Hello Sea-Doo Forums! Many year lurker, first time poster because I am at my wits end with one of my skis.
I have two skis that I absolutely adore and have owned both since new. One is a 1995 HX and the other is a 1996 GSX. I am having a serious cavitation issue with the HX. I took it in to a shop last year and $800 later, it still has the same problem. They replaced the impeller and wear ring and fixed a hole in the exhaust pipe (which I have since replaced since I discovered a large crack in it). I have vowed to do all my own repairs from here on out. The ski is easy to start and runs very strong. It cavitates so bad from a dead stop that it is impossible to get up and riding in deep water. Once it gets to plane, it is completely fine and runs like a champ. I have pulled the pump entirely out and have narrowed the problem to several possibilities. I think the air is getting into the pump from one of the following places:
A) The shaft seal (I did lock it up a few years ago but grease brought it back to life). I also think it could be this because I am now seeing excessive water in the hull.
B) There is no seal or silicon whatsoever between the pump and the hull.
C) There is no sealant between the two halfs of the pump.
The impeller and wear ring are new and look fine. Not so much as a scratch. Right now, I am leaning towards the shaft seal being the primary culprit but I have little experience with such things. I have the pump completely off but I don’t know how to remove the shaft and replace the shaft seal. I can’t even figure out what parts to order to do this job so I thought I would turn to the forum for advice first.
I have owned these skis for sixteen and seventeen years and they get a lot of use at Shasta Lake in northern California. My kids love them and it is very frustrating that the HX still has this problem after such a costly repair.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
MP/Northern CA
I have two skis that I absolutely adore and have owned both since new. One is a 1995 HX and the other is a 1996 GSX. I am having a serious cavitation issue with the HX. I took it in to a shop last year and $800 later, it still has the same problem. They replaced the impeller and wear ring and fixed a hole in the exhaust pipe (which I have since replaced since I discovered a large crack in it). I have vowed to do all my own repairs from here on out. The ski is easy to start and runs very strong. It cavitates so bad from a dead stop that it is impossible to get up and riding in deep water. Once it gets to plane, it is completely fine and runs like a champ. I have pulled the pump entirely out and have narrowed the problem to several possibilities. I think the air is getting into the pump from one of the following places:
A) The shaft seal (I did lock it up a few years ago but grease brought it back to life). I also think it could be this because I am now seeing excessive water in the hull.
B) There is no seal or silicon whatsoever between the pump and the hull.
C) There is no sealant between the two halfs of the pump.
The impeller and wear ring are new and look fine. Not so much as a scratch. Right now, I am leaning towards the shaft seal being the primary culprit but I have little experience with such things. I have the pump completely off but I don’t know how to remove the shaft and replace the shaft seal. I can’t even figure out what parts to order to do this job so I thought I would turn to the forum for advice first.
I have owned these skis for sixteen and seventeen years and they get a lot of use at Shasta Lake in northern California. My kids love them and it is very frustrating that the HX still has this problem after such a costly repair.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
MP/Northern CA
