Helpppp! Cruising at 30+ mph and Engine Dies!

[Mike Brown]

Hello everyone!

So about two months ago I bought a 2006 Challenger with 55 hours on it!

I bought it off an original owner... We both live here in Florida... The owner told me that he had the Supercharger rebuilt because of the ceramic washers, this was 2008-2009... Well yesterday my friends and I took a 45 min cruise on the intracoastal from Boynton Beach, FL to Peanut Island and about 5 mins from Peanut Island while cruising at 7000 RPM we heard a thud and the motor just stopped... Almost sounded like something got sucked into the jet pump... This isnt the case, I checked it and its clear... Also the motor doesnt turn over at all... Its locked up... I also saw that the coolent tank i completely empty it was full before... The cooent is now laying at the bottom of the engine compartment... During the cruise never had any alarms or anything... It was just at Riva motorsports a month ago getting a new voltage regulator and throttle body installed... They said everything else looked great for the year of the boat!

What do you guys think it is? I really hope its not the super charger because im sure cruising at that speed the engine is not gone!

 

[bajaman123]

Anything obvious, like holes in the engine with a piston sticking out?

 

[pete63]

i have had a coolant sensor let go, coolant everywhere! but the buzzer went off and was able restart. you the fault code read, can you read the fault codes on the 06? otherwise you need either an candoo or dealership to get codes to trouble shoot.

 

[Mudnman]

On an 06 you need a candoo to get codes.I just opened up my SC and told my mechanic friend it didn't have ceramic washers.So I thought it mush have been rebuilt before I bought boat.He said 06 never had ceramic washers.
You could shine a light in spark plug holes for any signs of damage .
Pull SC and see if its all together,another easy thing to do.
Was the thud you heard after motor quit,maybe boat made that thud from coming from plane all of a sudden?
I'd get it hooked up to a candoo and check that new regulator.

 

[Mike Brown]

Hey Hey... Nothing obvious like that... I was actually shocked when I saw the coolant tank empty... Im pretty technical, but not really when it comes to seadoo boats... Kinda frustrating because Ive used it about 6 hours since I bought it and Ive spent some decent $$$ putting some nice upgrades on it getting ready for summer... Nothing to the motor except for the new throttle body because the other one was pretty gunked up... Just weird that the motor wont turn over... I was going to take it miamijetskishop.com in Miami since they are a lot cheaper than the dealer for service... 50% of the price

 

[Mike Brown]

On an 06 you need a candoo to get codes.I just opened up my SC and told my mechanic friend it didn't have ceramic washers.So I thought it mush have been rebuilt before I bought boat.He said 06 never had ceramic washers.
You could shine a light in spark plug holes for any signs of damage .
Pull SC and see if its all together,another easy thing to do.
Was the thud you heard after motor quit,maybe boat made that thud from coming from plane all of a sudden?
I'd get it hooked up to a candoo and check that new regulator.

I forgot to mention while i was getting towed back that I was playing the stereo and all electric works on the boat... Seems like the starter also works... I tried to start it a couple times and it just sounds like the starter cant turn the engine... The thud did sound like it came from the engine compartment or under the boat but we were playing the radio loud so it might have been pretty loud but it was lessed by the cruising speed and the loud radio... I do plan on taking the supercharger off and also pulling the spark plugs

 

[devonte007]

Based on how you described what happened, it sounds like something let go internally, which may mean the engine is toast. I am no expert on these engines, but there are a few things I read about often with your vintage engine:

The supercharger could have let go, 2009 is way out of spec to have them rebuilt. Normal recommendation is 200hrs or 2 years. You can check the SC by taking intake off and trying to spin it by hand, if it spins or moves easily that is bad.

I know that there were some recalls on timing chains for some of the older SC engines. Not sure about the dates, but if the chain let go that is also bad news. You could take the valve cover off to investigate if you still have a timing chain attached.

The only other thing I can think of is exhaust valves. The older engines had hollow valves and they tended to corrode over time right at the neck. If one of those came off while your were running, not good.

