SEA DOO Challenger 180 Performance question

[bigdog0914]

Pulling up a 190 lb wakeboarder and on hole shot rpm's get to 8200 with supercharger active but as soon as boarder gets out of water rpms drop back into the 6000's with throttle still full forward. Is this normal or should it stay at high rpms until i back throttle off?

 

[davo]

Must say I'm not sure, the boat will exceed 8000rpm briefly then settle back to between 7600-8000 depending on conditions normally. With a wake boarder I throttle back the moment they plane so the boat doesn't take off. I would think the mid 7000s. Not sure though.

 

[chlarson23]

my 180 will do that same thing out of the hole shot. I know my problem is my wear ring and impeller both need replaced. you might want to check that your's aren't torn up.

 

[bigdog0914]

Thanks for your reply. My boat only has 15 hours on it and when I took it in for its 10 hour service interval mechanic told me they were both in excellant shape. Yet top RPM I can get out of it as I gradually increase throttle is 6700. Yet on hole shot I see 8100 and then it drops off as soon as wakeboarder is up.

 

[timhood]

What happens when you take off without towing anyone? Where do the RPMs go, and can you get them to stick at 8000+?

 

[bigdog0914]

Hole shot with pulling no one RPM's only get to 6800. Gradually increasing throttle from slow to fast will get up to 6700. Can only get in the 8's with hole-shot with big wake-boarder.

 

[timhood]

With or without a boarder/skier/tuber, you should be able to hit and maintain 8000+ RPMs (though you wouldn't want to keep it there towing anyone). With only 15 hours, it doesn't seem logical that you'd have supercharger slippage. Visual inspection of the impeller and surrounding wear ring look OK? If you didn't have problems until after the 10-hour service, it's possible it ate some debris. If the ride plate wasn't properly sealed, your symptoms would be different: initially hitting max RPM but not launching as fast as you'd expect, then RPMs drop and the boat increases speed and RPMs until you reach peak RPMs again.

 

[bigdog0914]

Thanks Tim,, it has me puzzled. I bought the boat on E-BAY with 5 hours on it, took it in for its 10hr service at 12 hours, told the shop about the problem, and they said they checked the imperrer and wear ring and they looked brand new. Boat was originally run at sea level and I am at 5000 ft, Colorado, and thought that maybe that was the problem. Yet everyone I talk to says hitting 8000 rpm should be doable. I was on lake yesterday and towing no one with total of 5 people in boat could only get to 6500 rpm by gradually increasing throttle all the way forward. When I take it back in for winterazation at end of year I am going to have them check it out again. I have to pay $100 for them to put it on lake and test it that way and was hoping to avoid that.

 

[bigdog0914]

Tim, lloks like you have sam year/model I have. Are you able to hit 8000 rpm routinely? What is your top speed? What octane do you burn?

Thanks so much.

 

[timhood]

I don't think it's your altitude, either. I'm in Utah, and boat between 4,200-4,600 regularly. When I hit the throttle, it goes to 8,100 quickly, the boat doesn't get going too fast out of the hole, then the RPMs drop some and the boat picks up speed. If I keep it "floored," it'll go back up to 8,100 and reach a top speed of somewhere around 40 or so. (I say "or so" because the speedo will say I'm going faster than that, but I know they tend to be optimistic, but I don't have a GPS or anything to get a true reference. I'm guessing 40-45 MPH depending on conditions).

My wear ring and impeller look fine. But I know I need to fully seal the ride plate. I checked it earlier this spring and noticed it's not fully sealed. Neither is the intake grate area. I was going to post some pictures to get confirmation about sealing them but I can't find my camera. It's seems to have walked away, possibly with the help of a teenage daughter.

Anyway, if the impeller and wear ring look good, the only thing I can think of is if you've got a significant air leak going on. More so than me. There are neoprene seals around where the pump attaches to the hull. I'm not sure how to test for that, as I haven't had that issue, but I think you might be able to get some oil/grease in there as a tempoary test to see if conditions improve (in which case that seal would be the thing to replace). The part isn't expensive, so if you have the time and inclination, it might be worth ordering the part and replacing it (and sealing up the ride plate fully, if it isn't already).

Another part I've heard can be an issue (again, I've not had the problem) is the rubber axle boot that goes around the drive shaft for the impeller. You can see it looking into the intake grate. If that was a problem, you'd also want to replace the rubber o-ring and metal c-clip that holds the carbon ring in place. Wish I had a camera…

 

[bigdog0914]

Thanks again Tim. This is the first boat I have owned so a lot of the possible problems you are referencing are Greek to me. Would it be possible for me to call you with some very basic questions? If so please post your number and I will call.

 

[davo]

I get 8000 rpm initially then settles back to about 7600-7700 or so. Low to mid 40s, no cav either. This is at sea level, light chop, and 20 degrees.

 

[yardawg]

What is your top speed? If your top speed is in the low 30's or less, it could be the super charger.

 

[bigdog0914]

Top speed I have seen so far is 39 with only 2 people in boat and throttle pushed all way forward. RPM then around 6500. Can only get rpm to 8000 on hole shot with large person wakeboarding and then it seems to back off real quick even with throttle left all way forward. Maybe supercharger slipping????

 

[yardawg]

I'm only at 42 now. I use to get over 50 with no problem. I have not checked my rpms, but I will. I think i need a new wear ring. I got abot 180 hours. This winter I'll probably do that and rebuild the super charger.

 

[timhood]

I'm not an expert in this area. Just call me well-learned. I haven't had a SC problem myself, yet (yay!). Here's something you may be able to try if you have some basic mechanical abilities: Remove the supercharger inlet elbow hose and see if you can spin the impeller blade. If you can, that confirms slipping and a rebuild. Not knowing the full history before you got it, I suppose it's possible somebody did something to cause it to slip, though that would be abnormal for the number of hours on the engine.

 

[laberish]

Did you ever figure out your problem with the RPMs? I living in Denver, same boat and same problem on Chattfield.

 

[James.Moon]

Sounds like supercharger slippage to me. Although don't know why that would be the case with such low hours. My 180SE 2009 will go to 8000 and stay there until I get chicken given the speed and noise and back off. Speedo will register 90-95 kph but it is about 10kph high per GPS. Cruises nicely at 6500 RPM in the 35-40 MPH range. I do have momentary cavitation on hole shot which seems to be a chronic problem with these 180SE boats.
It don't understand why air leaks or wear rings would cause RPMs to drop off.

 

[laberish]

I'm going to take the inlet hose off and check the supercharger for slippage then. Called Cool Toys Marina and they were familiar with my boat. Said that nothing was wrong with it, that the boats never get over 6900rpms and if I went down in elevation I would get more rpm. I have the 215. Also, I have no cavitation. When I give it gas it goes without hesitation. Are you stock?

 

[James.Moon]

I'm going to take the inlet hose off and check the supercharger for slippage then. Called Cool Toys Marina and they were familiar with my boat. Said that nothing was wrong with it, that the boats never get over 6900rpms and if I went down in elevation I would get more rpm. I have the 215. Also, I have no cavitation. When I give it gas it goes without hesitation. Are you stock?

Yes my 180SE is stock - It is 255HP which may act different than the 215 re. max RPM.