Intake Grate Bolt Missing

[scspeedster]

I noticed today that one of the bolts holding the intake grate is missing. Any advice on how to fix it? Also, I noticed what looks like a fiberglass patch just above where the pump shaft enters the boat. Is this normal? Thanks in advance

 

[hfgreg]

For the bolt just goto Ace and get a stainless steel one to replace the old one.

 

[scspeedster]

The bolt head is missing so I'm not sure the best way to get it out.

 

[hfgreg]

Remove the grate and see if you can get a hold of the remaining piece with a pair of pliers.

 

[JPass]

You may have to drill the old bolt out. Get the grate and sealant off and show us what's left of the broken bolt.

 

[scspeedster]

Anyone have a picture of their intake grate? I am trying to figure out if this came this way from the factory or if it's a DIY repair. The fiberglass patch right behind the drive shaft has me worried.

 

[rcguy]

Anyone have a picture of their intake grate? I am trying to figure out if this came this way from the factory or if it's a DIY repair. The fiberglass patch right behind the drive shaft has me worried.

Sure doesn't look factory. Looks like the sloppy repair was done with either Marine-Tex or 5200.

 

[scspeedster]

Thanks for the responses! If I had to guess, the previous owner must have had something stuck in the intake and sheared the bolt trying to remove the grate. The manual shows a washer and nut on the inside of the hull (for the front 2 bolts). That would make this much more difficult to fix. The service manual doesn't go into depth on removing the intake only that the bolts need to heated in order to release the red loctite.

 

[scspeedster]

Anyone happen to know the bolt used to retain the intake? I think it's a M8 x 40.

 

[JPass]

Anyone happen to know the bolt used to retain the intake? I think it's a M8 x 40.

Being that I don't know what year your boat is, I'm going to suggest you click the giant blue link in the upper right hand corner of this page called "sea doo parts" then find your model and look at the external pump section. Bolt size will be in the part number description.

 

[scspeedster]

Thank you JPass!!! My boat is a 2011 Challenger 180. l found the bolt and it is a M8 x 40. Once I get the bolts off, will the old silicone come off easily?

 

[JPass]

Thank you JPass!!! My boat is a 2011 Challenger 180. l found the bolt and it is a M8 x 40. Once I get the bolts off, will the old silicone come off easily?

Once you remove the bolts, you can try to use some fishing line to "saw" through the adhesive. A heat gun will help to soften the adhesive as well. Wooden wedges can also help add some needed pressure to help separate the grate from the adhesive without damaging the hull. Take your time as some adhesives will take the gelcoat off with it if you force it.

 

[scspeedster]

Being mechanically inclined, I'd like to think I could do this work on my own. On the other hand, I see the potential to do more damage to the boat if I make a mistake. Is this something better left to an expert? If so, how much would it cost to have this done?

 

[Chester]

Whoever had that intake grate off last forgot to remove the nut from the inside of the hull and then broke the bolt. That broken bolt should be very easy to remove from inside the hull as it will come out with the nut still atached.

Chester

 

[scspeedster]

Thanks Chester....it looks like the nuts are right under the super charger. I am thinking that this needs to be removed as the first step. I contacted a couple of repair shops and they both told me the bolts would need to extracted or drilled out.

 

[scspeedster]

The manual says to use BRP Heavy Duty Cleaner to remove the old gasket. Would this also work on Marine Tex / 5200 or is there a better product out there?

 

[scspeedster]

Just an update, I was able to remove the super charger today. I located the 2 nuts that hold the intake grate and peeled off the silicone. The next step will be to remove the nuts and then the bolts. I purchased a product called "Debond" to help remove the 5200.

 

[scspeedster]

Here's a picture

 

[scspeedster]

Another update, I removed the 3 rear bolts and the one front holding the intake on. Next, I very slowly peeled the intake away from the hull. After scraping and cleaning, I was relieved to see no damage to the Gelcoat. There was not enough thread sticking out from the broken bolt below so I put a cap nut on the topside and drove the stud down. Then, I put some channel locks on and removed the bolt. Now, I just need to put it all back together :thumbsup:

 

[gb387]

Sounds like it wasn't to bad... Could have been a bigger problem!!!!

 

[Nosnibor]

Thanks for the updates. You've done more than I would have been able to figure out. That sure seems like a lot of "black stuff" around your intake grate. I haven't noticed anything like that around mine. I'm assuming it was something someone added?

 

[scspeedster]

I finally finished the intake today! I ended up purchasing a new grate because the old one took a beating when I tried to clean it. Also, I got all new Bumax stainless hardware from McMaster. I used blue Loctite on the rear bolts and none on the front. The service manual says to use red on all bolts but I think this is overkill and besides the front stock bolts had none when they were removed. All bolts were torqued to spec but I couldn't get my torque wrench on the nuts in the hull and ended up just snugging them. Finally, covered the hardware on the inside with gobs of silicone. Thanks everyone for your help with this project! This was not easy but I'm glad it's finished.

 

[briancayko]

I am looking @ removing my intake grate & am not sure where to look for the nuts on the inside of the engine compartment. I have twin 155’s in a 2010 210 challenger so I do not have a super charger to know where that would be in relation to how you said yours were under it. Any chance to get a few pics of the entire compartment & pointing @ where these nuts should be?
My problem is that the front two are screws with philips heads & they are stripped out. I don’t know if that is factory or someone else’s work but it seems like philips head screws is an awful choice of fastner.
Thanks in advance.

 

[cirrhosis]

I am looking @ removing my intake grate & am not sure where to look for the nuts on the inside of the engine compartment. I have twin 155’s in a 2010 210 challenger so I do not have a super charger to know where that would be in relation to how you said yours were under it. Any chance to get a few pics of the entire compartment & pointing @ where these nuts should be?
My problem is that the front two are screws with philips heads & they are stripped out. I don’t know if that is factory or someone else’s work but it seems like philips head screws is an awful choice of fastner.
Thanks in advance.

I just replaced my grate and ride plate on my 255 -2010. I also needed to remove SC to get at nuts on inside of hull. In order to avoid this in future I left the nuts off and used a little medium loctite instead to make grate removal easier. If you have philips heads maybe the installer did the same and left the nuts off?
Don’t forget to use 3M sealant as it bonds way way better than silicone to seal your bolt holes (7 day cure)