RESTO Project Dog House: 1996 Challenger

[Guest_User]

Hmmm. Interesting that the stock SeaDoo filter housing is plastic.
I'll have to think more about options here, and see how it does with the cleaned stock filter.


Since getting the GTX and the Challenger I've found myself using my Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping option MUCH more. Even stuff that I'd normally buy at Walmart, i can usually get it cheaper via Amazon, and it is often at my house the next day... although sometimes it takes the whole 2 days to arrive. So, the concept of "locally" is getting less relevant for me, as it is usually quicker for me to order via Amazon than to find time to drive to a local merchant.
And to think that I really only signed up for Amazon Prime to get access to their free streaming video library.



I have something similar for home, but need a solar charger since I'm likely to keep the boat on the trailer at the marina during the summer, and I won't have an outlet nearby to plug into.

Thanks again for the feedback.

ah man, I`m batting a 000...
plastic OEM is different, it`s approved. replacing an OEM item also needs to be approved and when you move to the aftermarket, there are specific requirements and use for USCG etc etc...
I could have saved money with the plastic bowls, but chose to use the ones for under the deck...

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

I'd be careful charging the battery with solar. Somewhere I heard that you can't do that to just any ol' battery. Do a bit more research to make sure it'll be okay.

 

[rjcress]

ah man, I`m batting a 000...
...

But you get an A for effort.
Seriously. You've been awesome at providing feedback and guidance.

 

[Guest_User]

but you get an A for effort.

:lols::cheers: Thanks!

 

[rjcress]

Sadly, the weather didn't cooperate and I wasn't able to get the boat out Sunday for more testing. I need to go unwinterize the big boat this weekend (it is 2 hours away), but have a TaeKwonDo demo and test on Saturday... so I won't be able to leave for the lake until early evening. I may pull the jet boat with me and plan on getting it out for a few hours after I've got the essentials done on the big boat.
So many toys/interests, so little time.

 

[Guest_User]

Sadly, the weather didn't cooperate and I wasn't able to get the boat out Sunday for more testing. I need to go unwinterize the big boat this weekend (it is 2 hours away), but have a TaeKwonDo demo and test on Saturday... so I won't be able to leave for the lake until early evening. I may pull the jet boat with me and plan on getting it out for a few hours after I've got the essentials done on the big boat.
So many toys/interests, so little time.

same here, they are calling for rain for the next 3 days, oooof... maybe I`ll mix up some fuel and get ready for when it`s clear...

 

[rjcress]

I'd be careful charging the battery with solar. Somewhere I heard that you can't do that to just any ol' battery. Do a bit more research to make sure it'll be okay.

Yeah, I've had a solar trickle charger on the spare battery on the big boat for a couple of years. The really low power ones are pretty safe. As the amperage and Wattage increase an appropriately sized charge controller is needed. Still kicking around options here. I also have a portable battery boost pack that I carry with me on the big boat. That can get me by for now, assuming that the battery only gets a little low in the jet boat. With storage space on the Challenger at such a premium, I would like to get a smaller boost pack (maybe like this?). I would likely need to put ring terminals or clips on the wire so i can disconnect the battery and hook it up only to the booster and avoid the MPEM. Small boost packs only work on batteries that are just a little weak, and they have to be charged periodically to be sure they are full... can't just toss it in the boat and forget about it, then expect it to work next year... although if you read some of the negative product reviews, most folks seem to not really understand when this type of boost pack should be expected to work, or not. Likely wouldn't work if the battery were dead on the trailer because the lights were left on for a week or a cell went bad. However, if we started the boat, rode around a bit, anchored for the day and ran the battery down with too much radio and phone charger use, then a little boost pack should be able to get us started again.
Better to install a smart charger, but I don't think I'll have a reliable power source or budget right now (Good chargers are expensive... my charger on the big boat was over $600).

 

[rjcress]

Way too busy the past several days. Still, managed to do a few things:


-Took out the new battery box and replaced with an Atwood battery tray that holds the batter in place more firmly. I also taped the positive lead terminal and painted some liquid electrical tape on top so that I don't get absent minded and set a wrench on the the battery while working on something else... and short the battery. And put a wing nut on the negative side post so I can disconnect it quickly:

-Replaced the damaged trailer wiring connector and put some protection around it:

-Replaced the starboard side trailer light assembly. Sadly, when I tried to take that picture my phone said "SD card is full". I deleted a bunch of stuff to make space, but forgot to take the picture (hence the "absent minded" reference above).

