Supercharger Melt Down - Your opinion wanted

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JK230SP

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If you followed my questions/comments on the supercharger rebuild thread, following the advice of many, I took my 2012 230 SP to my dealer (in December) to have both superchargers rebuilt, both pumps serviced/lubricated, oil change....and a series of other minor repair issues handled. My boat had 20 hours on it when I purchased it one year ago, and 80 hours at the end of the 2018 season. Instead of taking a 7 year old boat up to 140 hours by the end of 2019, I opted to do the supercharger rebuild over the winter.

Yesterday, two weeks after being handed the completed boat, I put it in the water for the first time yesterday. About one hour into my run while cruising at around 4000 rpm, the port side engine started to shake, clank and sputter...there were loud, metallic, scraping sounds...which to me sounded like I had ingested a tree limb, or hit something floating (I was in 30 feet of water, so it was not associated with sucking up a rock...etc). Then the motor quit. I restarted it...lots of noise and not much power, and it quit again when allowed to idle. I limped back to my dock on one engine but upon inspection saw NOTHING in the pump/impeller...so today I brought it back to the dealer.

They restarted the motor, heard the same grinding noise but could not see anything in the pump. So they took off the pump.....and discovered the source of the vibration was the SUPERCHARGER THAT WAS JUST OVERHAULED! The technician who did the overhaul admitted that instead of replacing a bearing set he thought was worn, he repacked it with grease and kept it in the case. Within one-hour of operation after the overhaul, the bearing set disintegrated, and caused the motor enough drag to shut it down. The dealer was apologetic, said his tech was inexperienced and made a mistake. They have re-ordered another rebuild kit and are hoping to have the boat back to me in a few days.

Now the magic question: I thought the reason to overhaul the supercharger was to avoid a more catastrophic failure that would potentially blow bearings....chunks of the assembly throughout the motor's intake....which could cause extensive motor damage. Although the motor shut down when the bearing came apart, I did again restart the motor...ran it to help me get the boat on a trailer in a 30 mph Texas crosswind...had it stall a few times, while all-along I though I was dealing with a prop or pump issue! Since I JUST had the superchargers overhauled, I never even considered it could be a bearing set letting go! However, this is exactly what happened.

This is where you, a member of the forum can help: tell me what you would do at this point. Trust the dealer who is going to hand me a "fixed" supercharger but a potentially wounded engine next week? Ask the dealer to also overhaul the motor at their cost as a preemptive move on undiscovered damage (not a desired path as I could lose the boat for months - in prime boating season - while the work is being done). Trade the boat in for something else and get the dealer to support any financial downside resulting from the switch?

As my boat was built in 2012, the bearings were supposedly not the high-risk ceramic ones that were known to blow parts into the intake manifold...cylinders...etc.. HOWEVER, I am concerned not just about the future expense, but rather the future hassle of finding further damages as I try to run the boat throughout the next year...and the next...etc.

To me, the value of the boat is directly tied to my ability to use it without dragging it back and forth (1.5 hours each way) between my remote dock and the dealership. Do you think I am taking too much risk in accepting a boat and a motor that has had a supercharger failure....after paying a dealer for the very service that was expected to prevent this from occurring in the first place?

I will welcome any advice/experience you care to share!

JK230SP - Dallas, Texas
 
Wow, I’m sorry, not the way you want to start out a boating season. Here’s my two cents. Have them go thru the engine, at their expense. I had a supercharger blow up and had the screeching, motor stall and all of the above etc. engine was toast as my mechanic said the supercharger bearing pieces went thru like a shotgun blast to the engine. If it was making sounds likely something was ingested into the engine. Especially being that it was run several times, surprising to read that they started up so they could hear for themselves the sounds, me my first action would be pull the Sc and inspect, I’m not a regular mechanic though just someone who’s had to pay for new engine. With the sounds you’re describing, likely the impeller was rubbing the Sc housing grinding down sending metal fragments into the intake which will cause issues. Also need to have them check the exhaust system to make sure didn’t damage with overheating from the engine not running properly too. Would demand that it is a priority job as it’s they’re mistake and not put to back of the line.

