benjilafouine
Well-Known Member
Hello to all.
I am writing this in a new thread because I do not want to carry my old thread and all the pages in it. Someone asked me to tell my story on how my engine blew up this summer so I will summarize exactly what happened. Well, it all started on July 22 !
First, the Sea-Doo: I purchased from a distant cousin on June 13th and it had 91 hours of usage which I found to be very good given its age, a 2003. The history of the Sea-Doo is simple: it was very well maintained except for a few events. It was turned over a few times but it always restarted immediately in these occasions. Also, my cousin did a mistake in 2011 wanting to show off with the jet: wanting to splash his family, he went WOT on two feet of water and he broke the jet pump. It cost him $1,100.00 to have it fixed (that was a plus for me because the jet was only four years old instead of 12). So after filling the papers, we went to the marina and I was on my way. First, I noticed that the speedometer wasn’t working and my cousin had no clue about that. Figured it out a few later: the speedometer cable had been damaged and a friend of me fixed (I suspect the dealer, yes the same dealer mentioned below). It was promptly fixed. The ski ran fine for 30 hours without a single issue.
July 22. That day, I was on vacation and decided to go to the beach with my Sea-Doo. It started normally but as soon as I accelerated, the engine was not running smoothly, like some sort of electric problem as if fire to the plugs was not right. At that point, I decided to change the plugs without any success. Not knowing anything about a Sea-Doo, I was out of solutions. That was my first issue. So I went to see the local mechanics (without the ski).
July 23. The local mechanics thought that the issue could be a clogged carb (he was too busy to have a look at it that week) so he gave me a bottle of carb cleaner to put in the gas tank (actually he told me to use only half of the bottle, which I did). So I poured half of the bottle in the tank without any noticeable effect after a few hours running the ski. This may have been the first error as I read later on this forum that this stuff is not recommended on a 2-stroke engine because it removes the very same oil that is necessary to lube the engine. A few days later, the engine would still not run smoothly and the local mechanics was still not available to fix it. Then my mom arrived for a few days and I decided to take her on my ski for a nice ride with stops.
July 25 AM. My mom being not very young anymore (try 80), I let her get on the ski first, then tried to get in in second. Oups. Ski tilted to the left and we both fell in the water… Ski did not turned over but it came back up on the “wrong side”, meaning clockwise but a few minutes later, we were on our way (but it was still having this intermittent fire issue). I used my ski that day for a least 12-15 miles and then we headed back home.
July 25 PM. We came back from our ride a 3 PM and boy it was steaming hot outside. I stopped the engine, and we both got out of it to my uncle’s beach (my neighbor). About 15 minutes later, I decided to park my my ski at my place and then the second issue occurred: when I pressed the start button, all I got was a “click click”. It wouldn’t start. So I removed the battery and brought it to the local guy for a load test that came in correctly. Also turned the engine manually (removing the plastic guard behind the engine) and it was OK too (pheww I told myself...). So I started fiddling with the plugs: no luck. Then checked the battery wires; still no luck. Then on a moment of luck, the starter worked and the ski cranked and the engine started. I stopped it and the “click click” problem was back. At this point, my concerns were: bad solenoid (I had that on older cars), engine trouble (but not seized) or battery problem. At that point, my uncle suggested that I cranked the engine without the plugs on (wires connected to the posts) and big surprise: there was water inside the engine (as I mentioned, the ski was cranking intermittently), despite having using it a whole day after it tilted!!! So I went to fetch my trailer and hooked up to the ATV to take out the Sea-Doo out of the water. As usual, my dog (22 pounds) jumped on the seat of the ATV and while I was making a u-turn to take the ATV to the ramp, my dog fell of the ATV because he wasn’t watching what I was doing. He tore a ligament and since then he cost me 2,500.00$ (but this is another story and he is getting better...). That same night, I hooked up the battery to the charger for a whole night.
July 26. After a night of charging, same issue. More spark plugs fiddling. No success. So I brought it to the local guy and accepted that I would spend five days of vacation without my ski. It sucked as the weather was beautiful.
