I am trying to change out my carbon ring but the metal collar over the clip is seized onto the shaft. When I try to pry it back it just moves the entire shaft with it. I have pulled the carbon ring and the collar apart to try and get some penetrating fluid down onto the shaft. I have also put the pump back on to limit the amount of travel the shaft has. the only thing I can think to do is cut the collar with a dremel to try and get it off.... anyone have a better idea before I start cutting??
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Carbon ring trouble
- Thread starter DooC180
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Pull the pump and put some washers where the shaft slides in and then reinstall the pump. This will stop the shaft from moving when you pry. Tap on the collar to break it free. Some heat may help. Make sure no gas dues are present if you use heat.
Great idea CJ... unfortunately it didn't work for me and I ended up cutting the ring with a zip wheel. Even with the ring cut it wouldn't slide back! I had to pry it open and work it around the shaft a bit before I broke enough corrosion up to be able to drive it back with a pickle fork.
Long story short, it looks like my driveshaft is shot. I cleaned it up as best as I could with a roloc disk and test fit the new collar with O-rings installed- it does fit snugly but it is heavily pitted. I may put it back together and give it a shot. I figure at this point I'm not hurting anything by giving it a try- just going to be extra work to take it back apart later and put a new shaft in it. Not likely but maybe it will run well enough to get me by for a bit.
I was going to swap out the impeller and wear ring while I was in there but they don't look too bad. Some grooves on the ring and nicks on the leading edges of the blades but the worst gap I could find was only .014". From some of the recent posts it seems that if I buy a new shaft the SRX impeller I just bought would not work and I will need the SRZ.... This boat is supposed to be fun right?!?
Long story short, it looks like my driveshaft is shot. I cleaned it up as best as I could with a roloc disk and test fit the new collar with O-rings installed- it does fit snugly but it is heavily pitted. I may put it back together and give it a shot. I figure at this point I'm not hurting anything by giving it a try- just going to be extra work to take it back apart later and put a new shaft in it. Not likely but maybe it will run well enough to get me by for a bit.
I was going to swap out the impeller and wear ring while I was in there but they don't look too bad. Some grooves on the ring and nicks on the leading edges of the blades but the worst gap I could find was only .014". From some of the recent posts it seems that if I buy a new shaft the SRX impeller I just bought would not work and I will need the SRZ.... This boat is supposed to be fun right?!?
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I recommend upgrading to the C-Clip instead of the O-ring. Two reasons. MUCH easier to service and if the O-ring breaks while underway chances are good the ski will sink...
I would use a HEAVY grease on the inside of the collar and the shaft where they meet up. This will help to stop water getting in and prevent corrosion. Further, I'd clean the area well and use a bead of sealant on both sides of the collar. This should eliminate the corrosion issue forever I would hope..
It does use a C-clip to secure the collar. I was referring to the (2) O-rings on the inside of the collar that seal it against the shaft. I did load the area with some heavy grease and put it all back together the with OE impeller and wear ring. I am not sure if sealant on the collar would make a difference as the corrosion was inside the bellows boot "down" the shaft further where I believe the water will always intrude- that's the reason I couldn't get it to slide back on the shaft was all the corrosion built up behind it. I might take it down to the river later on and see if the new carbon seal helps with the cavitation issue that I was originally working on.
I got ya,,,,
Worth a test ride...
Worth a test ride...
Well I finally tested it last night. It still cavitates pretty bad off the line. If I nurse it up to 20mph I can throw it to WOT without hitting the rev limiter. Tops out at about 42mph (which I think is a little low). The one major improvement is it didn't seem to take any water in where as I used to have several gallons everytime I used it.
I have more experience with skis that you can launch right from the line- Should I be able to go WOT from a dead stop without bouncing of the limiter or will they always have a little bit of cavitation due to the size you are pushing?
I gave up and put the solas impeller and new wear ring in last night. Headed out shortly for another test, will update the thread just incase anyone is following along.
I have more experience with skis that you can launch right from the line- Should I be able to go WOT from a dead stop without bouncing of the limiter or will they always have a little bit of cavitation due to the size you are pushing?
I gave up and put the solas impeller and new wear ring in last night. Headed out shortly for another test, will update the thread just incase anyone is following along.
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Did you replace the boot as well?
C9R0J0
Active Member
Mine is substantially better in this regard with the Solas 14/19 than the OEM. The OEM does exactly as you describe, bounces off the limiter when WOT from idle. The Solas doesn't hit the limiter at all doing the same thing. Hopefully you'll find the same with your boat.
Well this is a good news, bad news good news post... with the new solas, the boat was much better- I picked up 5mph on the top end and only touched the rev limiter in the worst conditions (against wind/current) from a dead stop. All went for well for about 3-4 hours.
Then the bed news, on my way back to the dock I noticed that I couldn't get back up on plane and it started to porpoise real bad. When I opened hatch I had water up to the supercharger!