Once it’s repaired right you’ll have a great boat, buying another one you never know what you’re gonna get at least with this one you’ll know the main issues and they’ll already be addressed etc.

This pic shows my blown supercharger opened up. If you look close you can see the metal dust and fragments from where the impeller was grinding away. IMG_4124.JPG

Curious to read what you decide.
 
I agree with DooGuy. There's a pretty good chance you ingested some metal from the failed supercharger. You definitely want that motor gone over and given a good bill of health before you take it back. Have them pull the oil filter to see if any metal made it into the oiling system. If the motor was damaged, you'll want that fixed as well, on their dime.

Keep us posted on how this moves forward.
 
Guys - I truly appreciate your input.

I agree that seeing inside the supercharger housing would tell me exactly what to expect. DooGuy's picture is impossible to ignore. I will say that after my SC failure, the motor ran rough and quit abruptly....with a thud....as if the pulley and belt was being grabbed by an impeller that was locking up. It was ugly...and I did this three times thinking I was dealing with a tree limb. It would run with a little throttle, but when returned to idle, it would quickly stop...with a loud knock.

That is the root of my concern: the dealer is saying nothing about the motor....and is probably assuming that I am not thinking about anything more than the supercharger being the issue. They only said that they reordered a rebuild kit for the supercharger at their cost and would have it back to me early next week. That clearly says to me that they are willing to let me drag the boat back out to my lake (NOT an easy 90 minute drive on narrow, remote roads) and wait for something else to fail. I gave their extremely busy shop four months to do the overhauls at 80 hours because I saw the risk of waiting another 20 hours on a 7 year old boat. I only have a few summers left with the kids before they are out of the house. Having a boat that is constantly in the shop defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.

If they drain the oil, that will clear some of the foreign material...but it is no guarantee they will get all of it. Everyone seems to report that once a catastrophic SC failure occurs, the motor is toast. DooGuy said the same for his motor. And most certainly, a "rebuild kit" would not fix the SC impeller or the scores on the housing.

I will be talking to the dealer today and express my concerns about the motor itself. I will also ask to see the disassembled supercharger.

In the end, my choice to pursue a proper fix for the supercharger AND the motor will depend on the time and energy required to get my boat back...in a condition that I do not have to worry about it for two more years or 100 hours. The sales side of the dealer's business is promising to "make this right". If the dealer does not accommodate my concerns, I still may use the "keep the boat" approach and see what value they assign to it for a trade. After all, I just spent $5500 with them on maintenance and upgrades.

Thanks again guys. More to come.

JK230SP
 
Odds are past the point of a rebuild kit. I would have them open it and show you the impeller and the inside of the housing. If you zoom in on the top of the impeller you can see stress cracks. From when it rubbed. Also the scoring that happened to.

Here’s a few more pics to illustrate. Don’t accept word tell them you need to see it and inspect it etc.

Look near edges especially where the 29 stamp is on left. can see cracks. (Rebuild kit won't fix) When mine went it stopped the motor and couldn't get it restarted. Yes did a lot of cranking but this is without really running. IMG_4125.JPG

Inside of housing where impeller rubbed. (Rebuild kit won't fix)
IMG_4126.JPG

Back of impeller, should be smooth, again rebuild kit won't fix.IMG_4133.JPG

Hope this helps,
Rick
 
Rick -

I certainly appreciate your help - and the added illustration.

The shop manager at the dealership responded to my questions today via text. He said "the shaft locked up because of the bearing failure, caused impeller damage but impeller did not come apart. No evidence of trash in system...no parts within system came apart. Believe that it was caught in time."

I am an honest guy, and likewise a trusting guy. I believe that HE believes that the failure was contained. However, if he is wrong...and I drive the boat off of the lot....I am accepting the risk.

How much did the motor replacement cost when this happened to you?

