Towrope, Driveshaft and Impeller...Oh My!

[Tikiman]

So, while I was packing the truck to return home for a nine hour trip, my cousin took kids out on the lake to get a few last minute turns tubing. He has been around SeaDoos longer than I and was aware of the danger of the rope getting sucked up. He said the rope was about a foot away from the ski and it got sucked up like a bass on a worm! :facepalm:
Sadly, he didn't have time to kill the motor before it choked itself out. He and another cousin had to use another SeaDoo to tow mine to the dock. I reminded them to tow slowly. (for maybe a 1/3 of a mile)
The rope obviously is wound tighter than a banjo string.
So,
1. As the warranty is concerned (brand new), am I allowed to remove the three bolts that hold the grate in place?
2. I can cut the rope around the drive shaft but it looks like it got inside the impeller area. Should I mess with this or just take it back to my dealer because the wear ring should be examined by someone who knows what they're looking at?

Again, thanks for your help!

 

[mattydipps]

View attachment 20541 View attachment 20540

So, while I was packing the truck to return home for a nine hour trip, my cousin took kids out on the lake to get a few last minute turns tubing. He has been around SeaDoos longer than I and was aware of the danger of the rope getting sucked up. He said the rope was about a foot away from the ski and it got sucked up like a bass on a worm! :facepalm:
Sadly, he didn't have time to kill the motor before it choked itself out. He and another cousin had to use another SeaDoo to tow mine to the dock. I reminded them to tow slowly. (for maybe a 1/3 of a mile)
The rope obviously is wound tighter than a banjo string.
So,
1. As the warranty is concerned (brand new), am I allowed to remove the three bolts that hold the grate in place?
2. I can cut the rope around the drive shaft but it looks like it got inside the impeller area. Should I mess with this or just take it back to my dealer because the wear ring should be examined by someone who knows what they're looking at?

Again, thanks for your help!

you can take the intake grate off and it shouldnt void your warranty.. i would cut the rope off the machine, clean it out as best as you can and go from there look at the impeller for any damage or chips and also look at the wear ring.. if you are unaware of what you are looking at, dont forget you have unlimited access to awesome information on here.. simply take a picture and post it up and well narrow it down the best of our abilities and give you the best cost effective solution.

 

[Coastiejoe]

I would try cutting it first. It may come unwrapped pretty easily once you have an end to work with.

Worth a try as if it does not work you still have to remove the grate.

If it was a two stroke you can pull the plugs and turn it backwards. 4 strokes don't like going backwards.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I wouldn't expect your dealer would wish to penalize you if you tried to fix the problem yourself first, by removing the rock grate and cutting out the rope before taking the boat to him, as long as you didn't do something completely unreasonable.

I don't think that kind of work would be a warranty item anyway, and if you do take it to him you'll be lucky if he makes repairs at no charge.

 

[Tikiman]

Thanks everybody.
Just to be clear, I'm not trying to get this fixed under warranty, or for free. This was definitely operator error.
I'm looking at three bolt heads that go into a waterproof seal (maybe?) and that knucklehead me will go willy-nilly and remove them. I don't know if they must be re-inserted to a specific torque measurement or what...or just simply snug. It is very difficult to get to it with the grate in the way. I can cut the excess rope around the drive shaft, piece by piece. I'm certain that will allow a better visual.
I guess the first cut in any operation is the most difficult, I just don't want to hear the words; "Huh, you did THAT, huh? You probably shouldn't have done that..."

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I run my boat in freshwater so I don't fret over small leaks around the rock grate bolts. I might remove my rock grate twice a year and haven't yet put sealer on the bolt threads. I hardly ever see more than a couple of tablespoons in the bilge, either, to test the bilge pump, I actually have to put water in there.

If I were in salt, I would think about coating the bolt threads with some silicone type of sealant just to keep as much salty water out as possible. I torque the bolts by a reasonable amount, not enough till I feel the threads strip then back off.

If you have to remove or disassemble parts and you run in salt water, you could consider using anti-seize compound, but realize this stuff is not a thread locker as is recommended in many places on these boats. Potential for corrosion would be my reason for using anti-seize compound with the understanding it is what it is and it's not intended to keep fasteners from loosening due to vibration.

 

[Tikiman]

Just stopped by the dealer. He said removing bolts from the grate was not a problem (as in a non-employee type repair). He said exactly what you said about using an Anti-Sieze type compound on the bolts when replacing them. Also, for anyone else who comes across this thread because they've done the same thing... he suggested closely inspecting the shaft itself to check for straightness /alignment.
Well here goes nothing, let the cutting begin.

 

[kunzman]

Just stopped by the dealer. He said removing bolts from the grate was not a problem (as in a non-employee type repair). He said exactly what you said about using an Anti-Sieze type compound on the bolts when replacing them. Also, for anyone else who comes across this thread because they've done the same thing... he suggested closely inspecting the shaft itself to check for straightness /alignment.
Well here goes nothing, let the cutting begin.

I did the same as you and was able to get it off by cutting and unwrapping.

 

[kunzman]

Bought this to keep on the ski now along with an old mask and snorkel.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJ9SDQE/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If I had a better knife like this one and a mask when it occured to me I could have cut mine off in the water and saved a tow.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

How much longer do you guys intend on milking this repair, and why aren't you back on the water by now? Sheesh!

 

[kunzman]

http://www.amazon.com/home-improvement/dp/B004FEI496

Bought this to remove a small piece of wood stuck in impeller too and saved a trip to the dealer. I keep the straight one from the set on the ski.

 

[kunzman]

How much longer do you guys intend on milking this repair, and why aren't you back on the water by now? Sheesh!

I was back on water next day. Thanks to this forum I was able to solve both problems without going to the dealer. I now have the tools to fix impeller issues in the water or at the ramp. But I have learned its easy to suck a ski rope up or ingest debris especially in a river feeding a lake right after heavy rains. I had both problems in the first seven hours of owning it. This never happened to me back in the day riding my parent's ski.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Yep, I've found a rope or stick stuck in the pump once or twice too!

 

[mattydipps]

Glad ya fixed it for minimal bucks spent.. And you learned a thing or two!

 

[Scrubbs]

I just don't want to hear the words; "Huh, you did THAT, huh? You probably shouldn't have done that..."

No big deal, I hear those words ALL the time. I'm still alive.......