in the jet pump housing. With ambient temperatures below 0c, any water in the pump will freeze, and if there's enough water inside, it will crack the pump.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Pulling it inside a heated garage won't cause further damage if any damage has already occurred. Winterize it properly though, before putting it back out in the cold.

 

[3ftDeep]

This video will show how to winterize: https://youtu.be/kCEVRg0zr80
This one will help avoid freezing of your exhaust, if it's going to be kept outside: https://youtu.be/Grd6IwYpdo4
Good luck!

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

So I'm curious about this topic, since I am installing a 4tec in my boat and want to design the cooling system to be as trouble-free as possible. With the 4tec system, the only parts that have raw water are the exhaust manifold, the J-pipe, and the waterbox/resonator. My understanding is that the exhaust manifold is self-draining, as long as that feed hose doesn't have any portions where it's higher than the manifold. The J-pipe drains to both the manifold and to teh water box, so it will never keep any water either. Now, the waterbox will probably have some water left in it, but how much can you blow out if you romp the throttle a few good times out of the water? If a little is left in there, would freezing damage anything? It's in a cylinder, so the expanding water would just expand out. I don't think there would be enough water in it to cause the waterbox to bulge out if you blow it out with the motor before you put it up... The rest of the cooling system is Antifreeze, so what are the risks of NOT winterizing the engine?

 

[jammin777]

as long as the antifreeze is up to par to withstand the freezing point, it should be ok but also important to fog the cylinders to keep rust and corrosion out from sitting especially if stored outside.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I agree it should be okay based on my results so far, I've never had my waterbox damaged (I haven't owned a 4-tec though) nor have I heard of it happening but I can imagine it could happen if there's a bunch of water remaining in there.

On the couple of Seadoos I've owned, the exhaust exit tube of the waterbox reaches into the bottom of the waterbox far enough so the majority of water is blown out with the exhaust so I don't worry about pouring antifreeze in there as recommended by the service procedure.

The risk does exist, so no guarantee!

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

If you have a 2-stroke engine, those engines too are designed to self drain the water jacket BUT, if your drain line (the one on the back of the jugs) is clogged like mine once was, it will definitely crack your cases when that water freezes. I would recommend everyone to check that hose at least once a season. Mine was just a dark color, like all the rest of the hoses. I couldn't tell that it was full of sand. Best thing to do is to disconnect it from your exhaust nipple and try to blow though it, but I guess you can just try to bend it in its lowest point, as a hose full of sand won't bend like an empty one.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Deleted text. I provided poor info based on a post above.

 

[Sea Dood]

Sorry to chime in here late, but there is not really clear information posted here yet to guide you.

The 2007 GTX wake, like all 4TEC's, is closed-loop cooling for the engine, so you don't have to worry about it freezing. What the others failed to mention is the part that is most fragile in freezing temps, which is the intercooler. This engine uses fresh water to flow thru the intercooler, then the exhaust manifold, then thru the J-pipe, then into the waterbox.

If your ski has been in any freezing temps, the damage is already done. Don't run this ski until you pressure test the intercooler. It is inside the intake manifold, with the inlet and outlet at the front of the intake manifold. You can make your own pressure tester by going to Home Depot or the like and buy some heater hose, a ball valve, some adapters, and a pressure gauge. take off the intercooler hoses, seal off one end of the inlet or outlet with heater hose, run a length of heater hose from the other port to the ball valve with the pressure valve between the intercooler and the ball valve. Slowly put air into the open end until you get about 15 PSI on the gauge, then close the ball valve. You should hold the 15 PSI indefinitely. If not, make sure you have no leaks in your setup. If no leaks and it won't hold pressure, your intercooler is toast.

 

[AircraftDoc]

What Sea Dood said...
Supply these details and printout to your Attorney. But I say your intercooler is damaged. Start looking for new part. I have seen others recommend the aftermarket models as better than OEM on this forum.

 

[jammin777]

sorry for being naive, is the inter cooler for sc equipped ski's or is it on n/a models as well. if so how to drain it?

i meant well for posting above but probably shouldn't have. i have a n/a ski.

 

[Sea Dood]

The intercoolers are only used on supercharged models.