July 27. Local mechanics calls me and tell me he had found the issue: the ground wire connecting to the engine (or the starter? Some vertical box in front of my 717 engine). A screw was loose so the fire was skipping. He said the issue was fixed. So I took the ski on the lake two days before my vacation ended. I tested it for 30 minutes and it seemed fine (weather was not nice). On that same evening, weather had cleared up so I decided to test it more. After 10 minutes, I experienced a sudden loss of power so I went to shore and opened the seat. A plug had popped out. With all the testing, the last time I screwed on the plugs, I had forgotten to firmly tight one of them (wish I could remember which but I don’t). Screwed on back the plug correctly and ski resumed working. Ten minutes later, it stopped on the lake and my uncle had to come to my rescue. As much as I tried to restart the engine, it would “almost” start but no more. Did the plug damaged the engine? Or the carb cleaner stuff? I will never know I guess.
July 28. I decided to bring the ski to the dealer and they told me they were able to start it on the trailer (I wasn’t). They checked the compression and cylinders were at 135 and 130, which I know now that it is not great but acceptable. They decided to clean the card, but not rebuild it. After cleaning the carb and having the engine starting correctly in the shop, they gave it back to me saying that I may get away with for the rest of the summer. They also found out that there was a hole in the carb (where the water hose goes in) and they put some high temp silicon in (maybe the water came from there and if it is the case, it would have been happening for several weeks).
July 29. I put the ski in the water and cranked it. Ski started fine, then I hit the throttle and the ski quickly accelerated. Less than thirty seconds later, it experienced a sudden loss of power and I brought it back to shore and on the trailer. I was never able to restart it at that point.
August 03. Brought the ski back to the dealer and two day later, bad news came in: compression on one cylinder was still at 130 but the other one had gone down to 90 (do not know which one and if it was the same one that had the plug popped out). Engine gone… They suggested to do a complete rebuild and I accepted. Good thing I did the full rebuild because the crank was full of debris and the rotary valve was “kinked”. A new rotary valve was ordered. We also agreed to change the oil pump. They also sent the muffler to a welding shop and it came out like new.
August 12. (dealer) Hello Sir, your ski is ready! All right! I rush to the dealer and picked it up. To be on the safe side, I poured extra oil in the tank before leaving the dealer for the burn in period as the manual mentioned (but I added twice as much more oil than the book said by precaution). Got to the cottage, put the ski in the water at 4 PM and the thing barely started. Then it started but it would not accelerate unless I played seriously with the throttle. Called the dealer, spoke to friends and they told me that it may be due to all that extra oil and try to do the burn-in and empty the tank and then put fresh gas in it.
August 16. I managed to do the 10 hours burn-in on the ski but it would run so bad that I never went too far. It was like working: no fun. Also, when the tank was almost empty, it seemed to accelerate a bit better. During the burn-in period, I rotated six spark plugs because the extra oil was fouling them a bit. And the end of the burn-in, I decided to bring back the ski to the dealer…
August 17. Brought back the ski to the dealer.
August 18. The dealer did the first water test with this ski and found out it was running bad. So they proposed to rebuild the carb, which I accepted. Aftermarket parts were ordered (not Mikuni).
August 20. Dealer has rebuilt the carb only to find out that the ski is still running bad. So their top mechanics gets involved and opens the rotary valve cover and he finds… that the mechanics who had installed the rotary valve did not adjusted it correctly. He fixes it.
August 21. That Friday, I was desperate to have my ski back (it had been a month after it first failed). At 3:00 PM, they went for a water test and while on my way to the cottage, I arrived at the very same moment they were coming back from testing with their arms in the air: it was fixed!!! Boy was I happy!
August 22. I finally managed to get the ski in the water (I was on vacation again) and this time, the ski started just fine and bolted on the lake like a bullet… but only until it was warmed… Then the acceleration, again, would be erratic and there was no way I could cruise at 25 mph. The ski would get stuck at 20 and then would suddenly accelerate to 30 (and vice-versa). This is when I learned that old choke trick: pull it slightly when the ski doesn’t want to take off. Too lean and it will accelerate and too rich and it will stop cold. Mine was too lean. So I became concerned to use it for my week of vacation because of potential overheating issues but after reading on this forum, I learned the second trick: when you stop your engine, the best way to know if it is running too hot is to touch the plugs with your fingers for at least five seconds. If you don’t get burned, it is not overheating. Also, the oil mix ratio was adjusted by the dealer to be richer than in specs. So I decided to use the ski like that for my week of vacation (better than nothing).