Thanks again -

JK
 
I'll tell you if me I wouldnt feel good without having the impeller replaced. No telling if damaged. With such high Rpms any imperfection will show its self quickly. I'm a church goer and give benefit to but also know mistakes happen. They're In aspot of rebuilding trust with you they need to show rather then tell in my opinion. Would do as JPass said and have them pull oil filter and even cut in half to check. Pulling the dipstick won't show a whole lot.

Regarding my journey... So I graduated from school of hard knocks with this boat, love it now but had a rough go for a while. When the supercharger let go knew that engine had issue and would need major work/replaced etc, had mechanic check the other one and he found there was signs of distress likely caused from overheating( being run dry on land etc from previous owner or other abuse etc, made judgement based on his and dealership recommendation to do both at same time. Total was about $15k (he's a smaller operation with the best reputation for local SeaDoo work, the dealer estimate was another $5k on top) that was for two new SBT motors(not rebuilds) that included new exhausts for both and one supercharger, was able to be rebuild one and other as you can see from above had to be replaced. So all in all the full power train clock was reset and essentially have a new boat.
 
I would be asking for pictures of the damage.

Keep in mind that the supercharger leads directly into your intake so anything coming off the supercharger parts is going to end up in the engine.
 
You definitely need to inspect the supercharger and housing once it's removed and disassembled. Have them do an oil and filter change too, but ask to save the oil and filter so you can see it. I'd pour the oil out through a paint filter to see if any metal shavings have made it's way into the oil. Do the same with the filter.

My buddy had his impeller come off the splines last season and the boat made a "clunk" when this happened. When he changed his oil and checked his filter, he had gold metal shavings in there. Turns out they were piece of the thrust bearing. Apparently it's common to damage the bearing when the impeller comes off the shaft.

Good luck and I hope everything gets fixed to your satisfaction.
 
I would want 2 new superchargers not rebuilt. They charged you for a service they didn't even preform. So are they only rebuilding one supercharger because both were not done. How do you know if the pumps were even serviced.
 
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I am now being told that the bearing that failed was in fact a new one - and that the tech questioned its stability before installing it, but decided to pack it with grease and use it anyway. It didn't even last an hour at moderate speeds.

The shop manager is saying all is ok with the engine, but offers no visual proof. The boat had 25 hours on it when I purchased it last year, and had a ton of things I still had to fix after purchasing it for $34k. Including the SC rebuilds, I put an additional $5400 in the boat to return it to the condition it should have been and I was told it was in when I purchased it. Keep in mind, the dealer made money on me when they sold the boat, and made money again when I paid them to fix all of the things that didn't work, like a speaker amp, two tower speakers, the tower lights, the deck pull cable, a hole in the gel coat near the pump intake.....the Fusion stereo that had static and humming in the channels....

Then the SC blew up in the first hour after waiting four months to have the service completed.

So I tell them that if I trade the boat for around what I paid for it...or a few thousand less, I would be interested in the 2017 Regal 26 Fasdeck they have tagged at $82k. They come back to me and strongly suggest that I sell my Seadoo on my own because "they could never pay me what it is worth".

That tells me everything I want to know. They are telling me my boat has a clean bill of health and are happy to see me pull it off of their lot, yet they wont even take it as a trade as a condition to sell a boat that is almost three times more expensive.

"No worries...the Sea Doo is fine...! ...but we don't want it back at any price....go sell it yourself." Yet the sales guy tells me that I am one of his "favorite customers ever"....
 
Wow. I wouldn’t trust that dealer with anything they say. What a bunch of dirt bags.

I hate to say it but you should have done your homework first and checked it over before buying it. You’re $40K into a boat that only has a blue book value of $24-$28K.

Hopefully you can get it running and sell it quickly as I wouldn’t trust that engine. If the bearings went the impeller went and the engine ate the metal.
 
That dealer is screwing you over big time. I would want proof that the engine internals are fine. What proof have they provided to back their claim? Did they even change the oil and inspect the filter? Have you seen the impeller or the inside of the supercharger housing? If they haven't provided you with any of this, then I would not take ownership of the boat.

