New GTI inhaled a bit of my dock line

[Piper Mike]

Hi guys

I only have 1 hour on the machine. Was just idling around my marina and I mistakenly left my front 3/8 dock line attatched and when I got to the dock I hit the reverse lever and heard a clunk and it stalled. I realized that my line had been cut about 3ft shorter lol. It started up fine and acted like it was stuck in neutral for a second but after reving it a bit it cleared up and saw little pieces of my rope shredded in the water. It seems to be running fine but is there something I should be checking or am I good to go ?

 

[KK40384]

Look under it through the intake grate and see if there's any rope tangled up around the drive shaft. Sounds like you shredded it and spit it out the back. Even the slightest bit of debris will have a huge impact on performance if they're stuck in the pump area.

 

[Piper Mike]

Will it cause damage to drive it around before pulling it out of the water ?

 

[KK40384]

If its just rope unlikely but it is possible to damage the impeller if it wraps itself up and tightens around it guess.

 

[Piper Mike]

I'm kinda new at this but I should be able to see by looking up underneath the machine when it's on the trailer ?

 

[KK40384]

Yea just look up in there and you should see all the way to the impeller almost. If you're not sure take a picture and post it here.

 

[Piper Mike]

Hauled it out of the water. Shaft and impeller look completely clean.

Thanks !

 

[KK40384]

Then you're good to go. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Yep, you chewed it all up,,,

Chalk it up to a cheap learning experience. Others have not been so lucky...

 

[Piper Mike]

Might be a dumb question but I'm not a mechanic lol.
What happens when the rope gets past the impellar ? Is there anything else it can get stuck on ?

 

[Coastiejoe]

Not really...

The intake is on the bottom which is where it "sucks" water in. So,,, water comes in te front and exits behind the impeller which gives you your thrust.

So if line goes in, it must either come out or get wrapped up around the shaft and impeller. It he later is the case, you will get poor performance and often have cavitation as well as vibrations. As long as the line does not damage the wear ring, all you need to do is cut it off the shaft and be on your way.