September 1. I bring back the ski to the dealer and I am not happy. I propose that we test it in the water right away with the mechanics who did the carb rebuild. They accept so we get right away into the water. He tried for almost 90 minutes to tune the carb but he fails. We got it a bit better, close but no cigar. They tell me that maybe the motor is “too new and that it will fix itself over time”. What a stupid explanation. Anyways, I take the ski back with me.
September 4. Back in the water and I am pissed. I do not know what to do.
September 10. Dealer being not helpful, I decide to order a new carb from OSD Parts, following advice of several members of this forum.
September 17. New carb is here but dealer is too busy… to install it before weekend.
September 21. Bring the Sea-Doo to the dealer along to the new carb and tell them to install new carb. They are skeptical about my choice but agree to change it with the one I brought. This will drag until September 25 and I had to complain to get my ski back before hell freezes over here!
September 27. The last day of warm weather here, I put the ski on the lake, start it and miracle!!! It is fixed 100%!!!
This is my story. After two months, I will probably never know what really caused the failure. Comments were:
- This carb cleaner stuff is no good.
- The damaged ground made the motor run bad for three days and that caused the engine to get damaged.
- Water got in the engine through the hole in the muffler.
- The plug that popped out could have damaged the engine
- The dealer dropped something in the engine while cleaning the carb the first time they touched it (after all, compression was not that bad at that point).
- The engine had an issue which I did not know when I bought it used.
As for the dealer, they made at least two mistakes in my opinion:
- They screwed up with the timing (rotary valve) when installing the new engine (confirmed)
- They screwed up rebuilding the new carb (but they won’t admit it).
Next week, I will have my ski winterized by a local guy and I will ask him to check the compression for me just to be on the safe side.
That’s all folks!
Comments are welcomed.
Benji.
I am writing this in a new thread because I do not want to carry my old thread and all the pages in it. Someone asked me to tell my story on how my engine blew up this summer so I will summarize exactly what happened. Well, it all started on July 22 !
First, the Sea-Doo: I purchased from a distant cousin on June 13th and it had 91 hours of usage which I found to be very good given its age, a 2003. The history of the Sea-Doo is simple: it was very well maintained except for a few events. It was turned over a few times but it always restarted immediately in these occasions. Also, my cousin did a mistake in 2011 wanting to show off with the jet: wanting to splash his family, he went WOT on two feet of water and he broke the jet pump. It cost him $1,100.00 to have it fixed (that was a plus for me because the jet was only four years old instead of 12). So after filling the papers, we went to the marina and I was on my way. First, I noticed that the speedometer wasn’t working and my cousin had no clue about that. Figured it out a few later: the speedometer cable had been damaged and a friend of me fixed (I suspect the dealer, yes the same dealer mentioned below). It was promptly fixed. The ski ran fine for 30 hours without a single issue.
July 22. That day, I was on vacation and decided to go to the beach with my Sea-Doo. It started normally but as soon as I accelerated, the engine was not running smoothly, like some sort of electric problem as if fire to the plugs was not right. At that point, I decided to change the plugs without any success. Not knowing anything about a Sea-Doo, I was out of solutions. That was my first issue. So I went to see the local mechanics (without the ski).
July 23. The local mechanics thought that the issue could be a clogged carb (he was too busy to have a look at it that week) so he gave me a bottle of carb cleaner to put in the gas tank (actually he told me to use only half of the bottle, which I did). So I poured half of the bottle in the tank without any noticeable effect after a few hours running the ski. This may have been the first error as I read later on this forum that this stuff is not recommended on a 2-stroke engine because it removes the very same oil that is necessary to lube the engine. A few days later, the engine would still not run smoothly and the local mechanics was still not available to fix it. Then my mom arrived for a few days and I decided to take her on my ski for a nice ride with stops.
