HELP New Seadoo RXDI Owner Boat Taking on water

[TheGrayt1]

New the jet skis overall and Just bought a 02 SD RXDI and the ski ran great off a hose when I bought it. Took it to the lake yesterday to test and with drain plugs in the ski started taking on water inside the hull. I only had it in the water running for 3 or 4 mins beforeI pulled it out. I drained all the water and then set it back in on the trailer not running and it began taking on water again. Took it home and hooked it up to the hose and it ran great as it did before.

Does the hose flush fitting need to be plugged when using on the lake? If not that where else could there be water coming in from?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Well.. could be a couple things. Most obvious would be a hull leak or cooling system leak.

1. does water enter the hull when the engine is not running?

You have a few water entry points.
Hull
Cooling System
Scuppers

on LAND, put the drain plugs in and tilt the trailer slight up at the front, so water would drain out the back.

using a hose, fill the inside a FEW inches. any water come out?

I think the RX also uses an electric bilge pump, so check that for functionality by pressing the start button with the key OFF.

the electric pump should kick on for approx 30 seconds.

if all that works, remove the plugs and let the water drain out, assuming nothing is coming out of anywhere it shouldn't.

you never described how much water was in the hull. up to a 1/2" may be normal depending on how you ride.

next would be verifying the scuppers are attached correctly, these siphon water from the bilge to the jet pump. if they are not attached correctly, water can be forced in backwards, filling the hull.

Finally, the entire cooling system uses water.

if you have a leak in it, it should be visible while running on the trailer, with water hooked up. get a flashlight and look all over for leaks... be sure to:

1. ENGINE ON
2. WATER ON
3. test
4. WATER OFF
5. Engine OFF

if you mess up this order, you could force water INTO the engine, and you're gonna have a bad day.

Almost forgot another one, carbon ring! could be a leak point, that will leak more water the faster you go.

https://www.seadooforum.com/images/imported/2013/04/54.jpg

 

[TheGrayt1]

So the ski takes on water just while sitting in water witht he engine off. I tested the ski on the trailer out of water and used a hose to put a few inches of water in there with drain plugs in and not leaks out the bottom of the hull. I tested the ski using the slush fitting and do not see any leaks at all. Does thathelp to narrow it down?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

carbon ring.

i've not worked on the RX, but i assume you have a 951 in there.

remove the white plastic cover over the PTO, inspect the carbon ring/seal

OSD Sea Doo Carbon Seal Kit - Heavy Duty (2 STROKE) [OSD2004] - $54.99

 

[TheGrayt1]

Thanks. There is a decent amount of water coming in when the engine is off and just sitting on the trailer in water. Also I do have the 951 motor.

The hose flush fitting does not have a plug for it when you run it at the lake does it?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

no. that's where cooling water comes out. on land you run the cooling system in reverse.

if you plug it, the engine will over heat.

with it on the trailer, so it won't sink, can you identify where it's coming in? My guess is still the carbon ring.

 

[snikwad003]

The hose for the bailers has a 90° fitting in it and that must be strapped above the water line or they will work backwards letting water in

 

[TheGrayt1]

The hose for the bailers has a 90° fitting in it and that must be strapped above the water line or they will work backwards letting water in

The water seems to be coming in somewhere towards the rear I just cannot tell. Sorry for my ignorance but where would that fitting be located? Just kind of a Newbie.

 

[mikidymac]

Carbon ring. It’s the driveshaft seal. Pull the gray plastic cover at the rear of the engine and check.

 

[Coastiejoe]

If memory serves me, that boat is seamed together where the rub rail is. And if I am correct, when in the water, the rear seam in under water when the boat is sitting in the water. These are known to leak.

I’d go back to the ramp and back in in SLOWLY. When you first see water stop and see where the seam is at.

 

[jhjesse]

With out physically examining the ski, all anyone can do is guess.
My guess is plastic nuts with rubber grommets where the reverse and steering cable penetrate the hull have cracked and broken. Had this happen to my RXDI.
If so you can order new from OSD parts.

