More winterization questions

[archaicguy]

I have a 2019 Wake 155 with 11hrs and a 2018 GTI 90 with 7hrs. Unfortunately it is time to put them to rest for the year. I'm considering storing them in my heated garage but that would mean kicking my classic car out so I'm thinking that they will stay parked in the back yard under the tree.
I will post some info here and give me your thoughts..... Only ridden on fresh water in Missouri. I'm sure a lot of us are forced to store them outside through the winter.... how have they held up? any issues?

They have been off the water for about 2 months so I would assume that all the water in the system has evacuated and using compressed air to blow the system out is not needed.

I still need to fill the gas tanks and run some sta-bil through the system..... With them out of the water should they only be run for 15-20 seconds at a time and then shut off? How many times should I repeat this procedure to make sure the entire fuel system has been stabilized?

The manual states to remove the plugs and apply some anti-corrosive 779168 in the cylinders. I see Amazon has XP-S 293600016, is this the same stuff? Also I've read a lot of stuff about Fluid Film....is this stuff usable in place of the XP-S product.

Any other things that I should do that I'm missing here? They are each under their own SeaDoo cover on the trailer. Should I also through a big tarp over the top for more cover?

Thanks guys

 

[benjilafouine]

If you are in an area prone to freezing, you must absolutely winterize the exhaust system. The service manual says that the system is self draining for the most part but that you have to blow compressed air at 55 PSI. I just went through that procedure with my GTI 90 and it left me unsure if there was anything left so I took a dishwasher hose and an adapter to connect it to the ski and poured RV antifreeze in it with a funnel. When the exhaust water turned red I knew I was OK (it should take less than a minute).

For the oil change, it oil was never changed on your engine, I strongly suggest that you do so because first oil change is supposed to be done at 10 hours. You can buy the kits at a BRP dealer (it includes oil + filter + o-ring). You will need a E torx bit (female e torx) to remove the oil cover. Also, make sure you buy an extra oil jug because I extracted about 2.2 liters from my GTI 2018 and the kit provides only 1.9 liters. Also buy a draining kit for the oil change, they sell some cheap ones at BRP. You will need that but any siphon with a small plastic tube (the kind you use in aquariums) will do the job.

As for fogging the cylinders, I also suggests that you check the spark plugs. My GTI is at 64 hours and I found that one plugs had tiny cracks on the ceramic so I changed all of them. Go buy some fogging oil and apply some in the plug holes (check the links below). Go buy yourself some anti seize 767 (kind of a grey paste) and put some around the threads of your spark plugs before reinserting them (clean the threads before doing that). Also, apply some dielectric grease at the top of the plastic injector before you reinsert them. I did not intend of performing this step but someone on this forum told me that I should do it because of humidity that can build up in the exhaust and come back inside the engine.

If your ski will remain outside in the cold, disconnect the battery and give it a full charge before covering your ski. Also, make sure that there isn't a drop of water left in the hull. If your ski will remain covered all winter outside, I suggest that you leave the drain plugs opened to let it breathe (to much humidity build up is not good). You can also spray the fogging oil on the engine to prevent rusting. You can also take the battery inside a heated garage instead of leaving it outside (although I never had a problem for the only year my older ski was left outside).

Finally, if you decide to do all this work by yourself, you will not be able to reset the maintenance counter after the oil change and that is a problem as your ski will popup "maintenance required" some time next year. For that you can buy a CanDoo Pro. It is rather expensive (in Canada I paid around $600 CDN) but you will be able to complete your maintenance drill. You will also need a laptop to connect the CanDoo to.

I am by no means a mechanics but I was able to perform all that by myself and I was rather proud of it.

See links below:

The latest video suggests that you remove part of the pump to check the cone grease for presence of water but I didn't do that since my ski will remain inside the heated garage for the winter. Also, the local mechanics here told me that this is an overkill procedure and that he has never found any water there on newer skies. That is up to you to perform it or not. However I recommend that you spray the pump housing with fogging oil as well.

Or you can go to the dealer and they will charge you over $200 per ski to do the work for you. It cost me about $200 in tools and equipment. It also took me more time to know what I was doing since it was the first time but now that I am all set, subsequent years will be almost free of charge!

Good luck!

 

[skiasylum]

Not sure if your service manuals are available for your skis yet but all your answers would be there. If your going to diy those new skis it has to be done right and documented or you could have a warranty problem if something goes wrong. Like assuming all the water has evacuated your exhaust and intake systems.

And all of the previous post

 

[benjilafouine]

I forgot to mention that I did buy the full service manual. Everything is in there, even the torque to be applied to each screw. The OP would be wise to buy it. I bought a few manuals from the "Service manual Warehouse" website.

 

[Spank]

Great post, “benji” !!!

@archaicguy , Fluid Film is awesome for liberally spraying the external (outside) portions of your engine bay, rear jet area, etc., etc. but, Fluid Film is simply a lanolin-based preservative - Fluid Film is NOT A SUBSTITUTE for fogging oil.

Fluid Film is superior for preventing corrosion on metal parts inside your engine bay and ESPECIALLY at preventing any rubber parts or wire coatings from drying out in the dry, freeze-thaw-freeze conditions of winters ...

Best o’ Success!

 

[benjilafouine]

Mine stays in a dry and heated garage anyways...

 

[archaicguy]

Awesome stuff guys.... Thanks, exactly the info I needed!

Sure can't say that I am pleased at all with BRP service or the stealership that I bought mine from. Moreover any other SeaDoo dealer is quite a distance from me and wants the skis to be left with them until they find the time in their busy schedule to do anything, so I'll likely do all maintenance. In hindsight I'm regretting this purchase but I am hoping and expecting many years of pleasure. Crossing my fingers and hope I come back around to love BRP.

 

[benjilafouine]

A Sea-Doo is a great machine if you take great care of it. Dealers are only for major issues I am starting to believe. I know Yamaha makes good machines also but I prefer the looks of a Sea-Doo.