July 25 AM. My mom being not very young anymore (try 80), I let her get on the ski first, then tried to get in in second. Oups. Ski tilted to the left and we both fell in the water… Ski did not turned over but it came back up on the “wrong side”, meaning clockwise but a few minutes later, we were on our way (but it was still having this intermittent fire issue). I used my ski that day for a least 12-15 miles and then we headed back home.
July 25 PM. We came back from our ride a 3 PM and boy it was steaming hot outside. I stopped the engine, and we both got out of it to my uncle’s beach (my neighbor). About 15 minutes later, I decided to park my my ski at my place and then the second issue occurred: when I pressed the start button, all I got was a “click click”. It wouldn’t start. So I removed the battery and brought it to the local guy for a load test that came in correctly. Also turned the engine manually (removing the plastic guard behind the engine) and it was OK too (pheww I told myself...). So I started fiddling with the plugs: no luck. Then checked the battery wires; still no luck. Then on a moment of luck, the starter worked and the ski cranked and the engine started. I stopped it and the “click click” problem was back. At this point, my concerns were: bad solenoid (I had that on older cars), engine trouble (but not seized) or battery problem. At that point, my uncle suggested that I cranked the engine without the plugs on (wires connected to the posts) and big surprise: there was water inside the engine (as I mentioned, the ski was cranking intermittently), despite having using it a whole day after it tilted!!! So I went to fetch my trailer and hooked up to the ATV to take out the Sea-Doo out of the water. As usual, my dog (22 pounds) jumped on the seat of the ATV and while I was making a u-turn to take the ATV to the ramp, my dog fell of the ATV because he wasn’t watching what I was doing. He tore a ligament and since then he cost me 2,500.00$ (but this is another story and he is getting better...). That same night, I hooked up the battery to the charger for a whole night.
July 26. After a night of charging, same issue. More spark plugs fiddling. No success. So I brought it to the local guy and accepted that I would spend five days of vacation without my ski. It sucked as the weather was beautiful.
July 27. Local mechanics calls me and tell me he had found the issue: the ground wire connecting to the engine (or the starter? Some vertical box in front of my 717 engine). A screw was loose so the fire was skipping. He said the issue was fixed. So I took the ski on the lake two days before my vacation ended. I tested it for 30 minutes and it seemed fine (weather was not nice). On that same evening, weather had cleared up so I decided to test it more. After 10 minutes, I experienced a sudden loss of power so I went to shore and opened the seat. A plug had popped out. With all the testing, the last time I screwed on the plugs, I had forgotten to firmly tight one of them (wish I could remember which but I don’t). Screwed on back the plug correctly and ski resumed working. Ten minutes later, it stopped on the lake and my uncle had to come to my rescue. As much as I tried to restart the engine, it would “almost” start but no more. Did the plug damaged the engine? Or the carb cleaner stuff? I will never know I guess.
July 28. I decided to bring the ski to the dealer and they told me they were able to start it on the trailer (I wasn’t). They checked the compression and cylinders were at 135 and 130, which I know now that it is not great but acceptable. They decided to clean the card, but not rebuild it. After cleaning the carb and having the engine starting correctly in the shop, they gave it back to me saying that I may get away with for the rest of the summer. They also found out that there was a hole in the carb (where the water hose goes in) and they put some high temp silicon in (maybe the water came from there and if it is the case, it would have been happening for several weeks).
July 29. I put the ski in the water and cranked it. Ski started fine, then I hit the throttle and the ski quickly accelerated. Less than thirty seconds later, it experienced a sudden loss of power and I brought it back to shore and on the trailer. I was never able to restart it at that point.
August 03. Brought the ski back to the dealer and two day later, bad news came in: compression on one cylinder was still at 130 but the other one had gone down to 90 (do not know which one and if it was the same one that had the plug popped out). Engine gone… They suggested to do a complete rebuild and I accepted. Good thing I did the full rebuild because the crank was full of debris and the rotary valve was “kinked”. A new rotary valve was ordered. We also agreed to change the oil pump. They also sent the muffler to a welding shop and it came out like new.