Hopefully one of the members with more knowledge than me will chime in to help dispel/confirm these suspicions. I bet if you take the spark plugs out, it will tell you a bit of what happened. Since the engine will not turn over, I suspect it is seized up. The fact that it lost coolant too, is not good. If there is no busted hose, it came out of the engine somewhere it is not supposed to.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, never a good day to have a blown motor; especially one with such low hours. I am curious to hear about what actually happened though. When you find out, please post back.

 

[Mike Brown]

Based on how you described what happened, it sounds like something let go internally, which may mean the engine is toast. I am no expert on these engines, but there are a few things I read about often with your vintage engine:

The supercharger could have let go, 2009 is way out of spec to have them rebuilt. Normal recommendation is 200hrs or 2 years. You can check the SC by taking intake off and trying to spin it by hand, if it spins or moves easily that is bad.

I know that there were some recalls on timing chains for some of the older SC engines. Not sure about the dates, but if the chain let go that is also bad news. You could take the valve cover off to investigate if you still have a timing chain attached.

The only other thing I can think of is exhaust valves. The older engines had hollow valves and they tended to corrode over time right at the neck. If one of those came off while your were running, not good.

Hopefully one of the members with more knowledge than me will chime in to help dispel/confirm these suspicions. I bet if you take the spark plugs out, it will tell you a bit of what happened. Since the engine will not turn over, I suspect it is seized up. The fact that it lost coolant too, is not good. If there is no busted hose, it came out of the engine somewhere it is not supposed to.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, never a good day to have a blown motor; especially one with such low hours. I am curious to hear about what actually happened though. When you find out, please post back.

Thanks for the reply... A part of me wishes I just bought a center console instead now.. LOL, but hey that's just how the cookie crumbles with an older boat... Thankfully i have a very nice 2009 RXP-X sitting in the garage that has lots of RIVA upgrades installed by them... Ive hit 74 mph on it... I'm about to sell it, that will offset the cost of it a bit... I'm reading the service manual online and it says there's a small coolant reservoir for the supercharger somewhere around it... So that doesn't seem good for the SC... My plan is to get it looked at this week and know exactly what is going on with it!

Ill definitely keep you all posted to what the problem is!

 

[Mudnman]

Hey did you get under the boat with a light to see impeller for anything jamd way in there?
It could have sliced it (stick) off on one side but still there but not in sight.
Another thing you could do,pull pump off to see if its froze.Seen a towel jammed under drive shaft to hold it or a piece of wood to hold up n centered.
My pump is off and no grease is on the bearing ,probably not in a long time.

 

[pete63]

Based on how you described what happened, it sounds like something let go internally, which may mean the engine is toast. I am no expert on these engines, but there are a few things I read about often with your vintage engine:

The supercharger could have let go, 2009 is way out of spec to have them rebuilt. Normal recommendation is 200hrs or 2 years. You can check the SC by taking intake off and trying to spin it by hand, if it spins or moves easily that is bad.

I know that there were some recalls on timing chains for some of the older SC engines. Not sure about the dates, but if the chain let go that is also bad news. You could take the valve cover off to investigate if you still have a timing chain attached.

The only other thing I can think of is exhaust valves. The older engines had hollow valves and they tended to corrode over time right at the neck. If one of those came off while your were running, not good.

Hopefully one of the members with more knowledge than me will chime in to help dispel/confirm these suspicions. I bet if you take the spark plugs out, it will tell you a bit of what happened. Since the engine will not turn over, I suspect it is seized up. The fact that it lost coolant too, is not good. If there is no busted hose, it came out of the engine somewhere it is not supposed to.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, never a good day to have a blown motor; especially one with such low hours. I am curious to hear about what actually happened though. When you find out, please post back.

yeah all true

 

[pete63]

Hey did you get under the boat with a light to see impeller for anything jamd way in there?
It could have sliced it (stick) off on one side but still there but not in sight.
Another thing you could do,pull pump off to see if its froze.Seen a towel jammed under drive shaft to hold it or a piece of wood to hold up n centered.
My pump is off and no grease is on the bearing ,probably not in a long time.

good one mudnman, common sense first! worth checking out

 

[Mike Brown]

Hey did you get under the boat with a light to see impeller for anything jamd way in there?
It could have sliced it (stick) off on one side but still there but not in sight.
Another thing you could do,pull pump off to see if its froze.Seen a towel jammed under drive shaft to hold it or a piece of wood to hold up n centered.
My pump is off and no grease is on the bearing ,probably not in a long time.

