Loose Bellows

[treimche]

I'm dealing with cavitation on my 1996 Speedster. I've discovered that if I simply push the bellows toward the rear of the boat, some water will come in and after that, its like the water is making a temporary seal so the cavitation problem disappears. I'm almost certain the carbon seals are worn badly. When I bought the boat, my friend who sold it to me included new carbon seals and bellows. Should the bellows be that soft and loose that I can easily push them back like that? Maybe there's something else missing/damaged? I only have a month or so left of boating weather, so I will wait until the end of the season to dig in and replace all the worn out parts. I'll add some pics later when I get back out to the lake.

 

[mikidymac]

That is normal to be able to push them back but there is such a fine line between sealing and not sealing. IF messing with it causes the cavitation to go away for a short time then I think you found the issue.

I would replace them.

 

[treimche]

Thanks for the reply. They are very very easy to move. It seems like such a weird way to create a seal that makes the difference of the boat going 7mph or full speed. Just wishing it was a quick easy fix.

 

[Steve762us]

Have you greased the fitting on the drive shaft?

 

[treimche]

No I haven’t. What type of grease and how much should I add?

 

[Steve762us]

That will push shaft aft, and tighten up the seal junction, and grease
shaft splines into the the flywheel.

I use same waterproof grease that goes in trailer wheel bearings.

 

[mikidymac]

As soon as the shaft stops moving rearward stop pumping grease in.

 

[treimche]

I’ll give this a try and hope it reduces the cavitation for the rest of the season. Could I use some grease on the end of the carbon seal to try and help it seal better?

 

[mikidymac]

No. Don’t put anything on the carbon seal.

 

[treimche]

The previous owner of my Speedster threw in the new parts he had since he planned on replacing the carbon seals. I have both new bellows, both new carbon seals, and a total of 5 o-rings. According to this parts diagram, I should have 4 o-rings (#7) and 2 o-rings (#9). All 5 o-rings I have are the same part number as #7. So besides ordering the #9 o-rings, what else should I have on hand to replace when changing out the bellows and carbon seals? I might actually tackle this job very soon here instead of putting it off until winter, and just want to have everything so I can do it once and get the job done.

 

[mikidymac]

Do not use or buy o-ring #9 as that is an old way of retaining the stainless hat and was a failure point.

Because of this seadoo changed to a stainless "C" clip, part number...
272000135
"C" Clip
MSRP: $7.99
Dealer Price: $6.79

 

[treimche]

Do not use or buy o-ring #9 as that is an old way of retaining the stainless hat and was a failure point.

Because of this seadoo changed to a stainless "C" clip, part number...
272000135
"C" Clip
MSRP: $7.99
Dealer Price: $6.79

Thanks a bunch for that! So is there a seal or gasket back by the jet pumps (not sure of the exact name) that needs to be replaced when removing them to remove the driveshafts?

 

[treimche]

Finally getting around to messing with this after the Speedster almost sunk in the lake last week I attached a few pics showing the current carbon seal situation. They move a lot by hand as you can see.

I don’t see any neoprene seal or anything in the parts diagram, to replace when removing the jet pumps, but there has to be something sealing it.

 

[mikidymac]

The o-ring in your picture has come out of it's groove and let the stainless hat slide forward and not have tension on the carbon ring. This is why seadoo switched to a stainless C-Clip.

The neoprene seal is on the outside of the hull where the pump bolts up.

 

[treimche]

Thanks again. I went to the dealer and picked up a couple stainless C-clips and neoprene seals. Do you think its possible to install the new c clips without taking everything apart? I will replace the carbon seals and bellows, but would prefer to wait for winter to tackle that project.

 

[mikidymac]

Yes, just push the stainless hat to the rear, cut the old o-ring and install the new C-clip. The pump has to be installed.

 

[treimche]

It was easy to get the c clips installed. I also slid the boots forward and put some big zip ties behind them. Took the boat for a quick spin last night and it works a lot better. This will hold me over until winter then I will pull the pumps and replace carbon seals and bellows.