Oil leaking at PTO - 2005 GTX 4-Tec

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boatrboy

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I bought this over the winter from my buddy and it ran fine last year. It only ran a few hours last year. It was winterized and stored in my garage.

I went to start it for the first time and saw oil leaking and found it to be under the PTO shaft under the rubber boot. I searched and found talk of some seals at PTO but why all of a sudden after winterizing?

I also read the manual and they talk about running at 4000 rpm and shutting it off to get oil out of this area to work on the seals- it it possible during winterizing my buddy lifted the ski to get water out and ended up flooding this area with oil?

Any help on what and how to do next is greatly appreciated!
 
I bought the same ski late last year. I did see that situation on a few in the forums. It is a common failure point and the first thing to check when you find oil in your hull. You can buy the whole bearing assembly with seals and the rubber boot for about $100, there's about 20 new OEM Sea Doo on ebay right now. I don't know about running the ski at 4k to get the oil out of there to change it. Engine oil gets pushed through to the pto and driveshaft and back into the engine to lubricate the splines. I'd just suction the oil out, replace it and refill the oil.
 
Fun - thanks.

I've studied the manual and other posts but I am still not sure what I have to do or how. Does the pump have to come off so I can pull the shaft out? What exactly is leaking? Is the seal some part in the rubber boot assembly or on the back of the motor where the PTO shaft comes out?

Sounds silly but maybe I'm just not seeing how the oil is leaking.

Thanks
 
Yes you would need to pull the jet pump and drive shaft out to replace the seal / bearing assembly.
I'm not sure which seal is leaking, I just happened to hear about this same situation before I bought the same ski and it seems to be a very common problem. Yes the seal is part of the bearing assembly and rubber boot over the pto. You can buy the complete seal / bearing assembly - pictured below- on ebay OEM Sea Doo for $104.99 delivered. Aftermarket is about $85 but I wouldn't do it. And no I don't sell them... That's about all I can tell you on it. Good Luck.
 

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There are 2 O-rings in this PTO bearing assembly. Most likely that is the issue. Ensure they are positioned correctly in the grooves and that you lubricate them before you slide the shaft back in.
 
There are 2 O-rings in this PTO bearing assembly. Most likely that is the issue. Ensure they are positioned correctly in the grooves and that you lubricate them before you slide the shaft back in.
So can I assume these o-rings also require the pump to be removed to access them?
 
Yes the jet pump and drive shaft have to be removed. If you look really closely at the picture I added above you can see the O rings on the inside. From my understanding it's usually the rubber boot assembly that clamps to the engine that goes bad. Usually being the key word. See if you can spin that assembly a little, maybe you can see if it's leaking by the O rings and you can just replace them and not the whole assembly.
 
I just pulled the rubber flap back and started it and saw oil slinging (very small drops but steady) from the point where the shaft enters the sleeve under the rubber. I guess I'll have to pull the pump and yank the shaft and figure out what is the culprit.

For those who have done this repair, are the tools listed in the manual critical to do this job? They list a bearing support tool and a spreader as well as a tool to hold the shaft once the pump is off.

Thanks in advance.
 
I have finally removed the stuck shaft and need to purchase the parts. For the bearing assembly you recommend OEM but if I decide to replace the carbon ring are the aftermarket kits acceptable?

As for the bearing assembly it spins with a slight drag and after studying it for a while it appears to have an o- ring around the bearing otherwise oil would push out around the balls- does that seem correct? I think for peace of mind I'm going to change it anyway.

Also - there is a seal in the PTO housing that look good and feels pliable. Is this worth replacing and if so how would you remove it without damaging the PTO housing? Is this a possible source of my oil leak or is this where the oil returns to the housing?image.jpegimage.jpeg
 
I would get OEM Sea Doo to be safe for the Carbon seal. Don't know the price range on them.
Aftermarket bearing assy is about $85 and Sea Doo is $105 - So again, I'd go with Sea Doo.
You can get a Seal Puller for cheap, like $10 at Harbor Freight. If you have a little patience you can use a screwdriver too - Either way just don't scratch the inside.... Free Sea Doo manual download for your ski at skidoomanuals.net definitely time to look that up. I'd replace that rear seal for sure just because all the other parts are off it now, just in case. Good luck. I just sold mine the other day - never fixed it but made a few bucks and no time with the new house I'm rehabbing...
 
I don't know much about it, I just read they are known to leak in that area when I was looking at buying mine since it was leaking oil into the hull. With it all apart - at this point- you'd really be foolish NOT to replace that seal just to be safe. You can pull that seal out a few ways but just DON'T scratch the metal so the new seal leaks on the outside of the seal. It may not be the problem but you may as well replace it as all the other parts are out of the way.
 
I have finally removed the stuck shaft and need to purchase the parts. For the bearing assembly you recommend OEM but if I decide to replace the carbon ring are the aftermarket kits acceptable?