 

[jhjesse]

Could possibly be the trim boot is worn out.

 

[mikidymac]

The trim boot would allow water into the VTS housing but not pouring into the hull.

 

[jhjesse]

The trim boot would allow water into the VTS housing but not pouring into the hull.

Yes that is correct. Rule that out.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

forgot about the steering hole in the back. That’s a known place. Also, you can get a brass or metal piece to replace the OEM plastic one.

 

[TheGrayt1]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am in the north Dallas Fort Worth area, anybody here locally or have a Seadoo mechanic they reccommend?

Also when I did have it off the trailer and riding in the water it barely moved when I hit the gas. Is that a symptom of a wear ring or carbon ring?

 

[TheGrayt1]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am in the north Dallas Fort Worth area, anybody here locally or have a Seadoo mechanic they reccommend?

Also when I did have it off the trailer and riding in the water it barely moved when I hit the gas. Is that a symptom of a wear ring or carbon ring?

Also here are the pictures of the rear of the ski by the pump. Does it look like I am missing a bolt on the right side in pic 1? Do you see anything of concern?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

no missing bolt.
could be wear ring, impeller, or carbon ring.

get a pic of the impeller, or remove it and take some.

 

[TheGrayt1]

no missing bolt.
could be wear ring, impeller, or carbon ring.

get a pic of the impeller, or remove it and take some.

Pardon my ignorance as I am brand new to skis, where is the impeller located?

Also somebody told me that when I hit the gas and the ski fell on its face is a sign of the carbon ring. Is that true?

 

[mikidymac]

That is a sign of a dirty carb and/or fuel system and will kill the engine for good.
Impeller is inside the pump. Get on your back and get under the ski and look into the inlet tunnel on the bottom rear with a flashlight.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Mikidymac: DI isn't carb It's the most complex and expensive to repair 951

The impeller is located within the jet pump housing. It's what pushes water rearward, thus pushing the ski forward.

No, the carbon ring would impair movement, not the engine. Without grip on the water, the engine would easily reach high rpm, you just wouldn't go anywhere.


At this point, and from photos, I'm not 100% sure I could diagnose a carbon ring issue, other than it leaking water. If you're going to remove all the stuff required to replace a carbon ring, you might as well just buy one, as it's around $20-30...

Testing a ski by running it on land is like testing a car by leaving it in park. It's possible, but you're not going to get much out of it...

To replace the carbon ring. and sorry I don't have pics, I get my skis ready next week, after the boat goes to the marina for summer and frees up some garage space!

I've never worked on an RX, but I've done work on every other 951 ski and some 787s.

Remove seat.
Remove whatever is in the way of getting to the Power Take Off PTO (rear of engine) usually a grey or white cover attached with white plastic wing nuts on each side, and maybe a zip tie on the top.

DON'T loose any hardware, and please put things back correctly. I've sent many ski to it's grave because someone couldn't be bothered or used non-stainless hardware...

I think I found a video that will work:

I didn't watch it all through, but be sure remove the clip before you remove the jet pump. Else you won't be able to push the shaft in enough to get the clip out.

I don't know if the carbon ring is your issue, but if you back the ski into water on the trailer, and run it on the trailer, you should be able to see if water is entering via this area.

 

[mikidymac]

Mikidymac: DI isn't carb It's the most complex and expensive to repair 951

.

Sorry got my threads confused. Yes, no carb on a DI, LOL

 

[KevinLamb]

Take it to a place that has a test tank. Call around.

 

[TheGrayt1]

So the carbon seal got replaced and that was the problem. Took the ski out yesterday and it ran great! Thanks guys!

The maint light kept coming on and beeping though. It has oil and gas so not sure if this just needs to be cleared from the computer. If so how do you do that?

 

[jhjesse]

When you take the ski out again while idling in the no wake zone, press and hold the reset button. If the light goes out then it was just a maintenance light. If it doesn’t reset then put a volt meter on the battery, start the ski and rev to 5000rpms. Voltage should read 14 to 14.5VDC. Any less or any more and you will need to replace the rectifier. OEM plug and play.