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2001 Challenger 1800 motor bogs down.

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jocii

jocii

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I just picked up a 2001 Challenger 1800 with 210 HP Mercury M2 V6 two stroke motor. About 70 hrs of use. Boat has been serviced every year by Sea Doo dealer and stored inside during winter. Has been babied and never has had any major work.

First trip out was awesome. Lots of power, starts fine, would run between 45 - 50 mph WOT. Next trip out not so good. Starts fine, idles fine, but motor bogs down intermittently upon acceleration with limited power. It sometimes will accelerate fine and plane off running half throttle and will seem to miss a bit then straighten out without touching throttle. I have drained the gas tank thinking water in fuel, changed the fuel filter and plugs. None of this has helped. Does anyone have any ideas which direction to head in now?
 
Time for an update. Took it to a mercury mechanic and just explaining issue to him he thinks it may be the stator. He checked the compression and it was good. He also said the main fuel pump may be having issues. Will pull the stator and test. Will get back to me once he knows more. Does this sound like he is going down the right road?
 
Try decarboning with a rich mixture of Seafoam in an outboard fuel tank. Say, two ounces per gallon of gas. Run it until it starts smoking really strong (to confirm the Seafoam has made it to the engine), then stop the engine and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Start it again and run it at midrange RPM's. The smoke will likely be really strong for a while. Switch back to the normal tank and continue running until the smoke stops, indicating you're back on normal fuel.

This will decarbon the cylinders and clean the fuel system.

Report back!
 
Latest report from the mechanic... he pulled it apart and found the stator rusted badly. Tried to clean it up but it didn't help. Replacing the stator tomorrow. He states that this happens when it is not winterized properly. Oddly enough the previous owner had the boat winterized by a different Sea Doo dealer than previous years as he couldn't get into the usual dealer. Anyway, hoping this will be the fix so I can get it on the lake to enjoy. Guess you have to expect this when you purchase a used anything.
 
Which stator - the jetdrive one, or the electrical one?

I wouldn't expect the jetdrive stator to cause the symptoms described in your top level post. Likewise, I wouldn't expect the electrical stator, which is on the very top of the engine, to be "rusted" from improper winterization.
 
I think it was the electrical stator. He said he gets at it from the top of the engine. He put a meter on it didn't test out correctly. He called today and said I can come pick it up. He replaced the stator and took it on the water for a test. Works like a champ now. While it was in there I had him go over it and everything looks good. He said the compression was good in all cylinders. He was impressed with the speed it now has. Had him and another guy who works with him in it and said it will cruise to around 55 mph. I never got it much higher than between 45 and 50. I pick it up tomorrow so I will ask him to explain what he meant by the winterization thing. I know he was telling me a lot and I might have got input overload. Ha. I'm just excited to finally get my boat going. Kids driving me crazy to go tubing. I will fill you in on what he says.
 
jocii said:
I think it was the electrical stator. He said he gets at it from the top of the engine. He put a meter on it didn't test out correctly.
Click to expand...

That all sounds legit.

I pick it up tomorrow so I will ask him to explain what he meant by the winterization thing. I know he was telling me a lot and I might have got input overload.
Click to expand...

I'd be very interested to hear what his answer is. There is no winterization, nor even "normal" maintenance, associated with the electrical stator. They DO fail, though, and so the rest of his discussion sounds reasonable.

BTW, knowing that the stators occasionally fail, I have a spare that I picked up from a guy who was parting out his engine. Just in case.
 
Ok, just picked the boat up. Runs awesome!! Seems like a totally different boat. I asked about the winterization and he said he likes to pull the flywheel and clean it up during winterization. He said that the moisture in the engine area will cause the stator and flywheel magnets to rust. He said a lot of places will not check them and over time they end up like mine.

Thank you for all your input. I am a newbie on this forum and have learned a great deal from all the knowledgeable people on here.
 
jocii said:
I asked about the winterization and he said he likes to pull the flywheel and clean it up during winterization. He said that the moisture in the engine area will cause the stator and flywheel magnets to rust. He said a lot of places will not check them and over time they end up like mine.
Click to expand...

Really? He pulls the flywheel every year? I've never heard of that before.

Glad your engine is running well, and that you found an honest mechanic!
 
Stator?? Plugs??

I just put new plugs in mine, and it now is acting the same as above, idles, starts better than ever, but it will accelerate, even wide open for a second and then shutdown, does this sound like the same thing, how hard is it to change a stator and what price should I expect. Thanks in Advance. Glad your boat is running running fine, they are a blast when they do.!!!
 
Was it running ok before you changed the plugs? Mine wasn't shutting down it was missing and had not power. I am only a back yard mechanic at best. Fuel filter, plugs, that sort of thing. But the mechanic said changing the stator is not a big job. Pull the flywheel (he said you need a puller to do this) and it is right there. He was able to meter the stator and tell if it was within specs or not. He said depending upon what engine and year it is a stator can run between $200 and $500. Then a couple hours labor for diagnosing, replacement of stator, and water testing.
 
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