Just bought my first Seadoo - a 2000 Challenger 1800 with Merc M2 Jet Drive

[KCourville]

Lots of great info found here already, but I have a few questions:

First time out on the water today and the continuous alarm went off. I checked the oil level thinking this was it and it seemed low so I went to the nearest marina and filled it up, but stupid me, I filled it right up to the top...do I have anything to worry about here with it being overfilled?

Secondly, this didn't solve the alarm issue. The alarm would come on after about 5-10 minutes of operation. I'd shut the engine off and re-start...no alarm for a few minutes and the cycle repeated. So I've now learned the continuous beep is not the oil warning but either a fuel warning (I have about 1/3 of a tank or more) or overheat issue. But the engine doesn't feel too hot to the touch. Perhaps just a flush will do it? I assume the flush can be done while the boat's in the water?

Or could it also be the fuel-water separator filter needs replacement?

Also, the boat seems to porpoise quite a lot and pulls to the left at higher speeds. I've already reached out to aquaman to see about his custom ride plate so hopefully that will solve that problem!!

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Best rgds,
Keith

 

[Dr Honda]

Welcome.


I guess I would start with saying... you should study the owners manual a little. If you didn't get it with the boat, you should be able to download it from Seadoo's web site. Also... get your hands on the Mercury manual for your boat. (it will help too)


Anyway... a steady sound is Over temp. Needless to say... this is bad for the engine. Did you check the pee hole for water while the engine is running? I guess I would start with a good flush, and make sure water is coming out the jet pump. (the water pick-up) Then, pull the hoses off the engine... and blow though them, to make sure it's not plugged up.

The issue could be as bad as, the entire engine is plugged up... but it could be as simple as, there was just something plugging the intake.


Filling the oil to the top is fine. I normally don't put in too much oil at a time, just because, if there is a problem... you have a lot of oil to deal with. (or down in the bilge)


FYI... for low oil, or water in the fuel... you will get an intermittent beep. AND... the oil level sender is in the header tank on the engine. SO... top topping off the main tank may not turn off that alarm. You have to make sure to re-fill the header.

 

[KCourville]

Thanks Tony!

I ran the boat for at least an hour or two today before the alarm came on again. There's definitely water coming out the pee hole while running. I also ran a garden hose through the flush connection for about 10 minutes and water was coming through fine.

Didn't seem to work as the alarm came on within about two minutes after doing that.

I'll try pulling the water lines off as you suggested to see if anything is blocked.

Is it possible the temp sensor is faulty?

 

[Dr Honda]

Sure... the sender could be bad. It will be the one on the starboard side head.

 

[KCourville]

Thanks. Is there a way to test it or do you need to replace it to find out?

 

[Dr Honda]

There's a spec in the manual for that sender. (don't have mine handy at the moment)

 

[KCourville]

Thanks again Tony. I was doing some reading and the alarm that is going off is a continuous tone (not a beep beep beep) and it can be turned off by pressing the orange switch ("Low Fuel Warning System Switch"). My understanding is an overheat alarm cannot be turned off. Anyhow, my tank is well over half full so is it possible the fuel sender is shot?

 

[Dr Honda]

Right...


So... if it goes quiet when you push the button... it thinks the fuel is low. I would pull the sender first before assuming it's bad. Something may be stuck, or the magnets may have come off the float.

 

[KCourville]

Thanks Doc. So looks like if I keep the tank at least half full, the alarm never goes off, so the issue must be with the sender. I'll pull it out and see if the magnet dropped off as you said.

The other issue I'm having is the engine seems to be running quite rich. I get a lot of smoke on start up (more than what should be normal for a two stroke). I've adjusted the screws on the carb as shown in the manual to turn them a bit clockwise to lean it out a bit. Seems to have done the trick as I have less smoke on start up now. However, when I'm running slow, there's a strong fuel smell, in fact so bad that the last time we went down the river at low speed our clothes smelled like fuel the next day.

Does all of this sound normal? Or is something going on here?

Also, I'm not getting a beep on start-up which could mean the TKS module is faulty, could that be causing these symptoms?

Thanks again, You've been an awesome help so far.

 

[KCourville]

OK. So I'm about to do the plugs. I have the Bu8h that it calls for in the manual but the sticker on the motor says it calls for b8zhs-10. Odd

Here's a pic one of the plugs.

 

[Dr Honda]

Use the plug listed on the engine sticker.


OK........


1) Smoke on start up... that's 100% normal with these engines. When mine is "Cold"... it's fog behind the boat. But, once warm, and with the throttle up some... it's very clean. Before you lean out the carbs trying to clear up the smoke... make sure that the oil pump is adjusted properly. At idle... there's a couple marks. They just need to be lined up.

2) Fuel Stink: That's not normal. At least to the point you are describing. It's a 2-stroke, so there is some stink... but not enough to put that sent on you. Since you have a carb engine... I would suspect that your enriching valve is leaking. That will cause it to run CRAZY rich.

BUT....

Your plugs look rough. You may not be firing, and getting a clean burn. So, put in the fresh set, and see if that helps.

3) Beeps: The buzzer is dead. It's very normal, and need replaced since it's your alarm. There is actually 2 buzzers in your boat. One in the helm, and one that is in the wires. You need to check both, and replace as needed.

 

[KCourville]

Sweet! Kind of weird the manual would call for one plug and the sticker another, but I now have the right plugs ($12 each..crazy) and will drop them in. Hopefully I won't have to do the enrichment valve. I'll run the test as shown in the manual if the fuel smell is still bad.

I'll look for the dead buzzer and replace it.

Another question which is unrelated to everything so far. I noticed my bow nav lights weren't working (stern is good). So I pulled the lights off the bow and figures, the wires weren't connected to anything, but I can't for the life of me find an access panel to get into the bow for the fallen wires. Is there something I'm missing here? Or do I just have to do trial and error to "fish" the dropped wires?

 

[Dr Honda]

Unfortunately... no. Seadoo made a few things impossible.

With that said...

I would start with pulling up a close cup holder (if there is one) and take a look in. They are generally big enough to get your arm in. The second step is to pull a front seat back... and cut a hole. (if there isn't one already)

 

[KCourville]

Okay, got the lights and warning buzzer fixed and changed the plugs. It seems I still have some smoke after the engine is warmed up which seems odd so I think your assessment on the enrichment valve may be correct.

HOWEVER, that is now the least of my problems. When I was out yesterday I had a fairly weird occurrence after being on the boat about 2 hours. When I pushed forward on the throttle the engine would rev up to 7,000 RPM (which I know is way high for this engine), however, the speed was only 25-30 mph, which is slow. This happened several times but I was able to nurse the boat back to my dock, but on the way back, the issue seemed to resolve itself as it went back to normal operation, which was about half hour after it first occurred.

I don't have a tool to measure the head temperature, but it was extremely hot to the touch, so much so, I could only keep my hand on it for a second.

EDIT: After doing some research, I now realize this is a cavitation issue. I recently installed the extended ride plate and it only started happening after I did this. Could it be I did something incorrect on the install such as not sealing something?

 

[Dr Honda]

You could have just picked up a hunk of junk from the water. On that boat... I doubt the ride plate would have caused an issue.

 

[KCourville]

Thanks Tony. I think you're right because I had the boat out yesterday for 1/2 hour without issues.