New Owner of 2002 Utopia 205 (250 Optimax)

[Mmitchum]

I had been looking for a while and finally found (what I hope is a) pretty good deal. Original owner, professionally winterized yearly, and seemingly well cared for. Brought her home tonight and I'm very happy - even fit in my garage, which I had my doubts about! Tomorrow my OCD will kick in and I will begin the journey of making it as clean and mechanically sound as possible.

I'm fairly technically capable and would like to perform as much of any necessary maintenance myself. It came with no manuals, but I have gotten my hands on the service manual.

* Is there anything quirky about these boats/engines that i should know about?

* Should I be worried about the intake grate? (Do I have the dreaded hydrosurge?)

* What maintenance should I perform? (fluids, filters, plugs, etc.?)

* Any highly recommended modifications or upgrades?

Thanks in advance for any help!
-Mitch

 

[Racereddie]

* Is there anything quirky about these boats/engines that i should know about?

* Should I be worried about the intake grate? (Do I have the dreaded hydrosurge?)

* What maintenance should I perform? (fluids, filters, plugs, etc.?)

* Any highly recommended modifications or upgrades?

Thanks in advance for any help!
-Mitch

The Quicksilver Premium Plus is the 2 stroke oil to use on these boats. Change the jet pump and stator oil, oil pump at Walmart (6.96) will screw into the drain/fill holes, check e-bay for plugs prices they are pretty good. Clean your battery terminals.

Always connect hose, turn on water, turn engine on, don't run over idle speed or 1000 rpm (testing of low speed steering)

If you can push your hand into the grate because it is spring loaded you have the hydrosurge.

Depth Sounder was a great plus as a modification for me.

Eddie

 

[Mmitchum]

Thanks for the reply. I had read conflicting reports on whether to turn the water on first or start the engine first-- thanks for clearing it up.

What depth sounder did you go with? I'm considering the Lowrance M68c on recommendations from a friend, but I'm hesitant about the hull mounted transducer. I think it would be a good size and the GPS is a bonus.

Sadly, I do have the hydrosurge.

 

[Racereddie]

Thanks for the reply. I had read conflicting reports on whether to turn the water on first or start the engine first-- thanks for clearing it up.

What depth sounder did you go with? I'm considering the Lowrance M68c on recommendations from a friend, but I'm hesitant about the hull mounted transducer. I think it would be a good size and the GPS is a bonus.

Sadly, I do have the hydrosurge.

The water issue is the difference between the Mercury 2 Stroke and the Rotax 2-stroke. The Mercury is a self drain engine. You can run the hose without the engine, the manual states 10 minutes to flush.

The links below will take you to the Hawkeye that I installed the 2nd link has some pictures of the transducer inside the hull and infront of the jet pump. The gauge, I put that just to the right of the switch on the helm console, just below the cup holder. I also installed an on/off switch so I could turn it on after I got the boat away from the pier or turn it off when the engine was off.(I am weary of batteries):willy_nilly:

I have a hand held GPS so it can move with me to another boat if I so choose.

http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?40484-Hawkeye-Dept-Finder-D10D


http://www.seadooforum.com/showthre...e-to-transom-mount-transducer-for-fish-finder

Eddie

 

[biffdotorg]

The Quicksilver Premium Plus is the 2 stroke oil to use on these boats. Change the jet pump and stator oil, oil pump at Walmart (6.96) will screw into the drain/fill holes, check e-bay for plugs prices they are pretty good. Clean your battery terminals.

Always connect hose, turn on water, turn engine on, don't run over idle speed or 1000 rpm (testing of low speed steering)

If you can push your hand into the grate because it is spring loaded you have the hydrosurge.

Depth Sounder was a great plus as a modification for me.

Eddie

I could be very wrong on this, but contact a SeaDoo or Merc dealer to be sure. We run the Quicksilver Premium Plus in the 240 EFI engine, but the Optimax is a direct injection engine and I was thinking there was a DDFI Oil to use.

On that note, Quicksilver lists this on their packaging, so you should be OK:

Blended with the highest-quality ashless dispersants, this advanced synthetic-blend formula maintains peak performance under strenuous conditions, such as continuous high speed and heavy loads. This TC-W3 certified oil burns cleaner, maximizes performance, and is strong enough for high-horsepower outboard engines such as Mercury OptiMax and other direct fuel-injected (DFI) engines. Recommended for use in liquid-cooled, 2-cycle engines with oil injection systems or for premix which require a TC-W3 oil.

 

[Racereddie]

I could be very wrong on this, but contact a SeaDoo or Merc dealer to be sure. We run the Quicksilver Premium Plus in the 240 EFI engine, but the Optimax is a direct injection engine and I was thinking there was a DDFI Oil to use.

On that note, Quicksilver lists this on their packaging, so you should be OK:

Blended with the highest-quality ashless dispersants, this advanced synthetic-blend formula maintains peak performance under strenuous conditions, such as continuous high speed and heavy loads. This TC-W3 certified oil burns cleaner, maximizes performance, and is strong enough for high-horsepower outboard engines such as Mercury OptiMax and other direct fuel-injected (DFI) engines. Recommended for use in liquid-cooled, 2-cycle engines with oil injection systems or for premix which require a TC-W3 oil.