Sorry to hear you're being treated so poorly. Stick to your guns and demand some proof.

Maybe contact your local news to send out an investigative reporter. They love this stuff and the dealer will not be pleased with the bad publicity.
 
Anyone who studies the depreciate rates of boats certainly knows that boats never hold their value...especially when new or with low hours. That $82k Regal was over $140k MSRP only 16 months ago.
When I bought the boat I was a rookie. Never driven a boat much less owned one. However, 25 hours on the motor seemed to be as new as a six year old boat could get. Having a Fusion/Wet Sounds system with three amps, 16 speakers, iPhone/pod dock, three amplifiers, Bluetooth, sound mixing controls, battery charger, light bar....all seemed to justify the price I was paying. Even more, I was buying it from a reputable dealer who would be there for me if/when I wanted to transition from my "learner boat" to something more expensive.

What you can't realize when you are doing a 30 minute test drive is the quality of what you are hearing. On the water the system sounded fantastic. When I had the boat on my newly built dock lift five months later, I noticed that the sound was not really clear...lots of static, buzzing, some speakers not having the amplitude of others...stuff you cannot hear when you are flying along with 40 mph of wind going across your ears. When I lifted the bow seat and took down the curtain hanging over the electronics, I discovered that everything had been re-routed. The sound controller was plugged in so it lit up, but all of the sound had been routed around it. Additionally, when going over the boat during the purchase, I did not see the damage near the driveshaft that was repaired with a patch and some light colored marine paint. Only after I tangled the tow rope around the drive shaft did I get under the boat and see the hull under the grate. Here is a picture of what I discovered.

IMG_2157.JPG

So, when I took the boat back in 9 months later for the SC overhauls, I asked for a diagnosis of the stuff I uncovered. The result was that the receiver, one amp, and two speakers would need to be replaced. I paid for the components out of pocket and took them to the technician for installation. He did a fantastic job of cleaning up a mess, and I now have the killer sound system that I thought I had when I purchased the boat. However, I was charged the labor at around $129 per hour.

I argued that the hull issue should have been taken care of before selling the boat to me, which they agreed to and charged me nothing for the repair. Their customer coordinator actually stated that something like that might be causing some cavitation, however their repair was to put a layer of black sealer on top of the patch...no gelcoat to make it smooth.

In hindsight, I could have been more thorough during the purchase, and will certainly be next time. But as a rookie, none of this seemed to be noticeable when I purchased the boat.
 
Please don't think I am suggesting you did anything wrong. If the boat had been problem free and you were still enjoying it then the money doesn't even matter in my opinion. The point I was trying to make is from the beginning this has been a dishonest dealer just looking to hose you.

If nothing else you need to demand to see the damaged parts and get it in writing that there is no internal engine damage. This is something they have already admitted to doing incorrectly and causing damage due to their negligence and due to the high cost of a new engine I wouldn't hesitate to threaten to take them to court over it. They knowingly installed a damaged or defective part that caused major damage to your boat so they are on the hook to repair it correctly not just bandaid it and send it out the door.
 
Hey, I'm with you there - and appreciate your comments. Everything I have written is factual and I was curious if others saw it the same way. It really makes me think back to the day they sold this thing to me. They are the largest Yamaha dealer in the US and had a ton of them in their used inventory. When I asked about buying the Yamaha sitting next to the Sea Doo for the same price, they told me that they would buy the Sea Doo......hands down. Now I wonder if they weren't trying to unload it. I will say this, for all the things I have had to fix, it is hard for me to believe the boat had less that 30 hours on it when I purchased it. I wonder if the previous owner hadn't just completed an engine replacement....or replaced his gauges so the hour meters were fresh.

Thanks again and more to come....
 
@hfgreg just brought this thread to my attention and I wanted to chime in.

