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What's wrong with my RXT???

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Got all the parts in today and found some time to take it apart and install the new impeller and wear ring. Took me about an hour worth of time to do it not counting the wait for the new ring and pump to cool off in the freezer and a run to the parts store to buy a 12mm allen socket that I didnt have. Anyway here's a couple of pics of what the old impeller looked like compared to the new one. The old wear ring also had chunks missing out of it.

I'll be taking it out for a test ride tomorrow morning to see if it made a difference. I'm sure it did judging by the pictures

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After a test ride this morning, I'm pleased with the results. 63.8 mph @ 7800 rpm compared to 60.3 @ 8200. Also it was very windy this morning compared to other days. This tells me I need more supporting mods to squeeze everything out of that 14/17 impeller. Looks like a free flow exhaust and a 4" intake is going to be next. Any other suggestions on basic mods? I'll also get under it and fill the ride plate bolt holes. What do you guys use to fill those in?

Acceleration has improved 100 fold and no more cavitation. ZERO


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Mine still goes significantly faster (68+ mph) than yours, without any engine mods. 13/18 Solas Concord Impeller and R&D Aquavein intake grate are my only aftermarket upgrades.

For your ride plate bolt recesses, take a bit of cord and wrap it around each bolt head then use a piece of duct tape to hold the cord in place and cover the bolt head (so epoxy doesn't get around the bolt head, just in case you ever do need to remove the ride plate), then fill each hole with marine epoxy (Walmart sells it in sticks back in the automotive section). Use a paint scraper to scrape the epoxy flush with the ride plate, then after all the epoxy has dried overnight sand them smooth with the ride plate. If you ever need to, use a hammer and screwdriver to "chisel" the plugs out they'll break right out of the recess pretty easily.

- Michael
 
Ok then where else would I look for problems that would cause it to slow down so much? The SC is fresh with no slip, 14/17 impeller and new wear ring. Should I remove the air intake and go back to the stock system to see if that would make a difference? Any other parts in the propulsion system I may wanna check?
 
Stock you should be getting like 68 to 69 mph with just you onboard... easily over 65 mph at least! There's no excuse for it only doing 63mph at WOT that's nuts the non-supercharged 3-seater models do high 50's I've read!

Does your year model still have OPAS paddles? If so are we sure they are raising up at cruising and above speeds? Your rpm's sound very reasonable, it seems like you're experiencing drag somewhere somehow. Get under the stern and look at your intake grate and ride plate seams, are they filled and smoothed with silicone? I even filled the bolt holes in my intake grate with silicone and smoothed them over, as well as filling the ride plate bolt hole recesses. Anything under there that disrupts the waterflow is going to create drag. We don't want drag.

My 13/18 Solas Concord impeller is going to be slightly faster at WOT (18 pitch as opposed to your 17 pitch). The Solas website recommends a Solar Concord 13/18 for 215hp RXT's, and a Concord 14/19 for 215hp RXP's (though I truely believe the RXT should be able to pull that 14/19 also, as long as no more than 2 souls on board 3 souls might be too much though).

As I recall last August I was turning 7800 to 7900 rpm's at near WOT with the factory speedo indicating 68-69 mph on very light chop water at 25 feet above sea level roughly. That wasn't WOT, it still had a little bit more I could have fed in on that run (spark plugs crapped out without warning though). I haven't been out but twice since then and water conditions have been too rough to go over 50 mph. (sigh!) I don't have a GPS speedo, but that factory speedo can't be more than 1-2 mph off at most which would still put me going a bit faster than your WOT run. My speedo is NOT some 5 mph off! LOL!

What all have you changed out exactly at this point? How close was the new wear ring to the new impeller blades when you put them in? Mine were so close the blades lightly scraped the wear ring all the way around when I put them in early last summer.

What intake grate are you running? The OEM grate doesn't direct water to the top of the impeller, it only partially loads the pump as a result. Some people gripe that aftermarket performance intake grates cause drag, and they do to a small degree BUT they allow your engine to transfer far more power to the water by loading the impeller fully which more than compensates for any minor increase in drag the performance grate causes. I only rode my RXT a few times briefly with the OEM intake grate before I upgraded it to an Aquavein grate by R&D, and I never tried going WOT with the stock grate water conditions never permitted it. I do greatly prefer the performance intake grate's general handling characteristics however, the thing turns like it's on rails tight tight tight!

ps. When you say the supercharger has "no slip" I hope you are exaggerating because it's supposed to have a limited amount of slip by design.... right? How many hours and who rebuilt your SC? Your rpm's sound correct... but just for grins where is your engine oil level at on the dipstick right now? It should be right in the middle of the bend on the dipstick (why the heck BRP doesn't just stamp a full line on the stick I cannot figure... that bend thingy is nutso IMHO!).

