2002 Utopia 185 Cooling System

[mk1409]

I have a 2002 SeaDoo Utopia 185 with the 200 HP Optimax. The rear of the boat has a brass hole where I assume water from the cooling system should be exiting the boat. When running the boat in the water or with a hose out of the water I am not getting anything coming out of the hole. If I flush the cooling system with a hose should water be coming out there, currently it only comes out of the bottom of the boat. Does it need a higher pressure, or is it possible I have a clogged cooling system or bad pump?

Thank for any help/suggestions.

 

[Dr Honda]

On the hose... I doubt you will have enough volume or pressure to get it out that fitting. The majority will go out the pump. (the pick-up line) and the rest will go out the exhust.


In the water... you may not see anything until the engine comes up to temp. I think your engine has thermostats.


As for your final question... there isn't a "Water Pump" in our boats. The cooling system is fed via a pressure port in the jet pump.



SO... with all that said... are you having an over temp issue?

 

[mk1409]

I am having some sort of issues, have been trying to figure out what. I'm not getting any beeps or warnings but occasionally the engine dies and will not restart for ~10 minutes. It seems as if it runs out of fuel the way it dies, it sounds like its struggling then quickly shuts off. Ive replaced fuel filters, fuel lines, spark plugs. Cant figure out what is causing it. Not sure what else to look at. If water comes out the bottom via hose, does that mean there is no clog in the cooling system?

 

[Dr Honda]

I am having some sort of issues, have been trying to figure out what. I'm not getting any beeps or warnings but occasionally the engine dies and will not restart for ~10 minutes. It seems as if it runs out of fuel the way it dies, it sounds like its struggling then quickly shuts off. Ive replaced fuel filters, fuel lines, spark plugs. Cant figure out what is causing it. Not sure what else to look at.

Hummm....

What did the sparkplugs look like when they came out? In a 2-stroke, the color can tell us a lot.


Since you have the Opti engine... there could be a few things. If the belt on top of the engine is slipping... you may not have enough air pressure to run. OR... since you need high pressure fuel... if that pump is failing... it will shut down. Both of those issues can be checked via a pressure gauge.

In the Merc boats... there is 2 buzzers. Make sure they are both working. You may be over heating... but the second buzzer may be dead. (mine was)

AND... if you think you may be over heating... then get a cheap IR temp gun, and simply check. Cyl heads should be well under 200 F. If you don't have thermostats... then it may only be around 125 F.

If water comes out the bottom via hose, does that mean there is no clog in the cooling system?

No. The flush port is DUMB on these engines. It taps below the engine... so the majority comes out the pick-up line. That just means the pick-up is clear. BUT... the engine could be full of sand/mud. That's where the IR gun will com in handy.

 

[mk1409]

The sparkplugs had some black on them, but didn't seem to have any significant charring or blackness on them. I haven't checked the temperature with a thermometer, but the engine has not seemed excessively hot, though that obviously that's not exact. I have a thermometer so Ill check that when I get a chance.

The belt doesnt look like it has been slipping, though again, that only means so much.

Regarding the buzzer, I dont think it's bad, as I have had beeps before, though maybe that was the other one. Whats the easiest way to check the buzzer, and where is the overheat alarm located to test it?

I appreciate the help, I've at least got some more things to look into. Is there any easy way to clean out the cooling system if it does have sand and mud in it, or does that require disassembling the engine?

 

[Dr Honda]

The fast way to check it, is to pull the wire off the bottom of the fuel filter... and ground it. That's the "Water in fuel" sender... and it uses the same buzzer. The buzzer when you turn the key on, is the other buzzer.

There's no fast way to power flush the engien... but I would hook a hose to that water outlet. BUT... since we don't know if over temp is actually the issue... let's not even assume the engine is plugged up yet.

 

[Dr Honda]

I was just looking though the parts list on the 200 Opti... and I didn't see a thermostat. SO... you probably don't have them. (unless someone put them in for cold weather) I would pull one of the caps on the heads to check.

But, have you simply blown back though the pee-hole to see if there is just some junk in it? Sometimes you will pass small debris, and it will plug up, right at the fitting.

 

[mk1409]

I checked the alarm this weekend and got no sound, so it seems that it is not functioning. I checked the temperature and it never got high, but it was also 50F outside with cold water temps as well. When it was shutting off last year it was significantly hotter. I stuck a hose on the pee-hole and got some water to go in, which came back out clean. I'm still thinking maybe there is a clog somewhere, but have not proof of this. Any suggestions on where to go next? Thanks.