Sea-Doo Supercharger Rebuild Service

[JoeZ]

Hello Joe,

I just took my supercharger out of '04 GTX and it looks and feels fine. I noticed that the top mounting bolt looked like was tinkered with and did not pay attention to the bottom bolts. so here is $400 question:
- how do I know if my supercharger was rebuilt already?
- Is there any visual difference between ceramic and metal washers?
- Is there any other component that will indicate that SC was rebuilt?
- what is the benefit of rebuilding the SC vs just replacing washers

I've spent time online reading and got mixed opinions from people with unknown backgrounds. I would appreciate any help.

BTW who is your powder coating?

Sorry for jumping in here late.
By the pics they look like ceramic washers. That is also a very old style lock washers that they haven't used in years. You're due for a rebuild for sure either way since they need to be done every 2 years or 100 hours.


What CoastieJoe said was right on though.


For powder coating, we do the prepping and have a local powder coating company do the finishing work and baking for the best finish.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Thank you JoeZ,,, Appreciate the help.

 

[FLMike]

Thank you so much for your answers guys. I really appreciate such fast replies.

Besides the washers what else could fail in the supercharger? and how? will it prevent engine from running?

I understand that failing washers will cause more damage than the cost of the ski, but investing 25% of the value to prevent something that might never fail sounds like not very wise investment.

So the question is should I just wait for it to fail?

Please don't think that I am rude and I dont appreciate your advise - I just could not find any answers to not rebuilding SC and only replacing washers.

Mike


Mike

 

[Coastiejoe]

The bearings age and get brittle as well as any bearing cages. I have also see the gear teeth break off either on their own or in conjunction with another failure. If this happens, the parts drop into the oil pan and pretty well trash the lower end of the engine. It is a major tear down to clean all the metal parts out at this point. In your case, if you have ceramic washers, which you do, then you NEED to rebuild he entire unit as it is WAY over the years in regards to normal maintenance.. 100 hours or every two years. I have seen many exceed the years by even a few years. But you are ten years old at this point putting you 8 years beyond the norm.

 

[JoeZ]

Lol you're fast on those replies. I was typing one up and you posted before I could finish.

Seconding everything stated above but still posting what I wrote:

I fully understand where you are coming from. There are two primary points of failure, and for both it isn't an IF but a WHEN if not addressed. YMMV.

#1 By far the worst is the old ceramic friction(clutch) washers. New kits have redesigned the lock washers and friction washers, make them safe for the full 100hr/2year interval. If old friction washers fail, you'll need a full supercharger rebuild, and fish the parts out of the bottom of the engine, hoping they didn't tear anything up.

#2 is the bearings. The problem here is the design of the supercharger and that has not been fixed. The bearing cages get brittle over time and allow the bearings to free themselves, thus causing a huge mess. Typically we see all the bearings fall into the bottom of the engine and the supercharger impeller touches down. For this you'll likely need to replace the impeller, rebuild supercharger, and like above get all the bits out of the bottom on the engine (assuming they are trapped in the oil screen and didn't trash the pump).

Feel free to give me a call anytime if you'd like to rapid fire some questions

888-605-2335

 

[Coastiejoe]

I'm not always this quick,, Lounging around watching TV surfing the net right now..

 

[FLMike]

Thank you so much for your answers guys. That makes the decision clear - investing 25% of the ski to prevent 85% loss every 2 years. not attractive but feasible.

Very much appreciated
Mike

 

[Coastiejoe]

And,,, there is NOTHING like operating a Seadoo with a SC. The performance is unreal. Worth every penny...

 

[tmarsh]

Just bought an 06 RXT 215 with 40 hours, there are no records from the original owner of the supercharger being rebuilt or the ceramic washers being replaced, so I will probably be sending it in within the next month or so to have it rebuilt.

Do you give the old parts back? If not, can you?

 

[JoeZ]

Sounds good. Yes, I include the old parts when shipping back. :thumbsup:

 

[russellb]

I think I am finally ready to try to pull my supercharger and send it in for the rebuild service. My question is what tools will I need to pull the supercharger? I have basic hand tools but will I need any specialty tools for the job? I have a 2005 RXT. As far as I know it is still stock. I just charged and reinstalled the battery and it has 85.3 hours on the display. I do not know if the supercharger was ever rebuilt. I got it last summer but it never really ran just right. I'm hoping changing out the gas for some fresh premium fuel and the supercharger rebuild will get it moving properly this summer. Any tips or tricks that might help? Thanks for the help.

 

[JoeZ]

Pretty much all you need to know is here. The RXT doesn't have the engine cover step and a couple very small differences but it's essentially the same job. This should help, but let me know if there are any other questions.

[youtube]Wina2KSE-kE[/youtube]

 

[russellb]

Thanks for the help. I may start working on pulling the supercharger tomorrow if it is not raining here. When I send the supercharger in for rebuild will you be able to determine if there is enough damage done to the supercharger that I will need to clean out or flush the engine? Will the inspection results be sent back with the supercharger?

