1998 GTX Limited Fixing Leak

[val-e-vue]

Background:
I have fairly substantial leak that I have narrowed down to the pump support. It seems that the most of the pump support penetrations leak, indicating that it is not bonded well to the transom. I verified this by removing the pump and tipping the ski up as steep I could while still gaining visual access to the pump support. I added water gradually to see where the leak starts. It starts at the lower set of bolts and gets progressively worse. When it was in the water for three weeks, I had to be sure I drove it every 10 hrs or so to prevent the water from getting to a height where the air intake would suck water into the engine.

Like I say, I have narrowed it to the pump support.... The carbon seal and bellows are fine and there are no engine related leaks. The cable seals and the speed sensor wire strain relief were all water tight.

I have removed the steering and reverse cables, speed sensor, and the pump mounting studs. The only thing remaining before I can remove the pump support is the two M6 bolts at the bottom. They turn but they have nuts on the backside that are only accessible by removing the riding plate.

Question:
Will I be able to remove the riding plate without snapping bolts off? I ask because this ski came without the grate and those bolts were snapped. I don't want to attempt something crazy and ruin the hull. The bolts holding the riding plate are larger (M8) so I'm hoping they will be strong enough. Please let me know your experience with this and any techniques that might be required

BTW - The pump support feels like it will come off quite easily once the bottom two bolts are removed. I can take a hold of the top edges and it realeases from the transom with very little force.

Thanks!

Gregg

 

[val-e-vue]

Ok I went for it and the bolts came out easy. They had the "right stuff" on them and hadn't even considered corroding. Proceeding...

 

[val-e-vue]

A few photos of what things looked like when disassembled. Seems like there was a shortage of "right stuff" the day this one was assembled.

I have an unopened 10 oz cartridge of 3M 5200 marine adhesive. Would this be the best thing to use or should I be going to NAPA and buying "right stuff" gasket maker?

Thanks!

Gregg

 

[Rowcoach]

I developed a similar leak and my carbon seal is leaking slightly. How long did it take you to disassemble to this point?

 

[val-e-vue]

I developed a similar leak and my carbon seal is leaking slightly. How long did it take you to disassemble to this point?

I'm gonna say it was about 2 hrs. I'm not sure that I approached everything correctly. The whole time I was dreading the struggle with adhesive, but the adhesive separates very easily. It's probably by design... I think I have answered my own question regarding what I should use when putting it back together. I plan to use "right stuff". If I were to use the 3M 5200 it would never come apart again without destroying the plastic parts.

The hardest part for me was disconnecting the reverse cable. You need to disconnect the steering and reverse cables up front so you can pull them forward through the pump support and get them out of play. The reverse cable is only accessible through the glove box opening and it's challenging to hold the bolt and remove the nut. Maybe an extra hand would help... I put small vise grips on the bolt head and used a flat wrench on the nut. The vise grips made it feasible. I also removed the electric box in the rear of the ski where the starter relay and ignition coil resides. I felt like it helped open things up.

You will need a floor jack and a block of wood to jack the rear of the ski off the trailer so you can remove the plate. All in all it was easy with the exception of having to be a contortionist!! I have found this to be a common requirement for working on a jet ski

Today I scraped off the old adhesive using a razor blade on flat surfaces and a plastic blade on rounded surfaces. There were two shims which I have kept track of, so I will put them back on the right stud locations. I had read a post from @mikidymac and he highlighted to keep an eye out for these shims. BTW- I easily spent 2 hrs today scraping and cleaning.

It's definitely worth pursuing, I did not like having a leaker!

Gregg

Gregg

 

[val-e-vue]

Here's a couple photos with everything cleaned up.