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Engine will not turn

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Dave Sportster LE Boat

Dave Sportster LE Boat

New Member
I have a 2003 seadoo sportster LE single engine rotex 951 engine and yesterday when I started the engine it was spluttering then cutting out.

We thought this problem was due to the boat being left from April to July in the outside hot sun and therefore causing the fuel to evaporate leaving just oil then gumming up the carb jets but the boat is the direct oil injection model so thinking about it this could not have happen.

We still launched into the water but it would not reach full power and seemed to being slowly clearing the spluttering problem.

Then after about 20 minute at 25 notts it just stopped......there was no BANG no smoke no lights came on or beeping sound it was just like someone had switched the power off.

When we tried to restart the engine it just made a clicking sound like the starter motor had jammed.

When we got the boat out of the water we checked the impeller intake for blockages but it was clear however, the impeller would not turn?

We have checked the battery and it is fully charged.

Has anyone got any idea what could have happened?
 
if you pull the pump & plugs will the PTO turn by hand ?

one side note: when an engine is running poorly, its generally not a good idea to head out on the water and hope the problem fixes itself.
 
If you pull the plugs, can you turn it over by hand? If not, as suggested above pull the pump as it can seize as well.
 
Thanks guys......sorry to sound dim but what is the pump?

We took both spark plugs out and the shaft still would not turn?

When we put the key in we get two short beeps then we push the start button and just get a click sound from the engine area?
 
I am not sure where I should be turning it by hand?

Do you mean the impeller? It is not moving even a tiny bit!

I also removed the grey plastic cover that goes over the shaft where the greece nipple is and used some grips to turn the shaft but that won't turn even with both spark plugs removed!
 
You are correct. Remove Gray Plastic cover and you tried to move the PTO Flywheel by hand. You said it would not turn.

So either the Engine or the Pump is locked up.
The only way to know for sure from here is to break them apart and see which one turns and which one doesn't. You would have to pull the pump to do this.

My guess is it is the Engine that is locked up.
 
rvaughn704 said:
You are correct. Remove Gray Plastic cover and you tried to move the PTO Flywheel by hand. You said it would not turn.

So either the Engine or the Pump is locked up.
The only way to know for sure from here is to break them apart and see which one turns and which one doesn't. You would have to pull the pump to do this.

My guess is it is the Engine that is locked up.
Click to expand...

Is it a lot of work to 'pull the pump' or a workshop/specialist only job??
 
Bummer at the very least.

Do a search on this site for "pump removal", there are a lot of links/posts. I did not go very deep into the search results, but I would take an educated guess that there are videos (utube) available on the net showing the whole process.

Hope for the best.

Rod
 
From another post...

"I would go ahead and remove the pump, it's fairly east to do. Unbolt the steering linkage, remove the 4 bolts for the steering nozzle, and then remove the 4 bolts and remove the pump. You will need a new neoprene gasket and seal the two penetrations in the hull when re-installing the pump." Via Lou
 
Jet,,, where the impeller is.

If that is seized, you will not be able to turn the engine over. For now, we are just trying to figure out where the issue is. Can also be a jammed starter Bendix as well.
 
Coastiejoe said:
Jet,,, where the impeller is.

If that is seized, you will not be able to turn the engine over. For now, we are just trying to figure out where the issue is. Can also be a jammed starter Bendix as well.
Click to expand...

I did wonder about the starter but the engine stopped while travelling at 25mph ish......plus the starter has always been perfect......but who knows!

I will remove the jet pump and report back:thumbsup:
 
Just a thought.....when an engine seizes I am guessing that the impeller would still move a tiny bit with the play in the shafts/joints etc......when I got under the boat and removed the grill to get at the impeller it would not turn even a tiny tiny bit it was like it was jammed solid?
 
Dave Sportster LE Boat said:
Just a thought.....when an engine seizes I am guessing that the impeller would still move a tiny bit with the play in the shafts/joints etc......when I got under the boat and removed the grill to get at the impeller it would not turn even a tiny tiny bit it was like it was jammed solid?
Click to expand...

If it is put together properly, the impeller will not move to any degree that you will be able to see it. The tolerance there is very small. As an example, if the gap in the wear ring is more then the thickness of a dime, it is wiped out. My point is, the impeller can't afford to move because if it does, it would wipe out the wear ring.
 
Just a quick up-date.

Today I removed the jet pump and it spun freely so I am guessing it is a complete engine re-build as the engine still will not turn with the pump removed and both spark plugs:facepalm:

Thanks for all your help and advice guys it is much appreciated.
 
Well, in my opinion it is time to pull the heads and have a look at the pistons/ see if you have ventilated the engine case....
 
Hi Again Seadoo'ers

Since my last post I have taken the boat to a local specialist and he removed the engine for a rebuild.

He has since informed me the that balance shaft had jammed/sheered its teeth and split the engine casing so that needs repairing/welding and a new shaft is required.

I asked him if he had any idea why the engine blow up and he said something about the internal oil seals had failed allowing the factory sealed internal oil to leak out which caused the engine to over heat then seize.
 
So that's about $1700.00 US, actually that sounds pretty reasonable, for parts and labor, pulling the engine and re-installing. Actually that sounds very reasonable.

BTW I'm moving this thread to the 2-stroke boat forum.

Lou
 
Just a quick up-date.

The total engine rebuild including repairing the damaged casing / cleaning engine bay / re-fitting / testing was GBP£1150.00

Today was my first chance to test it on the water and wow what a difference.....so much smoother, quieter and more powerful.

The oil mix is set to add a little extra oil for the next 5 hours to help run the engine in.........
 
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