Drive shaft for 1996 challenger...discontinued????

[ericbesso]

So had another failure on the boat. Put it in the water, started driving and there was a thump and then lost almost all propulsion.

Back to the dock, out of the water, checked the impeller, nothing caught in there. didnt run anything over.

Take it to the shop and they tell me the drive shaft stripped, and i need a new drive shaft, but it is discontinued. They also tell me the wear ring and impeller are worn and might as well change them at the same time. Last part I need is a "bolt" that connect the driveshaft to the impeller, and that bolt is $110.

Where can I find a driveshaft if it is discontinued?

What would cause this issue? Wear and tear? Or could the engine not being aligned properly cause this. The shop JUST installed a brand new engine in June.....

Thanks Guys.

 

[Dr Honda]

First.... get it out of that shop. They are going to bend you over, and give it to you hard.

1) So the impeller and ring are warn. How bad??? If you are in sandy water... they will show wear in a few hours of use. I know WAY too many shops that rape people with that. It's easy for their mechanics to do, and they make very good money on the labor and parts. (don't believe them)


2) What "BOLT" are they talking about???? There aren't any bolts holding the drive shaft to the impeller.

3) Are they sure the drive shaft is stripped? Did they pull it apart, and look? 9 times out of 10.... if you loose "Splines"... they are in the PTO. (it's the sacrificial part) It's made from aluminum, and is softer. The shaft and impeller are stainless.



Ok.... let's assume the driveshaft did strip. You can buy them from ebay (used) or from any after market shop. I'm sure SBT will have want you need, if it's not available from an OEM source. Also... if the "harder" shaft stripped... then whatever it's connected to will also need replaced. (either the PTO or the impeller)


So... it took all of 2 minutes of looking to find that the original part was superseded, and there is a new part. Here it is:

http://www.shopsbt.com/sea-doo-jet-ski-driveshafts/74-107C-08.html


Anyway... it's not a hard job. You can save a ton of $$$ doing it yourself.




As far as "Why did it happen".... I don't know until I know exactly what failed.... but normally

1) broken engine mounts will allow the shaft to get out of align.

1a) mount boats are loose.

2) No grease in the splines

3) poor alignment when it was last serviced.

 

[Coastiejoe]

I'm with Doc.

Get the boat home and pull the shaft yourself. Based on your details it has to come out.

Wiggle the engine to see if it moves, if so, you need to be looking at the mounts.

And I'm pretty sure no bolt of any kind cost 100 dollars on a Seadoo.

They are taking advantage if you.

 

[dbracela]

By "bolt', did they mean impeller shaft?

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Eric, sounds like the shop can't repair your boat b/c they told you parts are no longer available.

 

[ericbesso]

By "bolt', did they mean impeller shaft?

Hey guys,

thanks so much, sorry havent answered, im also redoing my bathroom right now and tiles are a bitch....

anyways went to the shop this morning. It was miscommunication. The boat needs an impeller shaft, and a wear ring, and the impeller was kinda shitty, so the guy was suggesting i get one at the same time.

At this point, i have ordered a new impeller shaft, wear ring, and the rubber pieces between the impeller and drive shaft. Unfortunately SBT didnt have an impeller so I am putting back in the old one.

As for the shop, the mechanic I have been dealing with lately is a rly nice guy. Call there whenever i have minor problems and he helps me out. the initial mechanic that was working there and put the engine in was fired, as was the customer service guy. They gave me 15% off parts, and I ended up paying $800 for the engine and install last time.

I am going to go there only because they admitted they were wrong and have fixed it, compensated me and been helpful from then on. I have been back twice since the engine cause it wasnt running perfect, nd they helped me out, went on a water test free of charge.

Anyways total bill right now $315+15% tax so about $360 CAD total.

Do those impeller shafts snap from wear or should I be thinking of what the underlying issue is?

Thanks

 

[Dr Honda]

If the impeller shaft snapped... the impeller would be bouncing around the housing, and would have probably eaten itself, the housing, and made a HUGE racket.

Did you veryify what's wrong... or did you just order parts?

 

[Albysure]

Like doc said....snapped?

I bet it just has groves worn into it from where it spins on the bearings......if it snapped you would be replacing pump bearings....that would be to much internal movement....maybe the head of the impeller shaft broke off I could see that....

But it does sound like you have found a good machanic and that's good....

If your doing tile work and taking your time to measure and cut on the wet saw I bet you can rebuild this pump yourself....they are very easy to do after you take apart and see how they are built and function...

Good luck