-Amazon shipped me the wrong trailer tire for the spare. Returned it and waiting on the new one.

-The Overton's telescoping paddle I ordered wasn't assembled right. It came apart the first time I extended it. Looks like the shaft is held in place by a rubber plug that bulges against the inner wall of the shaft when compressed by a washer when the screw through the middle of it is tightened... and the screw is too tight, so the shaft won't fit over the rubber piece. I don't have a screwdriver long enough to fix it, so they are sending me a new one.

-And I received the "Jump Up Emergency Car Starter"... a 2 pack of them, actually. Naturally, after verifying that the connector light came on, I took it apart... and laughed out loud when I saw what was inside... 20 AA (LR6AM3 1.5V) batteries!:

But wait a second. When I google LR6AM3 every battery I see listed is an Alkaline, single use battery. This pack is supposed to be rechargeable. Ok, now I'm confused. Just sent a note the Customer Support email address listed on the package asking if there are supposed to be single-use batteries in the "rechargeable" battery pack.

 

[rjcress]

Grrrr! I was busy all day today. The weather was workable this afternoon, but I was tied up inside until 6:30pm. Tomorrow's forecast is for a high around 61, rain on and off all day, and winds of 15, gusting to 30.
I REALLY want to get the Challenger back on the water and see how it does with fresh fuel and new spark plugs... but I just don't see it happening in the rain and gusty wind tomorrow.
I think I'll spend the rest of the evening sulking.

Well, at least I'll have time tomorrow to move the Challenger to the other garage and pull the GTX in so i can get started installing it's freshly rebuilt engine.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Yea, it was super windy this weekend. I took my Challenger out Sat. and went airborne several times as I was charging across the chop. It was nice for all of 30 min, then it was cloudy and even rainy the rest of the time I'm pretty fed up with this lousy Spring. Ready for that summer time!!

 

[rjcress]

The silver lining, for me, is that my tow vehicle's brakes failed Sunday while pulling the Challenger out of the garage to move to the other garage. Because of the poor weather, it happed at home and NOT on the boat ramp or in the mountains. That could have been really ugly.

 

[rjcress]

...and boooooo rainy spring!

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Oh no! That would've sucked!! I think I would've cried for you, knowing how much time and heart you've put into it thus far. Glad you caught it at home!!

 

[rjcress]

Oh no! That would've sucked!! I think I would've cried for you, knowing how much time and heart you've put into it thus far. Glad you caught it at home!!

It would have made for a funny YouTube video though as the big conversion van backed down the ramp with the little jet boat behind it... and kept backing down the ramp until the van was submerged.
Well... that is unlikely since the parking brake works fine... but still, it was unexpected when the brake pedal went straight to the floor... repeatedly. Only damage was the rub rail on the Challenger dinging the wooden trim on the edge of my garage door opening.

Can't find pre-bent brake lines to replace the one that ruptured, so I'll be headed to the auto parts store... when my wife gets home with the other car... to buy a roll of 3/16 brake line, a double flaring tool, a tiny tubing bender, more brake fluid, some fittings, and a new brake hose. Hopefully, I'll have it all sorted out tonight.

Of course, once this is fixed I'll have to go through the rest of the brake system and see what else is rusted and waiting to fail.

As a bonus, my wife woke me up this morning with the sweet sound of "I told you buying that van was a mistake!". No "good morning" or "hope today goes better"...

 

[rjcress]

Brakes are fixed. In case any of you ever have to make brake lines, be sure that your flares are centered. I had one line that I flared while on the vehicle. I was on my back under the van in a really awkward position and didn't realize that I had the flare tool angled a bit. The flare it produced was way off center and leaked like a sieve. Luckily, after a couple of hours (yep... hours:facepalm of fiddling with it I thought to bend the tube to where I could see it better and saw exactly how bad the flare was. 5 minutes with a file and it was round and sealed perfectly. I found one other brake line that was rotting, so I fabricated a new one for that location also. So.... I have a tow vehicle that goes AND STOPS! :hurray::thumbsup::cheers:


However, crappy forecast for the weekend, so I may take off from work around 2pm Friday and enjoy the 80 degree sunshine, while it lasts.
Fingers crossed.
Even if I can't get to the water Friday, I'm moving the boat to the portable garage and moving the GTX in so I can finish that rebuild. And yes, I know this is like the 10th time I've said I would do this. It will happen eventually. I have to admit to being a bit nervous since the 951 DI engine is a bit more complex. Glad I did the simpler 787 engined SD first.