After I drained the boat I pulled it apart, hoping that the carbon ring was just pushed back into the boot but after disassembly, the damage was very clear. For some reason the front half of the new carbon seal broke off and I was sucking water in big time.The front half of the ring was missing completely from about where it was clamped forward and the hat/collar shows signs of heat... not sure what would cause this unless I sucked something like a bag into the driveshaft that stopped water from cooling/lubricating the carbon ring. Open to ideas if anyone has seen this before.
The good news (ish)... I measured the "headspace" on an old carbon ring and determined that they stick out about 6mm from the boot. The back side (all that is left) of the new carbon ring is also machined flat so I flipped it over and spaced it out from the boot exactly 6mm using a ziptie as a spacer then cranked the clamp down good and tight. Put everything back together and dropped it back in the water last night. We cruised around at low speed (up to 25mph) for about 45 min constantly checking the (insert your favorite adjective; ghetto,cob-job, etc) carbon ring and it actually seems to work and I was back to full power, no cavitation.
Its supposed to by 95 today so I am hoping to nurse it along for the afternoon. I have a new carbon ring/collar kit on order...
someone remind me when boat ownership becomes less "exciting" and more fun?!?
Then the bed news, on my way back to the dock I noticed that I couldn't get back up on plane and it started to porpoise real bad. When I opened hatch I had water up to the supercharger!
After I drained the boat I pulled it apart, hoping that the carbon ring was just pushed back into the boot but after disassembly, the damage was very clear. For some reason the front half of the new carbon seal broke off and I was sucking water in big time.The front half of the ring was missing completely from about where it was clamped forward and the hat/collar shows signs of heat... not sure what would cause this unless I sucked something like a bag into the driveshaft that stopped water from cooling/lubricating the carbon ring. Open to ideas if anyone has seen this before.
The good news (ish)... I measured the "headspace" on an old carbon ring and determined that they stick out about 6mm from the boot. The back side (all that is left) of the new carbon ring is also machined flat so I flipped it over and spaced it out from the boot exactly 6mm using a ziptie as a spacer then cranked the clamp down good and tight. Put everything back together and dropped it back in the water last night. We cruised around at low speed (up to 25mph) for about 45 min constantly checking the (insert your favorite adjective; ghetto,cob-job, etc) carbon ring and it actually seems to work and I was back to full power, no cavitation.
Its supposed to by 95 today so I am hoping to nurse it along for the afternoon. I have a new carbon ring/collar kit on order...
someone remind me when boat ownership becomes less "exciting" and more fun?!?
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devonte007
Active Member
never heard of a new carbon ring failing like you described. When you took the old ring out was there any odd wear that would indicate an engine/shaft alignment issue? I replaced my drive shaft last year due to corrosion issues similar to yours, and noticed that the engine was not in proper alignment. Got a good deal on an aftermarket drive shaft and very happy with it.
The only other think I can think of that would cause damage to the carbon ring would be excessive vibration maybe from a warped shaft or even bad engine mounts? Could the boot clamp have been too tight accidentally cracking it. I actually don't like the worm clamps that come with the new bellows.
Glad you were able to catch this before any real damage. curious to know what the cause might have been when you dig back into this project.
The only other think I can think of that would cause damage to the carbon ring would be excessive vibration maybe from a warped shaft or even bad engine mounts? Could the boot clamp have been too tight accidentally cracking it. I actually don't like the worm clamps that come with the new bellows.
Glad you were able to catch this before any real damage. curious to know what the cause might have been when you dig back into this project.
The old carbon ring didn't look bad but it was sucking a bit of water and cavitating- could have just been a weak bellows boot but since it was coming out anyway I decided to replace it. Is there a way to check driveshaft/engine alignment brsides looking at wear pattern on the carbon seal?
New driveshaft, (another) carbon ring and a new collar are on the way to get it fixed right later this week.
Suprisingly it ran pretty well with the carbon ring in backwards and shimmed out. I was a bit nervous so we checked it frequently while running. Sometimes it was spitting a tiny bit of water as it spun but really not enough to even accumulate. It was a cob-job for sure but it did the job for a day!
New driveshaft, (another) carbon ring and a new collar are on the way to get it fixed right later this week.
Suprisingly it ran pretty well with the carbon ring in backwards and shimmed out. I was a bit nervous so we checked it frequently while running. Sometimes it was spitting a tiny bit of water as it spun but really not enough to even accumulate. It was a cob-job for sure but it did the job for a day!
devonte007
Active Member
If there was not any noticeable wear on the old carbon ring then chances are you have no alignment issues. There is a seadoo alignment tool specifically made but it is quite expensive. I have access to a machine shop and decided to make my own after finding this post: https://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?78795-Inexpensive-engine-alignment-tool-DIY
Worked great and I was able to fix all my issues.
Worked great and I was able to fix all my issues.
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