Challenger 2000 jet boat questions

[mrjimbov]

I just purchased a 2000 Challenger 2000. It has the 245hp EFi V-6. Boat came from Ft. Meyer, FL. I purchased it sight un-seen (other than pictures). It's the middle Feb. and there is no open water here in Northern Indiana so I'm trying to give it a good going over before Spring gets here (when I can put it in the water).
Can anyone give me any insite as to what kind of problems these boats are known for? It has EFi so, are there any problems with sensors that are known to act up or go bad? Being a Yamaha boat owner I know that Yamaha boats have a problem with oil lines. Do the oil injection lines get brittle and break or shrink over time on the SeaDoo boats?

 

[rookie101]

Well you've already purchased it so I guess I can't tell you to never purchase a boat with out a sea trial to make sure everything works.

Some of the older Mercury's are prone to the rubber exhaust hose delaminating inside and restricting the exhaust, so it might be a good idea to replace them. Now before spring shows up be sure to replace the gear oil in the gear case and stator and have a good look at the old oil for any metallic debris. If there is any you may end up with or already have pump problems. Also replace the spark plugs and do a compression test while you have them out. You want to see around 135 psi and no more than 10 percent difference. Replace the fuel filter/water separator as well and make sure the oil tank is full. If possible try to find out what kind of oil the previous owner used and stick with that. I run the Quicksilver premium TC-W3 in mine, but as long as you use a quality TC-W3 you should be fine.

Aaron:cheers:

 

[mrjimbov]

Went to the Marina today and they gave me Valvoline 75w-90 synthetic gear oil. The guy at the marina showed me where it has GL5 on the bottle and said that is what I want. I looked all over the bottle but I don't see TC-W3 on it anywhere.

Do I have the right stuff?

 

[rookie101]

STOP! That oil is suitable for the gear case or the stator, NOT THE INJECTION SYSTEM!!!

If you are changing the drive oils that will work, but I prefer the genuine Mercury high performance gear oil for peace of mind. For the oil injection tank that feeds the engine you must use a TC-W3 certified oil. I only use the Quicksilver premium, but pick a brand and stick with it even if it means you have to buy it in bulk.

Aaron:cheers:

 

[mrjimbov]

Sorry Aaron, I guess I should have stated that I was changing the gear case and stator oils. After posting yesterday I did a little web search about TC-W3 oil and realized it was a rating for 2-stroke oil.

You stated "I prefer the genuine Mercury high performance gear oil for peace of mind." Is it a synthetic oil?
I know that synthetics will leak if there is the least little weak spot in a seal or gasket so, am I better off to go with a non-synthetic?

Jim

 

[rookie101]

I would pick up a couple of liters of the Mercury high performance gear lube. The manual does not state the viscosity of the oil, just to use the Mercury lube. Also I had a good look at the bottle of Mercury oil I have and it does not say anything about viscosity either. 75W90 may work, but I can't find any reference to it so I would recommend the Mercury oil.

Aaron:cheers:


Edit: I also moved your thread to the boat section.

 

[johnhibbs]

240 EFI engine

I have the same year boat. Don't be surprised to see a lot of smoke from these engines when you start it up. I use AIMSOIL synsthetic HP Injector fuel oil. If you don't have any acceleration and the engine revs fine then I would look at the impeller wear ring. You can inspect it now before you put it in the water. The gap between the tip of the impeller and the inside diameter of the wear ring should be less than paper clip thickness.