Back to the Challenger:
Also added a tongue jack and the appropriately sized spare tire. The trailer lights work now, but are too dim. Will have to sort that out.
... which reminds me, I still have to figure out why the nav lights on the boat aren't working.

Added an inline fuel filter per this thread:
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?33749-How-To-Adding-an-in-line-filter
I went with the one for 5/16" line.

And washed the boat cover. Next is to make a few repairs to the cover, but I've got to uncover my thread injector (buried under a pile of stuff) to do that. Also need to finish putting the cover back together for the towable tube while I'm at it.

I think I'll take the kids to the store after TKD class tonight and get them all new life jackets. They are outgrowing the ones they've been using the past few years. Besides, the old one's are on the big boat 2 hours away.

 

[rjcress]

I'm leaving work when the kids get home from school today, and not sure if we'll be out as it approaches dusk, so I dug into the nav lights to sort out why they weren't working.
What I found surprised me, and leaves me with a bigger question or three.

-Here is the plug from the wiring to the electrical panel under the helm. Notice the corrosion and a few where the pins are broken off and stuck in the plug :

-Here is where it is plugged in. More corrosion and a few missing pins:

So, I traced the wire from the front nav lights back in to this plug because I was not getting voltage to the "hot" wire at the nav light switch. Found that the pin for that wire was corroded to the point of failure. I'm not sure if there is a way to fix just the part with the pins, or if I need to get a whole new panel assembly.

To get things working today, I redneck engineered a solution... I slid a connector on the output side of the nav lights fuse to jump that 12v source directly to the input of the nav lights switch... thus bypassing the wiring harness all together. I ran the wire through the fuse cover and sealed around it with silicon (after taking the pics below). This gives me lights, but I'm not sure how to proceed. I hate to have any Bubba fixes on anything... and this definitely screams BUBBA to me. Anyone have thoughts on options to fix this?
I haven't found a pin diagram for this part in the .pdf shop manual.
Actually... I haven't found this electrical/fuse panel on the parts diagrams either. http://fiche.seadoowarehouse.com/seadooforums/showmodel.asp?Type=13&make=seadoojb&A=185&B=17

-Connector on the fuse to power the lights:

-Power lead from the fuse to the lights passing through a hole in the fuse cover:

While I was out there I hooked the boat up to the van so we can leave right away when the kids get home.

 

[rjcress]

Dang it! Just got towed in.

 

[rjcress]

Cruising along at 75% throttle & it died. After being towed in, found no spark & the ignition fuse in the mpem box had failed. The fuse didn't burn in the center. One post had melted the plastic. Kicked myself, as I has noticed this weeks ago & forgot to change the fuse.
Prior to the fuse drama I was having symptoms from this thread: http://www.seadooforum.com/showthre...el-Delivery-Problems-low-revs-bogging-surging
...so I'll start going through the fuel system and order the Carb kit.

Also lost my engine compartment blower. Don't know yet if it failed, or it is an issue with the corroded connector I mentioned a few posts ago.

 

[rjcress]

And I suspect Pale Rider is too nice to say it, but a "told you so" is in order. I really should have done the carbs before this point.

 

[Guest_User]

And I suspect Pale Rider is too nice to say it, but a "told you so" is in order. I really should have done the carbs before this point.

:lols: :leaving:

That electrical box scares me... that looks like a repeat offender for breakdown... maybe minnetonka on here has one for you...

all projects take time to sort out... :cheers:

 

[rjcress]

I noticed this fuse (ignition fuse from the box with the MPEM) before the last outing, but forgot to replace it:

Anyone have ideas on why this happened?

 

[racerxxx]

I'm not bustin' chops by any means but I'm gonna say corrosion. Look at that fuse, you can see the brownness where it actually makes contact. Not drawing enough amps to pop it but enough to make it warm for long enough would be my guess. Is it the correct size fuse?

 

[rjcress]

I'm not bustin' chops by any means but I'm gonna say corrosion. Look at that fuse, you can see the brownness where it actually makes contact. Not drawing enough amps to pop it but enough to make it warm for long enough would be my guess. Is it the correct size fuse?

That sounds like a reasonable guess. It is the right size and type of fuse.
I'll clean up the contacts before installing a replacement fuse, and will monitor the new one.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

I do not have what you are looking for but I think my bro 99spxxx has that fuse panel and can prob supply you the connector.

I spent about 4 hours trying to source the big square connectors and pins seadoo uses (97+ xp and such) and found nothing. Apparently seadoo wanted to make a mint off this stuff.

 

[xinity]

Awesome thread man, that challenger is turning out great!