 

[JoeZ]

Yes, pretty much. If there is a missing component that likely dropped into the engine, I'll give a call. This includes washer and bearing failures. If a bearing failure caused a touchdown, ruining the impeller, I'll also give you a call along with options to get it going.

If all is good, you'll just get a return shipping tracking number.

 

[russellb]

Finally got into it today. I have almost got the supercharger out but it is hitting the water box. It looks like I will have to watch the video again to figure out what I need to disconnect to move it out of the way. RXT has about 87 or 88 hours on it. The hose between the SC and the throttle body still had the factory clamps so I'm guessing I'm probably looking at a factory SC that hasn't been rebuilt unless maybe someone took it to a dealer to get worked on. Is there any way that I could find that out? Is there a database the dealer can run the VIN through? Anyway, hopefully I'll get it out before it gets dark. Thanks again.

 

[russellb]

I forgot to mention that it was difficult to turn with my fingers but not impossible. I'm not sure if I could have rotated the SC a whole turn or not. I tried to move the water box but after loosening the exhaust clamp the clamp still did not want to move. It may need some penetrating fluid or something to help it along. Hopefully I will have time to get back to it by the end of the week. I'm hoping for a better summer this year. Last year I had one SeaDoo that would not run at all and the RXT that would not run right and I was too worried to keep riding because of all of the reports on bad superchargers. Just hoping I'm lucky enough that it wakes up with the SC rebuild.

 

[JoeZ]

Yeah take a look at the video. There is the clamp then there is a strap for the water box. No real way to know if it has been rebuilt unless you have receipts. Barely being able to turn is a good sign. Once you have it out, we'll get you squared away for a good summer.

 

[Steve737]

Hey joe I'm going to pull my super chargers this week or the next should I ship together or separate? Also do you recommend a new impeller? I would be afraid to put more boost on stock internals. Oh they are 2009 RXT's with 25 and 32 hours always fresh water. I do plan on putting a lot of hours on these do you recommend anything else for added reliability. I put about 400 hours a year on our boat so who knows what we will put on the ski's! Thanks Steve

 

[JoeZ]

You're right on the border for which it is cheaper using USPS....get a quote from them. If you haven't do any other upgrades, stick with the stock impeller. It won't hurt the internals upgrading (they are the same internals that the 260 uses), but it is not going to increase your performance a ton if you haven't do the support mods first. Just keep within your service interval and you'll be good to go :thumbsup:

 

[russellb]

I finally got my supercharger pulled. Some penetrating fluid finally got the exhaust clamp loosened up. I had a good amount of oil built up in the supercharger. I know that there is a line directing some oil back into the intake. Would the fact that it was building up inside the supercharger and not making it's way into the intake indicate that the supercharger wasn't working properly? Is this something you would normally see? Anyway, I plan on mailing the supercharger in tomorrow or Saturday. Do you clean the supercharger housings even if you don't do the powder coating or should I try to clean it thoroughly before I send it in? Thanks again.

 

[ricardo1]

Every time I send something that I sold or for rebuild I do my best to clean it as much as I can, it will help the buyer or the person that is getting the part to work on. Just me opinion.

 

[JoeZ]

I finally got my supercharger pulled. Some penetrating fluid finally got the exhaust clamp loosened up. I had a good amount of oil built up in the supercharger. I know that there is a line directing some oil back into the intake. Would the fact that it was building up inside the supercharger and not making it's way into the intake indicate that the supercharger wasn't working properly? Is this something you would normally see? Anyway, I plan on mailing the supercharger in tomorrow or Saturday. Do you clean the supercharger housings even if you don't do the powder coating or should I try to clean it thoroughly before I send it in? Thanks again.

We do typically see oil inside. As far as cleaning the housing, we will wipe it down thoroughly on the inside and a quick wipe on the outside. If you get powdercoat it is completely different as you suggested. Sending in a clean SC is always highly appreciated and helps keep contaminates away when doing the rebuild.

Every time I send something that I sold or for rebuild I do my best to clean it as much as I can, it will help the buyer or the person that is getting the part to work on. Just me opinion.

Definitely like the added effort :thumbsup:

 

[russellb]

I recently had my supercharger rebuilt by PWC Muscle. They rebuilt it the day they got it and mailed it back the same day. How important is it and how often are you supposed to check the slip on the supercharger once it has been rebuilt? It was kind of a pain getting it out.

 

[JoeZ]

Our pleasure! Stock SCs I recommend every 50 hours if you're riding hard. Manual states 100 hours, which is the service interval as well. Modified SCs are every 20 hours.

 

[russellb]

Just put my RXT in the water for the first time this season and first time since supercharger rebuild. Could not get over 45-50 mph or 6400-6450 RPM. I'm thinking I should replace the gas with fresh premium fuel, change the plugs and check oil level. Anything else that might be causing my problem? It wasn't my learner key. I put the other key in afterwards and my display read learner key for that one and not the first one.