- Michael
 
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Ok to answer your questions first in no particular order. SC was rebuilt by my seadoo dealer and yes when I said "no slip" I meant no excessive slip. All within spec with about 4-5 hrs on it now. Everything underneath is all factory intake grate ride plate etc. the gap between the impeller and wear run was exactly how you describe it. After install with the pump out when I spun the impeller it slightly touched the wear ring. Just enough to inspire confidence in the fact that the wear ring isn't out of spec. Oil level is right in the middle where it needs to be.

As far as the speedo goes, I saw 68 on it this morning and gps was about 4-5 slower so it is possible for a speedo to be thy far off. We like to think it isn't but some are.

Now for the opas, you may be on to something. I've notice that at high speed I see water getting picked up at both corners and sprayed back almost like a rooster tail. Very un-PWC like. I'll have to check those to confirm. I wanna remove them anyway but it wouldn't hurt to have them working properly till then
 
Make sure the little hose on top of the pump housing is connected, it's the one that powers the OPAS paddle pistons if I'm not terribly mistaken. My RXT doesn't have the "rooster tail" effect at high speeds that you're describing. It's very easy to forget to hook that top hose back up when re-installing the jetpump.

Filling your ride plate bolt recesses will help for another ~1-2mph (I've read... never checked before I filled mine actually but does make sense). Also I do think you'd really like a performance intake grate A LOT better than the OEM one, for the reasons I already mentioned. The R&D Aquavein looks alot like the performance intake grate on my big jetboat, and that thing is mind blowing I tell ya! There's nothing wrong with the RIVA performance intake grate either it's just a slightly different design they do the same thing though improve cornering and straight-line tracking and load the top of the impeller with water flow better.

What is the thing you're holding in your hand in your speed test videos? Is that the GPS unit you're using to figure your speed with? And how does that work? It's not the same as an actual GPS Speedometer guage is it?

- Michael
 
No what I'm using is actually the "Speedbox" app on my iPhone. It uses the GPS unit that comes in the iPhone. I checked it side by side with another car gps and it's dead on. Difference was only .2mph. Downside is it doesn't refresh as quickly if you don't have good signal. The area I was in I get decent signal.

That hose you mention is reconnected. Is there a way to have the paddles in the "up" position at all times? I really could care less for them and they are about as useful as a sandbox at the beach. I'm going to get under there and fill in those ride plate holes in when I get a chance this week.
 
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I have seen OPAS block-off kits that allow you to remove the paddles and linkages completely (with filler plates to cover the holes in the hull), and I've seen OPAS Racing retractor thingies that hold the OPAS paddles in the UP position full time so they're never down (basically they are clip on clips that force the paddles up; on Ebay... search for "OPAS" and you should come across them they're the quicker less expensive option).

I have an Andriod RAZR phone, I'll have to see if there's anything similar for it. It's rare though that my favorite lake is calm enough for high speed runs, it's a big lake and we always seem to have a 10-15mph wind here it's hard to catch a perfectly calm day. I still can't see my speedo being off by that much though, but I have been wrong about things before so I can't rule it out I guess. I also can't see your RXT going only a handful of miles faster than a non-supercharged 3-seater SeaDoo watercraft though.

Keep in touch let me know how things work out when you get another chance to take it out for more "sea-trials". ;-)

- Michael
 
... Is there a way to have the paddles in the "up" position at all times? I really could care less for them and they are about as useful as a sandbox at the beach...

Block up's.

Take a 2" length of 3/4" pvc/pex and split the length so that the piece creates a closed "c" shape when looking on end. Now place this on the piston that raises your opas paddle. I went ahead an zip tied mine top and bottom for peace of mind. Uneccessary really.

I've run mine blocked up for years...after hanging one that hung down on a wave I was trying to clear....bad wreck...I went over the side faster than you can blink.
 
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Thanks for all the advice guys. This would have cost me a small fortune to have the dealer diagnose this.
 
Had some free time today to waste on my issue. here's what I got so far

OPAS block up's

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Ride plate holes filled in with marine epoxy. waiting overnight to dry before sanding them

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I see your grate hangs down as low as mine once did.

Here's somethin for you to think on...

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I see your grate hangs down as low as mine once did.

Here's somethin for you to think on...

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An aftermarket intake grate will be my next mod. Either a top loader or aquavein. Haven't decided yet. Plus that looks like a whole lot of elbow grease there. What did you use? Just sand it down?
 
