IF ceramic SC washers fail, how long until catastrophic engine failure?

[kmarts]

I've recently purchased a 2006 RXT 215 with roughly 165 hours on it.

First time i drove it there was a problem with top speed and overheating which turned out to be the ride plate.
Got a new one, Sealed it properly and it's been good to go. Top speed and RPM are reached.

Something that's been bothering me though... Guy i bought it from was less than honest with me. My fault for not demanding a water test but he outright lied to me when i asked specific questions about the ski. So at this point i can't believe much that he told me.

The SC has been rebuilt, he told me it failed and a shop rebuilt it. There's a service sticker on the ski indicating it was rebuilt.
What i don't know is if the ceramic washers were ever recovered.
I tried to ask the shop it was serviced at for history but they wouldn't give it to me.

So my question is if the old washers ended up in the oil pump, how long can the engine run before it goes boom?

After fixing the ride plate i took it out for maybe 30 minutes but then the potential issue with the SC washers dawned on me and it's been idle ever since.
I'm contemplating pulling the motor over the winter but wondering if I'm over-reacting.

 

[dcm0123]

Revised- If the supercharger did fail and leave pieces in the engine, not sure how long before it will effect the engine operation. There are two oil pressure ports- one under the intake with the oil pressure sensor in it. Another on the back of the head which you could connect a gauge to. The normal expected pressure for the head port is below.

I would also be concerned with the hollow stem valves Seadoo used prior to 2007. They are known to fail in less than 200 hours in super charged skis older than 2007 when the valve design was updated.
My 2005 RXT is apart now- failed at 175 hours. Had to do a complete engine tear down to replace the piston, rod and head. Luckily when the head broke off the valve it did not damage the block.

If you have the skills, you will save a lot of money and headaches by replacing the valves now. Many people are using aftermarket solid valves which are less costly than OEM. Since my head casting was ruined, I bought a complete used 2014 head and will use the OEM later design valves.

 

[kmarts]

Revised- If the supercharger did fail and leave pieces in the engine, not sure how long before it will effect the engine operation. There are two oil pressure ports- one under the intake with the oil pressure sensor in it. Another on the back of the head which you could connect a gauge to. The normal expected pressure for the head port is below.

I would also be concerned with the hollow stem valves Seadoo used prior to 2007. They are known to fail in less than 200 hours in super charged skis older than 2007 when the valve design was updated.
My 2005 RXT is apart now- failed at 175 hours. Had to do a complete engine tear down to replace the piston, rod and head. Luckily when the head broke off the valve it did not damage the block.

If you have the skills, you will save a lot of money and headaches by replacing the valves now. Many people are using aftermarket solid valves which are less costly than OEM. Since my head casting was ruined, I bought a complete used 2014 head and will use the OEM later design valves.

View attachment 63833

Thanks for this. I was planning on pulling the valve cover to see if I could observe the numbers stamped on the valves as they're on my radar as well...

Because I don't know the history there's a slim chance the valves were done but who knows. The engine lift eyes are worn so the motor has been pulled before, I just don't know what was done.

I'm really deciding how long I want to keep this ski bc if I do all this I'll likely hang onto it for a long time.

 

[ski-d00]

I've seen them fail after a few hours or last 100 hours. Really depends on how many chards are created and where they end up. If unsure, I'd at least pull the front oil pump which is where lots of the ceramic pieces end up in that screen. Buying an 04-07 where the seller says the sc was just rebuilt is a red flag.

I see very few dropped valves in the midwest. They definitely are more prominent in saltwater environments.

 

[dcm0123]

Mine was used in a salt water environment putting on about 20 hours per year.
At the end of the season I always change the oil and filter then heavily fogged the engine by putting a couple of ounces of Yamaha fogging oil in the hose between the SC and the throttle boy then running it for a few minutes. It did not help.

I read the exhaust valve typically fails on the #3 cylinder because it receives the least cooling. This is the one which failed about 30 minutes into the season..

 

[ODavis]

@kmarts Any update on your decision? I am in the same exact situation and also contemplating pulling the engine and cleaning it out. Still waiting for the SC to be returned. Going to pull both oil pumps and screens a nd clean then change the oils twice. Also going to flush with mineral oil first. Short of that, I think I still want to clean everything out, but unsure ...

 

[ODavis]

Also How do you tell about the hollow valves? The ends are sealed right?

 

[ski-d00]

Yes, sealed ends where they have a number which is how you tell. Lots of info on this, just do a search.

 

[ODavis]

Yes, sealed ends where they have a number which is how you tell. Lots of info on this, just do a search.

Thank you. Sorry for the noob question, but I just bought one and it seems I should have done my homework a little better then I did.

From another thread here:

'===================================
A bad valve will have a number that starts with 72
A good valve will have a number that starts with 75
'===================================

 

[kmarts]

@kmarts Any update on your decision? I am in the same exact situation and also contemplating pulling the engine and cleaning it out. Still waiting for the SC to be returned. Going to pull both oil pumps and screens a nd clean then change the oils twice. Also going to flush with mineral oil first. Short of that, I think I still want to clean everything out, but unsure ...

I think I'm going to pull it... I'd rather be certain than not.

The machine runs really good and I plan to keep it for a while so it makes sense to me.

 

[ODavis]

I think I'm going to pull it... I'd rather be certain than not.

The machine runs really good and I plan to keep it for a while so it makes sense to me.

That is what I deduced as well. Going to pull the engine replace the valves and clean it out. Great running machine as you said. Mine is a Challenger 180. Totally worth the effort.