Large amount of water under the engine

[O-E]

Looking for help. I am new to the seadoo community and I have a 2008 challenger 180se. This boat is new to me I had her out on the lake today for about 4 hours and when i retreived it off the launch i noticed an unusual amount of under the engine 2 inches high. My bilge pump never kicked in all day.installed a new bilge pump last week. Drain plugs were in. Seems strange as the rest of the bilge was relatively dry except for under the engine area. I have attached a picture. I noticed a seal around a wire that looks suspect. Does anyone have any ideas? I dont know much about these things and am hoping forum members can help me out. Thanks to all who try and help.

 

[Waterbug13]

Depending on what all you did it could have washed in from the back when you go to stop. That's really not alot I have a 210 and for some reason mine gets enough water were I will have a couple inches in the ski locker. I haven't found my leak yet but I changing my carbon seals and going to tighten all clamps and go from there. They recomend changing the carbon seal around 100hrs. Look it up on YouTube there are plenty of videos out there. Check all your clamps as they can loosen over time. Another thing you might do is while on the water open the engine hatch and while at a idle look for leaks while someone else is at the wheel. You can also fill the engine compartment up and see if u see a leak while kn the trailer. Just some ideas good luck

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Hopefully the water is clear, not antifreeze? It's not uncommon to have unnoticed rainwater trapped further forward in boats that runs to the bilge while underway.

There are a few places they can leak, such as the bolts holding the rock grate of the jet pump, the weedless rock grate lever arm link, driveshaft carbon seal or even the scupper valve on the transom can allow water into the ski locker in some configurations.

Some small amount of leakage at the driveshaft carbon seal is normal, a cup or two of water in a day from this is no cause for concern but the starter motor and oil pan shouldn't be sitting in water.

I couldn't make it out from the photo but isn't this boat fitted with automatic bilge bailers connected to the jet pump nozzle? Their purpose is to vacuum up most of the water that can reach them while underway.

 

[O-E]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah the water is clear. I was really surprised how much there was 2-3” id say like at least a gallon under the engine length of the engine block. I figured the bilge would have kicked in. I am hoping it was just rain water.

I am not sure about the automatic bilge bailers connected to the pump nozzle. I never noticed or knew to look.

In the picture beside the arrow I was wondering if the hole in The seal beside the line from the pump had anything to do with it. Looks like some of the caulking has deteriorated.

I am wet slipping but now am hesitant to leave it in the water until i can figure this water issue out. Iam hoping it is a simple fix.

I will definetly look at the bolts on the rock gate Where exactly is the carbon seal?

Appreciate the ideas

 

[O-E]

Depending on what all you did it could have washed in from the back when you go to stop. That's really not alot I have a 210 and for some reason mine gets enough water were I will have a couple inches in the ski locker. I haven't found my leak yet but I changing my carbon seals and going to tighten all clamps and go from there. They recomend changing the carbon seal around 100hrs. Look it up on YouTube there are plenty of videos out there. Check all your clamps as they can loosen over time. Another thing you might do is while on the water open the engine hatch and while at a idle look for leaks while someone else is at the wheel. You can also fill the engine compartment up and see if u see a leak while kn the trailer. Just some ideas good luck

Thanks for the ideas i will definetly tighten all the clamps i notice deterioration around the caulkings thru hull by the pump hose also. And look up the carbon seal i had no idea where it was. I think i will try and fill the compartment up and see what happens.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Unfortunately I'm not up to speed with all the features included with the various models and years of Seadoos so I really can;t help nail it down in this case just to say at times I've been amazed by the quantity of trapped rainwater I've seen migrate to the bilge in other boats from time to time.

The bilge bailers, if equipped, are a nice feature.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah the water is clear. I was really surprised how much there was 2-3” id say like at least a gallon under the engine length of the engine block. I figured the bilge would have kicked in. I am hoping it was just rain water.

I am not sure about the automatic bilge bailers connected to the pump nozzle. I never noticed or knew to look.

In the picture beside the arrow I was wondering if the hole in The seal beside the line from the pump had anything to do with it. Looks like some of the caulking has deteriorated.

I am wet slipping but now am hesitant to leave it in the water until i can figure this water issue out. Iam hoping it is a simple fix.

I will definetly look at the bolts on the rock gate Where exactly is the carbon seal?

Appreciate the ideas

Generally speaking many bilge pumps won't kick in until the water level is nearly to the top or slightly over top of the pump. It may have kicked in while underway or it may have been corroded internally, which is common. Fill the bilge with water to test the automatic function for normal action but be aware of unwanted flooding of components like the starter while testing. It might help to adjust the bow height up or down in that case.