Yes, got it towed back to the marina and the first thing I did after they pulled it out of the water was inspect to make sure I didn't suck anything that could jammed the impeller... Didn't see anything... Although I didn't notice how rough of shape the impeller was in, multiple dings and dents and just not looking too pleasant... Definitely not optimal condition and is going to need to be replaced after I get everything else fixed!


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[ocod]

Hey Hey... Nothing obvious like that... I was actually shocked when I saw the coolant tank empty... Im pretty technical, but not really when it comes to seadoo boats... Kinda frustrating because Ive used it about 6 hours since I bought it and Ive spent some decent $$$ putting some nice upgrades on it getting ready for summer... Nothing to the motor except for the new throttle body because the other one was pretty gunked up... Just weird that the motor wont turn over... I was going to take it miamijetskishop.com in Miami since they are a lot cheaper than the dealer for service... 50% of the price

Ruben at WSR in hialeah is pretty good.
Do as much as you can with disassembly / assembly to save you time and money.

7700 WEST 24TH AVENUE, BAY NO. 9, HIALEAH, FL, 33016

 

[Mike Brown]

I can't find any contact info for WSR online... Have a phone number or a website?


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[Coastiejoe]

It is likely NOT your issue, but you should pull the pump to make sure it is not seized. If you pull the pump and the engine does not crank, then I am with the others in that you have an internal issue.

 

[ocod]

I can't find any contact info for WSR online... Have a phone number or a website?


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No website.
305-822-9919
Just two older hispanic guys with machine shop that work on ski's inside a warehouse.
I think he charges ~85/hr.

He'll tell you just to bring it. It's just as hard to figure out whats wrong over the phone.
Best bet is drive by shop and meet him.
Are you in Hialeah area or live down south near JS of Miami

 

[Mike Brown]

I'm gonna try miamijetskishop.com first... They charge $80 and hr... Must do something right because they've been around forever


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[ocod]

I'm gonna try miamijetskishop.com first... They charge $80 and hr... Must do something right because they've been around forever


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They are more dealer than repair and have been around. Just look at craigslist.
They are just way too far South for me unless you live in Kendall.

Which Riva were you at? The one on 441.
I rather pay dealers $80+ shop rate at that point for what its worth VS driving that far south.

 

[Mike Brown]

Rivamotorsports in Deerfield on federal... They're shop rate is $130 an/hr... Just way to high


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[ocod]

ouch!

I had my quad at Yamaha/Seadoo on 441 and their shop rate was ~85.
I guess watercraft is different.
You can try calling tomorrow
786-369-4803

Are you near Miami?
I have engine hoist if it comes to having to take engine out.

 

[Mike Brown]

I'm not really close to Miami... I live in Palm Beach County in Boynton Beach... Hopefully I don't have to pull the motor! [emoji24][emoji24][emoji24]


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[ocod]

Wow and you want to drive to JS of Miami
:ack:

Try giving them a call.
He's been around online for a while and a little closer
http://www.extreemthrottle.com

 

[Coastiejoe]

Excuse the interruption and going off topic... [MENTION=33508]ocod[/MENTION], I am off on Tues and Wends if you want to go riding...

 

[Mike Brown]

Excuse the interruption and going off topic... [MENTION=33508]ocod[/MENTION], I am off on Tues and Wends if you want to go riding...

Where do you guys live and go riding? I also have an 09 SeaDoo RXP-X and haven't taken it out in awhile!


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[ocod]

Excuse the interruption and going off topic... @ocod, I am off on Tues and Wends if you want to go riding...

For this month?

My schedule is usually Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday but have Thursday afternoon and usually
every other Friday to Friday afternoons or Sunday to go.