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Hmm... my R&D Aquavein doesn't hang down any. Is this a difference in the grate's or the shoe they fit into?

You been busy today my friend KK! Good job! Notice how Red has his ride plate bolt hole recesses sanded nice and flush with the ride plate. I see a Solas impeller peekin inside the intake tunnel also... shiney! :-)

- Michael
 
An aftermarket intake grate will be my next mod. Either a top loader or aquavein. Haven't decided yet. Plus that looks like a whole lot of elbow grease there. What did you use? Just sand it down?

That's a Riva grate....not what I was pointing out by the way. It is flushed to the plate...that's the important part for you. I used a 5" random orbital sander starting with 80 grit and finishing with 220.....taking special care to not touch the hull.

All holes filled w/ 2 part epoxy and used black permatex in the joints....also up inside the tunnel completely sealing the grate to the shoe and hull. Yeah..you see a solas in there..also a stainless wear ring and a pair of skegs on the plate.

All told about 8hrs getting the grate flushed...on your back with dust in your face...glad that's over with. And no...you can't pay me to do it for your ski...heh.
 
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Where did you get the skegs and how did you add them to the ride plate? Do they help much?

I bet you had a fun time sanding that grate flush... .yuk! :-p

- Michael
 
I got them at GH. You install them using a 2 part epoxy and a couple alignment tricks. You can read about it on a DIY skeg thread, there.

If you think flushing your grate is fun....cleaning up the mess left after installing skegs will really turn you on.

What do they do and are they worth it? Yes...every penny($100) and minute spent installing them correctly is worth it. A lil more speed, but most importantly for me...straight line tracking thru the chop. All that will allow you to run faster through rougher water w/o as intense an upper body work out that you currently have to endure.

The one down side...and not one really. When you turn sharp at speed...you better mean it....cause it tracks like it's on rails. If you ain't ready...you will find your ski going where you pointed it and you will be in the water wondering...WTF?!

My 70+ y/o mom loves them on her otherwise stock rxt.
 
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Well that sounds like a fun winter project to me! I'll look them up on GH here shortly... thanks for the info! :-)

- Michael
 
Those look like something I'd try but over the winter. I've already spent more time working on it than riding it this season. From now on its all riding in the summer and maintenance and modding in the off season.
 
I finally got a chance to sand down the epoxy and head out for a quick spin. Unfortunately the weather thought it was a good idea to piss one my parade. Anyway with stong winds and water conditions that weren't ideal i managed 66.1mph bouncing off chop. It wanted more but it was just too choppy.

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Well that's a good 3+ mph gain then, at least! The water looks deceptively smooth, till you notice the "rollers" going across the surface. I bet you'll be tickling 70mph at WOT when the water conditions are better. Hole-shot should be a little improved also. A performance intake grate will help even more and give you another 1-2mph gain. :-)

So you think it was worth the work so far, filling those bloody ride plate bolt hole recesses? ;-)

- Michael
 
I finally got a chance to sand down the epoxy and head out for a quick spin. Unfortunately the weather thought it was a good idea to piss one my parade. Anyway with stong winds and water conditions that weren't ideal i managed 66.1mph bouncing off chop. It wanted more but it was just too choppy.

Okay....something to remember when modding your ski.

base line.

You need to write down things like temp, humidity, water conditions, fuel load, elevation, fresh/salt water, mods at the time ect. Not doing so will eventually lead to second guessing what you've done in the past. Memory's fail and will lie to you. Write everything down.

So...It looked to me your rpm never got past 7960 or so...yes? If so..not bad concidering the water's appearance and a promising sign of improvement depending on the other factors already mentioned. What kind of air intake did you have...it didn't say. If you haven't already got your 4" up front done now would be a good time to do so. If I remember right the limiter on the '08's were 8200 or a bit better. Which means...you got lotsa room to grow w/o breaking the bank.

I would expect a solid 68-69 outa your ski...even in the heat w/o too much more trouble.
 
Some more info for ya. I had a almost full tank as opposed to less than 1/3 on the other runs. Only took around $6 to top it off to the neck. Also air intake is still a 3". That's definitely something I need to improve to a 4" since the limiter is at 8300 for the '08. My next 3 mods are going to be a 4" air intake, top loader grate, riva free flow exhaust.

And yes those ride plate holes make a HUGE difference. I'd never guess. It even reduces the felt vibration at speed (less water drag???). All in all I happy that's it's going in the right direction and I'm sure this weekend I'll get some better conditions to improve on that mph.
 
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