August 12. (dealer) Hello Sir, your ski is ready! All right! I rush to the dealer and picked it up. To be on the safe side, I poured extra oil in the tank before leaving the dealer for the burn in period as the manual mentioned (but I added twice as much more oil than the book said by precaution). Got to the cottage, put the ski in the water at 4 PM and the thing barely started. Then it started but it would not accelerate unless I played seriously with the throttle. Called the dealer, spoke to friends and they told me that it may be due to all that extra oil and try to do the burn-in and empty the tank and then put fresh gas in it.
August 16. I managed to do the 10 hours burn-in on the ski but it would run so bad that I never went too far. It was like working: no fun. Also, when the tank was almost empty, it seemed to accelerate a bit better. During the burn-in period, I rotated six spark plugs because the extra oil was fouling them a bit. And the end of the burn-in, I decided to bring back the ski to the dealer…
August 17. Brought back the ski to the dealer.
August 18. The dealer did the first water test with this ski and found out it was running bad. So they proposed to rebuild the carb, which I accepted. Aftermarket parts were ordered (not Mikuni).
August 20. Dealer has rebuilt the carb only to find out that the ski is still running bad. So their top mechanics gets involved and opens the rotary valve cover and he finds… that the mechanics who had installed the rotary valve did not adjusted it correctly. He fixes it.
August 21. That Friday, I was desperate to have my ski back (it had been a month after it first failed). At 3:00 PM, they went for a water test and while on my way to the cottage, I arrived at the very same moment they were coming back from testing with their arms in the air: it was fixed!!! Boy was I happy!
August 22. I finally managed to get the ski in the water (I was on vacation again) and this time, the ski started just fine and bolted on the lake like a bullet… but only until it was warmed… Then the acceleration, again, would be erratic and there was no way I could cruise at 25 mph. The ski would get stuck at 20 and then would suddenly accelerate to 30 (and vice-versa). This is when I learned that old choke trick: pull it slightly when the ski doesn’t want to take off. Too lean and it will accelerate and too rich and it will stop cold. Mine was too lean. So I became concerned to use it for my week of vacation because of potential overheating issues but after reading on this forum, I learned the second trick: when you stop your engine, the best way to know if it is running too hot is to touch the plugs with your fingers for at least five seconds. If you don’t get burned, it is not overheating. Also, the oil mix ratio was adjusted by the dealer to be richer than in specs. So I decided to use the ski like that for my week of vacation (better than nothing).
September 1. I bring back the ski to the dealer and I am not happy. I propose that we test it in the water right away with the mechanics who did the carb rebuild. They accept so we get right away into the water. He tried for almost 90 minutes to tune the carb but he fails. We got it a bit better, close but no cigar. They tell me that maybe the motor is “too new and that it will fix itself over time”. What a stupid explanation. Anyways, I take the ski back with me.
September 4. Back in the water and I am pissed. I do not know what to do.
September 10. Dealer being not helpful, I decide to order a new carb from OSD Parts, following advice of several members of this forum.
September 17. New carb is here but dealer is too busy… to install it before weekend.
September 21. Bring the Sea-Doo to the dealer along to the new carb and tell them to install new carb. They are skeptical about my choice but agree to change it with the one I brought. This will drag until September 25 and I had to complain to get my ski back before hell freezes over here!
September 27. The last day of warm weather here, I put the ski on the lake, start it and miracle!!! It is fixed 100%!!!
This is my story. After two months, I will probably never know what really caused the failure. Comments were:
- This carb cleaner stuff is no good.
- The damaged ground made the motor run bad for three days and that caused the engine to get damaged.
- Water got in the engine through the hole in the muffler.
- The plug that popped out could have damaged the engine
- The dealer dropped something in the engine while cleaning the carb the first time they touched it (after all, compression was not that bad at that point).
- The engine had an issue which I did not know when I bought it used.
As for the dealer, they made at least two mistakes in my opinion:
- They screwed up with the timing (rotary valve) when installing the new engine (confirmed)
- They screwed up rebuilding the new carb (but they won’t admit it).
Next week, I will have my ski winterized by a local guy and I will ask him to check the compression for me just to be on the safe side.
That’s all folks!
Comments are welcomed.
Benji.
. But in the end I loved the fact that my machine is a very simple one: no gizmos, just the throttle and speedometer and gasoline gauge. Perfect for beginners.