In any case it wouldn't be a good idea to leave this boat in the water unless there's a reliable shore power connected to keep the battery(ies) from discharging by the bilge pump and even then I recommend dual bilge pumps. Even in the absence of a hull leak, you'd be amazed at how much rainwater alone, can collect in the bilge of a boat depending on weather and type of cover of course but it can add up quickly.

Generally the area around the jet pump is well sealed from the factory but if someone has removed the pump for service at some point they may have not resealed it correctly. It's a pretty clever design, not much to dislike about it IMO.

 

[O-E]

Unfortunately I'm not up to speed with all the features included with the various models and years of Seadoos so I really can;t help nail it down in this case just to say at times I've been amazed by the quantity of trapped rainwater I've seen migrate to the bilge in other boats from time to time.

The bilge bailers, if equipped, are a nice feature.

Generally speaking many bilge pumps won't kick in until the water level is nearly to the top or slightly over top of the pump. It may have kicked in while underway or it may have been corroded internally, which is common. Fill the bilge with water to test the automatic function for normal action but be aware of unwanted flooding of components like the starter while testing. It might help to adjust the bow height up or down in that case.

In any case it wouldn't be a good idea to leave this boat in the water unless there's a reliable shore power connected to keep the battery(ies) from discharging by the bilge pump and even then I recommend dual bilge pumps. Even in the absence of a hull leak, you'd be amazed at how much rainwater alone, can collect in the bilge of a boat depending on weather and type of cover of course but it can add up quickly.

Generally the area around the jet pump is well sealed from the factory but if someone has removed the pump for service at some point they may have not resealed it correctly. It's a pretty clever design, not much to dislike about it IMO.

I never thought it would be from rain water. I have two solar panels under the windshield to always keep a charge on the battery so when the bilge kicks on it wouldnt drain the battery if i left it for a few days. Do you still think its bad to leave it in a wet slip??

I am definetly going to give everything a good look over around the pump. Hopefully it was just rain water i never noticed before heading out.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

If nobody is around to keep an eye on things then at least install a 2nd backup bilge pump. The owners manual of the jet skis used to advise against leaving them in the water but their bilge is small in comparison and so a small leak fills it faster, there may be some mention in your owners manual.

If you do leave it in, make sure to check on it or confirm someone checks on it, some marinas are proactive about this while others might not notice a sunken boat for days.

 

[O-E]

Thanks for the replies, ill post when i hopefully get everything figured out

 

[trevorc5505]

I would be curious to make sure your bilge pump is working as it was a recently installed part.

Are you able to turn the pump on via the dash and have water pump out? If yes then I would also fill the bilge area in the engine with water to make sure that feature works too.

 

[O-E]

**Update

I brought the boat into a local repair shop. Issues with the seperate float switch wouldnt always engage(no clue why) so i switched out the bilge pump to one with an internal float. Good there

Lifted the bow of the boat and Filled up the back of the bilge with water instantly noticed water coming out of the pump where the steering cable is. Looks like a half inch hole where the caulking is in the thru hull. Re caulked everything with silicone and tightened the bolts around the pump. Waiting for the silicone to set and will repeat the process. Looks like this was the issue but we will see. I will also run the engine hooked up to the hose and look for a leak.

 

[trevorc5505]

Awesome. Glad to hear you were able to get both taken care of. Let us know if that took care of the issue!

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Nice to hear, well worth the effort to investigate!

 

[Waterbug13]

**Update

I brought the boat into a local repair shop. Issues with the seperate float switch wouldnt always engage(no clue why) so i switched out the bilge pump to one with an internal float. Good there

Lifted the bow of the boat and Filled up the back of the bilge with water instantly noticed water coming out of the pump where the steering cable is. Looks like a half inch hole where the caulking is in the thru hull. Re caulked everything with silicone and tightened the bolts around the pump. Waiting for the silicone to set and will repeat the process. Looks like this was the issue but we will see. I will also run the engine hooked up to the hose and look for a leak.

Glad you found a leak! Remember on these don't let it run on a hose but for a couple mins max because being in water is what keeps the carbon seal cool and you can burn one up if not careful. Plus your boat cools by being water.the heat exchanger is the aluminum ride plate.

 

[O-E]

The boat is looking dry everything is sealed i ran it to the hose and didn’t notice anything else leaking.

However i ran it dry for about 20 seconds today after re connecting solar panels and noticed water coming out from where the ride plat and the rock grate meet. I didnt notice until after i shut it off. So i went under and took a picture. There was a fair amount as the driveway had a large water stain.

Is this normal???? I assume there was water still in the system from when i was running from the hose the other day? I want to make sure because i never noticed water leaking from there when i was trouble shooting for the leak last week. Thanks for the help.

 

[mikidymac]

Yes, it's probably just water sitting on the rideplate.