First let me set some info straight. The "ceramic" issue had nothing to do with bearings, but rather the washers on the clutch. Second, we redo a ton of superchargers rebuilt at dealers because usually they don't have a lot of experience with them and they get them wrong. We rebuild more superchargers in a week than most dealers do in a year. Packing grease in those bearings causes huge, huge issues. Not installing the bearings properly is a big cause of failures (hint...heat is involved). Not torquing properly creates failures.

Ok, now assuming even just a single front bearing failure, you can still have parts drop into your engine. They need to take a picture of the shaft of that supercharger showing all components are in place. In addition, you need to see the condition the gear is in, as it may have hit around and damaged your flywheel.

They need photo evidence of all components being on that shaft, or you can assume they went into the engine. If they went into the engine, this means retrieving them, possibly an engine overhaul.

Next, what shape is the impeller in? Likely it looks like one of the pictures above and had a touchdown. This is not OK. While the housing may be salvaged, the impeller is certainly done. If it was a touchdown bad enough to make the engine stall, that means the housing is likely toasted as well.

REMEMBER, THIS SAME TECH SERVICED THE OTHER SUPERCHARGER! It needs another rebuild.

If you post the pics here, I'll let you know what I see and help where possible. At the end of the day, make sure you have fully documented all interactions with this dealer, and you may need to consult a lawyer. This one got me fired up....sorry to see the dealer treat you poorly like this.

----------------------
Quick self promotion; let us do your supercharger rebuilds. We have done thousands, saved customers thousands, and turn around faster than your local dealer. Sea-Doo Supercharger Rebuild Service supercharger-rebuild-service
 
Rick -

I certainly appreciate your help - and the added illustration.

The shop manager at the dealership responded to my questions today via text. He said "the shaft locked up because of the bearing failure, caused impeller damage but impeller did not come apart. No evidence of trash in system...no parts within system came apart. Believe that it was caught in time."

I am an honest guy, and likewise a trusting guy. I believe that HE believes that the failure was contained. However, if he is wrong...and I drive the boat off of the lot....I am accepting the risk.

How much did the motor replacement cost when this happened to you?

Thanks again -

JK

I know I am behind on this post but as I am catching up I am getting anxious/mad. And as I haven't read everything yet I may see this further down and I will edit as necessary....

However if they are claiming everything looks ok, I WANT PROOF! Ask them to show you YOUR SC and parts to prove that it is ok. That is a huge mistake their guy made and they are probably trying to save themselves the differnce of $500 to $5000.

They deserve to absolutely make it right. I'd also ask them to make an offer on your boat...not that you are actually going to take it but catch them in their lie (if there is). Maybe say you have been thinking about some skis for the family instead of the boat and ask how much they would trade in. Watch their faces, look for excuses...I don't believe them as of right now. Shit, I would make them take it out with you first to make sure it runs 100% and have their service manager sign it. DO NOT LET THEM TAKE YOU FOR THIS!
 
You definitely need to inspect the supercharger and housing once it's removed and disassembled. Have them do an oil and filter change too, but ask to save the oil and filter so you can see it. I'd pour the oil out through a paint filter to see if any metal shavings have made it's way into the oil. Do the same with the filter.

My buddy had his impeller come off the splines last season and the boat made a "clunk" when this happened. When he changed his oil and checked his filter, he had gold metal shavings in there. Turns out they were piece of the thrust bearing. Apparently it's common to damage the bearing when the impeller comes off the shaft.

Good luck and I hope everything gets fixed to your satisfaction.
You just made me anxious. I had my jet pump rebuilt last season as my impeller apparently separated from the shaft. I have run it since and haven't noticed anything odd other than maybe I have like 200 less RPM total now...but what should I be looking for?
 
I am now being told that the bearing that failed was in fact a new one - and that the tech questioned its stability before installing it, but decided to pack it with grease and use it anyway. It didn't even last an hour at moderate speeds.