As for the bearing assembly it spins with a slight drag and after studying it for a while it appears to have an o- ring around the bearing otherwise oil would push out around the balls- does that seem correct? I think for peace of mind I'm going to change it anyway.

Also - there is a seal in the PTO housing that look good and feels pliable. Is this worth replacing and if so how would you remove it without damaging the PTO housing? Is this a possible source of my oil leak or is this where the oil returns to the housing?View attachment 40608View attachment 40609
I picked up the parts today at the Sea-Doo dealer. One of the mechanics there looked at my photos and said the seal does not need to be pulled like a conventional seal. He said I just need to use a pick and only the rubber will come out. He stated that the metal ring around the seal in my picture stays there. I am waiting for the new seal to come in BUT - can anybody who has actually performed this repair confirm that?
 
Update - we are fixed.

So it turns out the seal does NOT need a seal puller as it is just a flexible seal which you can pull out with your fingers. See pictures below.

Talking with some Seadoo mechanics at the dealer, they never have seen this seal be the culprit. They usually change the bearing and boot assembly and it stops the leak. Since I bought the seal and it literal took a minute to replace, I changed it. I just put some oil on it and finished the repair.

FWIW - Some other notes ;
The new assembly came with the oetiker clamp for the pto housing. Home Depot sells a clamp pliers (Apollo brand) for these for about 12 bucks and it was worth every penny.

I paid a little more for the parts at the local dealer but when you do the people there are willing to provide some advice which was valuable to me. Especially since it appeared I needed a seal puller and that could have ruined my pto housing since that feature is not to be removed.

I cleaned up the driveshaft really well and polished it with fine scotchbrite and lubed everything according to the manual and it re-assembled nicely.
image.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpeg

All in all - not that bad of a job.

Mark
 
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Sounds like you knocked that out with ease. I'm not much for the oetiker clamp. In most situations, it's just there to keep the boot or expansion joints sealed, to keep dirt out. Because, I live 100 miles from the closest Seadoo dealer, I was forced to use a bit of red-neck engineering. I've found, removing those clamps, and using a zip tie, cutting off the excess, works very well. I have a Challenger, changed out the motor several years back, used the zip tie at the PTO, and it's never come off. I'm sure, it's not for everyone, and many like to keep their Seadoo's in OEM condition. But, when you don't always have access to the parts and tools, it's nice to know, there are alternatives.
 
Sounds like you knocked that out with ease. I'm not much for the oetiker clamp. In most situations, it's just there to keep the boot or expansion joints sealed, to keep dirt out. Because, I live 100 miles from the closest Seadoo dealer, I was forced to use a bit of red-neck engineering. I've found, removing those clamps, and using a zip tie, cutting off the excess, works very well. I have a Challenger, changed out the motor several years back, used the zip tie at the PTO, and it's never come off. I'm sure, it's not for everyone, and many like to keep their Seadoo's in OEM condition. But, when you don't always have access to the parts and tools, it's nice to know, there are alternatives.
Thanks for the compliment. I was worried in this case since the oil is being pushed onto the driveshaft and bearing assembly. This was actually the source of the oil leak in my case, anyway I was concerned that the oil pressure would push under the boot at the housing and leak there so I opted to use the factory clamp. When I rebuilt my RX I did use some tie wraps on some hoses and agree they worked fine. I must admit the more I study oeikiter clamps the more I like them But- as you know they are not always readily available. I have always used standard worm clamps but I may get a variety pack and try these oeikiters for a bit. I really have no experience with them except for the fact they are std on my ski :)
 
Sounds like you knocked that out with ease. I'm not much for the oetiker clamp. In most situations, it's just there to keep the boot or expansion joints sealed, to keep dirt out. Because, I live 100 miles from the closest Seadoo dealer, I was forced to use a bit of red-neck engineering. I've found, removing those clamps, and using a zip tie, cutting off the excess, works very well. I have a Challenger, changed out the motor several years back, used the zip tie at the PTO, and it's never come off. I'm sure, it's not for everyone, and many like to keep their Seadoo's in OEM condition. But, when you don't always have access to the parts and tools, it's nice to know, there are alternatives.

If it was mine, I'd use a zip tie in a heartbeat as well. Regardless of whether or not I had a bin full of oetiker clamps.
 
If you look at the oil system, the oil pump picks up from the bottom of the engine, providing it under pressure to the cam bearings. Once oiled is delivered to the upper part of the engine, it’s all gravity drain back to the sump. I believe the area around ur PTO, is all splashed, no pressure. But honestly, if you have access to the cosmos, and good with using them, then don’t change ur routine. Just realize, I’m a pinch, you can use a zip tie,
 
If you look at the oil system, the oil pump picks up from the bottom of the engine, providing it under pressure to the cam bearings. Once oiled is delivered to the upper part of the engine, it’s all gravity drain back to the sump. I believe the area around ur PTO, is all splashed, no pressure. But honestly, if you have access to the cosmos, and good with using them, then don’t change ur routine. Just realize, I’m a pinch, you can use a zip tie,
This link really helped me understand the system.
 
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