From page 1 sect 1b "Maintenance" of the 2002 Mercury 250 Optimax Jet Drive Service Manual it list the following table

FUEL................Fuel............................Gasoline with Oil Injection
SYSTEM...........Recommended Gasoline...Unleaded 87 Octane Minimum
......................Recommended Oil...........Optimax/DFI 2-Cycle Outboard Oil or
........................................................TC-W3 Premium Plus 2 Cycle Outboard Oil

So you are right there is a DFI oil but the Premium Plus is also a choice and more readily available.

Eddie

 

[biffdotorg]

Is that octane rating the same on both engines too? I was surprised to see that as most of my performance 2-strokes and bikes recommend 91, but they don't require it as my sleds are equipped with knock sensors.

 

[biffdotorg]

I found my 240efi engine manual, and it states the same thing:

SYSTEM
Fuel
Recommended Gasoline
Recommended Oil
Gasoline/Oil Ratio
– @ Idle
– @ WOT
Gasoline w/Oil Injection
Unleaded 87 Octane Minimum
TC-W3 Premium Plus
2 Cycle Outboard Oil
125:1
40:1

 

[Double07]

Congratulations on your purchase!

I have the 200 optimax, and I run the DFI oil. works well.
I also intalled a Lowrance GPS/fish finder with in-hull mounted transducer. I followed Eddie's recommendation on placement, and it Works well.
There are 2 service manuals for the boat that I am aware of: One Seadoo manual for the boat, and another Mercury manual for the motor. I am not sure which one you have, but I recommend you get the mercury optimax manual if you dont have it already, its very useful.
Keep your batteries charged. The motor is sensitive to battery voltage.

On the upgrades, if you have the funds, I would recommend a Hydro Turf. The HT makes the Utopia reaaaly look good, and it provides good traction for moving around the boat without slipping.
Have fun!

-Chika

 

[Mmitchum]

Have take the Utopia out twice last weekend. Aside from a trailer tire snapping a belt (trailer sat for long time as boat was kept on lift) all went well. Picked up 2 new tires and rims, saved the old one for a spare.

Some quirks that I noticed:

* Idle steering assist (throttle up) does not work to starboard

* Steering is much tighter in left turns - right turns harder, have to crank the wheel (related to steering assist issue?

* There are 5-6 loose wires coming off the top starboard side of the engine. The connectors are covered and obviously plug into something, but it concerns me.

Ordered my depth sounder and HydroTurf today... Can't wait to get it installed. Stator and drive fluid change very soon, along with seafoam treatment, new plugs and possible new wires.

Thanks for your responses.

 

[Double07]

The steering assist works for me on both sides of the turn (though I dont like when it comes on). yours might need some adjustment.
On the loose wires, there are actually some wires that are intentionally left unconnected on the starboard side. The wiring diagram on my manual specifies about 3 wires that are not connected (these wires are capped off).

 

[Racereddie]

Have take the Utopia out twice last weekend.
Some quirks that I noticed:

* Idle steering assist (throttle up) does not work to starboard

* Steering is much tighter in left turns - right turns harder, have to crank the wheel (related to steering assist issue?


Thanks for your responses.

The low speed steering should only work with the throttle at idle or SLIGHTLY forward, all it does is boost RPM from 1000 to 2000 rpms, it is not a factor once you get on the gas.

Adjustment is behind the helm console. Depending on the year you have a mechanical system or a system that works with two magnets. To get behind the console, besides the screws on the console the back cushion in the bowrider area can be lifted up and there is an access opening that helps in unbolting the console cover.

Eddie

 

[Mmitchum]

Thanks for the replies... I need to get into the console to mount a Hawkeye D10D depth sounder anyway, will look at the steering mechanism then.

Today was only the 3rd time I've taken the boat out and had a rough start... Literally. On the previous 2 outings she started up within 3-5 seconds, but not today. I tried for about 5 minutes with no luck (turning over, catches for a moment then nothing) until friendly guy with a pontoon comes over with a can of starting fluid. He sprays it in the intake and it starts 1st try. Is this normal for an Optimax? Should I keep a can on hand? Should I be concerned that there is an underlying problem?

This posting is turning into my Utopia experience diary it seems... Always more questions. Thanks for listening.

 

[biffdotorg]

Starting fluid should never be the norm. I do remind myself to give the 2-Click key start when it's cold though. In other words, turn the key one click, wait for the tones, then second click to start. Someone more technical can tell you what it is actually doing, but I do the same on my fuel injected snowmobile and motorcycle. I do believe it is letting the fuel pumps cycle and prime themselves.

I have noticed on a cold FI engine, that this is a bit more of an important step than people make of it. Once warm, most can just fire right up. My 240efi fires everytime when cold using this method and no starting fluid.

Of course that is true as long as I (or my wife) remembers the kill lanyard. It will crank without that in place. If you don't get that thing to fire up in the first 5 seconds of cranking, try reseating that lanyard. This should not have been your problem if you got it started with fluid.

 

[Mmitchum]

I must have reseated that lanyard about 5 times I really thought I was just doing something wrong, or missing a step.

I'm going to make some time to change out the plugs, and as many of the (4?) fuel filters that I can find. (Maybe I'm a rock, but it's not easy, even with the service manual.)

Good advice on slowing down the key clicks. In my old Jeep, the fuel pump would cut on (priming?) and I would have to wait about 3 secs before starting. I'm still going to pick up a can of starting fluid... it saved our day on the lake from becoming a day of yard work!