The shop manager is saying all is ok with the engine, but offers no visual proof. The boat had 25 hours on it when I purchased it last year, and had a ton of things I still had to fix after purchasing it for $34k. Including the SC rebuilds, I put an additional $5400 in the boat to return it to the condition it should have been and I was told it was in when I purchased it. Keep in mind, the dealer made money on me when they sold the boat, and made money again when I paid them to fix all of the things that didn't work, like a speaker amp, two tower speakers, the tower lights, the deck pull cable, a hole in the gel coat near the pump intake.....the Fusion stereo that had static and humming in the channels....

Then the SC blew up in the first hour after waiting four months to have the service completed.

So I tell them that if I trade the boat for around what I paid for it...or a few thousand less, I would be interested in the 2017 Regal 26 Fasdeck they have tagged at $82k. They come back to me and strongly suggest that I sell my Seadoo on my own because "they could never pay me what it is worth".

That tells me everything I want to know. They are telling me my boat has a clean bill of health and are happy to see me pull it off of their lot, yet they wont even take it as a trade as a condition to sell a boat that is almost three times more expensive.

"No worries...the Sea Doo is fine...! ...but we don't want it back at any price....go sell it yourself." Yet the sales guy tells me that I am one of his "favorite customers ever"....

HOLY SHIT...The same dealer you bought it from had all these issues and you took it to them to fix and now they won't even take the boat....

I'd say it's Legal time...maybe mention that and say nothing else. Talk to a lawyer.
 
You just made me anxious. I had my jet pump rebuilt last season as my impeller apparently separated from the shaft. I have run it since and haven't noticed anything odd other than maybe I have like 200 less RPM total now...but what should I be looking for?
They are talking about the supercharger impeller not the jet pump impeller.
 
I still think I would want brand new superchargers and a warrantee for the engine. They committed fraud charged you for a rebuild they didn't do...….
 
I am now being told that the bearing that failed was in fact a new one - and that the tech questioned its stability before installing it, but decided to pack it with grease and use it anyway. It didn't even last an hour at moderate speed....

:oops: No wonder why the bearing failed. Never, ever put grease on those bearings, it will burn them up. That tech should know this.

Chester
 
@hfgreg just brought this thread to my attention and I wanted to chime in.

First let me set some info straight. The "ceramic" issue had nothing to do with bearings, but rather the washers on the clutch. Second, we redo a ton of superchargers rebuilt at dealers because usually they don't have a lot of experience with them and they get them wrong. We rebuild more superchargers in a week than most dealers do in a year. Packing grease in those bearings causes huge, huge issues. Not installing the bearings properly is a big cause of failures (hint...heat is involved). Not torquing properly creates failures.

Ok, now assuming even just a single front bearing failure, you can still have parts drop into your engine. They need to take a picture of the shaft of that supercharger showing all components are in place. In addition, you need to see the condition the gear is in, as it may have hit around and damaged your flywheel.

They need photo evidence of all components being on that shaft, or you can assume they went into the engine. If they went into the engine, this means retrieving them, possibly an engine overhaul.

Next, what shape is the impeller in? Likely it looks like one of the pictures above and had a touchdown. This is not OK. While the housing may be salvaged, the impeller is certainly done. If it was a touchdown bad enough to make the engine stall, that means the housing is likely toasted as well.

REMEMBER, THIS SAME TECH SERVICED THE OTHER SUPERCHARGER! It needs another rebuild.

If you post the pics here, I'll let you know what I see and help where possible. At the end of the day, make sure you have fully documented all interactions with this dealer, and you may need to consult a lawyer. This one got me fired up....sorry to see the dealer treat you poorly like this.

----------------------
Quick self promotion; let us do your supercharger rebuilds. We have done thousands, saved customers thousands, and turn around faster than your local dealer. Sea-Doo Supercharger Rebuild Service supercharger-rebuild-service

Joe - thanks a bunch. Totally respect your opinion. And yes, the shop manager told me..."the tech saw that the bearing set did not look right, but packed them in grease and installed them anyway". I am seeing from the feedback that this is NOT the correct procedure for a high RPM SC bearing set and this alone could have caused the problem.
 
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