Tow rope wrapped around drive shaft

[Squidoo]

I cut most of it out tonight before I quit with hand cramps, I am determined to get it out without removing the intake grate. I am afraifd it wrapped around the drive shaft inside the drive shaft tube. As you see in the picture, what's left is really jammed between the black plastic thing and the driveshaft tube. What is the plastic thing? Any bets on if I'll get the rest out? Any tips?
Thanks, Mike.

 

[kustomkarl]

Mike, take off the grate and get the string out in like 2 minutes. That black thing is a seal, try not to damage it or cut it while removing the string...
Spray some P B Blaster to help the screws loosen up.
Keep us posted on your progress.

Karl

 

[Squidoo]

I am afraid, one of the phillips screws slots are pretty stripped from the factory. Since I saw that, I noticed several more elsewhere under the boat that are similarly damaged. Somebody must have been running too much air pressure on their screwdriver that day.
Thanks for the quick response, KK, I will post results.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Loctite?

Loctite makes a material for making new threads in bad threaded areas. Pretty good stuff from what I hear.........:cheers:

 

[Squidoo]

It's not the threads, it is the screwdriver slots. I can see the rear bolts screw into the aluminum plate under the pump (I don't know correct term). Does anybody know what the phillips-head screws thread into? Are there metal inserts in the hull?

 

[kustomkarl]

Yes...if they snap the screw head off, or the screw strips...drill them out and replace them with brass inserts and use fiberglass resin to hold them in. I have done it a million times. Use stainless screws with blue( medium) locktite to hold them in.

Karl

 

[unclejay]

Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware carries almost all stainless steel types of screws, metric and USA. I have never failed to find a fastener at Ace hardware. If your phillips head screws are stripped, use a Dremel tool and cutting wheel to cut a straight screwdriver slot. If that does not work, use a Sears Easy-Out set , drill the head and use a LONG wrench handle and VERY SLOWLY back the screw out (applying pressure to the wrench to hold the easy out in the slot. Before you do this, apply Liquid Wrench around the screw head and wait 4 hours. LW takes time to penetrate.
Last resort - use vise grips and turn very slowly. This will snap the head off sometimes.

 

[Squidoo]

Mike, take off the grate and get the string out in like 2 minutes...

Karl, around here, we call those hours. Yep, after I got the grate off, and after I got the string off that was stuck between the seal and the drive shaft tube, there were fully two more feet wrapped around the drive shaft, inside the tube. I guess that's one of the disadvantages of Spectra ski rope.
And I don't care what you guys say, those front screws on the grates were not designed to be removed. Either that, or the silicone seal on the tips of them were what kept them from being readily removed. Shame on the installer in that case. There is no way the one that I broke was corroded, with the boat only having maybe 20 hours on it, in fresh water.
Seadoo has the brain power, they should come up with a better mounting system for the grates.
Mike

 

[kustomkarl]

ok ....so is it repaired? If so, Job well done...sometimes things can be more effort than they seem worth it, but it is in the long range.

Karl

 

[Squidoo]

I forgot that part. All done! Thanks for the help.

 

[kustomkarl]

Ok...glade to hear it...

Karl

 

[TEX-X]

we use them in the aviation industry.... but it helps on boats and stuff as well...i always keep an impact driver around...to easily remove stripped heads....neat tool...

 

[Squidoo]

...That black thing is a seal, try not to damage it or cut it while removing the string...

I don't think that I cut it, the rope must have damaged it. Now the boat only has half as much power, and when the port engine is doing 5500 rpm, the starboard one is bouncing off the rev limiter at 8000+ rpm. Guess what I'm going to be doing with my evenings this week?

 

[Squidoo]

Well, I replaced the impeller boot, no improvement. I dropped it off at the dealer tonight, let them figure it out. This working on it is a lot of fun and everything, but summer is almost over, and hopefully they won't take as long as me to fix it.

 

[sporsterjoel]

I know there is a product that Mac tools sells not sure where else to buy it but you put it on the heads of striped screws and its help the screw diver grip it, not sure how it works but it does...

 

[kustomkarl]

I don't think that I cut it, the rope must have damaged it. Now the boat only has half as much power, and when the port engine is doing 5500 rpm, the starboard one is bouncing off the rev limiter at 8000+ rpm. Guess what I'm going to be doing with my evenings this week?

It sounds likethe wear ring got damaged. That would cause the high rpm's and not moving anywhere.
Keep us posted on your progress.

Karl

 

[Squidoo]

But I measured the clearance all around at less than .007". Stay tuned...

 

[kustomkarl]

This is the specs for the wear ring clearence;

Wear Ring clearance for ALL 4-tec engines is 0.035mm or (.014in) Measure the clearance at the center of the impeller blades, with a 12” long gauge. Measure the clearance from the venturi side of the jet pump.

Karl

 

[Squidoo]

1st report from the dealer: "Did you say it was the right engine? Cavitating? Because we pulled the pump off and everything looks fine." I explained what it is doing again after he asked if it is happening at idle. "I guess we'll have to do a water test tomorrow".

 

[Squidoo]

Unbelievable. The dealer called at 10:00 this AM, "your boats done". "What it was", I ask. "The left engine's supercharger needed rebuilding", service mgr said. "Wow", is all I could say.
I know my way around a set of Channel Locks, and I have a screwdriver, but I would have never figured this out at home. He said when I told him the motors sound different when I start them one at a time, with the engine cover open, in the water, it got him to thinking.
Good job, dealer.

 

[Squidoo]

I took it out for a test tonight, it's better than ever. I think I got another mph out of the deal.

 

[kustomkarl]

Glad you got the problem solved.

Now go have some fun.

Karl

 

[Squidoo]

Thanks, Karl. Mike.