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Water in gearbox of Seadoo Challenger
- Thread starter Canlab
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When you say signs of oil on the driveshaft and the intake of the housing, do you mean looking through the intake grate? As well, how hard is the seal to replace? Could water have gotten in through the drain or vent plug? The boat is currently out of the water - what should I do next?
I'm kind of new to this....
Thanks!
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
Yes... looking up though the intake grate is where you would see signs of oil.
Also... yes... if the screws were lose... they could leak. But then again... if they were lose... they would have probably just fallen out from the vibration.
Changing the seal is not a fun job. The engine has to come out... and then the pump unit can be unbolted, and pulled from the bottom. AND... if this has been used in salt water... the mounting flange may more want to come apart. I've seen a bunch that the mount has to be cut away.
Also... yes... if the screws were lose... they could leak. But then again... if they were lose... they would have probably just fallen out from the vibration.
Changing the seal is not a fun job. The engine has to come out... and then the pump unit can be unbolted, and pulled from the bottom. AND... if this has been used in salt water... the mounting flange may more want to come apart. I've seen a bunch that the mount has to be cut away.
I stuck my head underneath and had a good look using a flashlight. The intake and shaft are dry as a bone, with no sign of oil whatsoever. The boat hasn't been used much and up until last fall was dealer serviced. I drained it last fall and there definitely was water in there as the oil was green and there was white sludge in there. I put new oil in it, but I'm going to drain it again. I'm going to make sure to use thread sealant on the vent and drain screws. I'll put it in the water and check it after a few hours to see what happens.
It's certainly getting harder to find anyone to work on these things!
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
Any Mercury dealer will work on them. The sportjet is still sold, and still supported. A seadoo dealer will normally not even look at them anymore.
If you don't visually see oil around the pump housing... I would flush it out again... and make sure to use the Quicksilver/Mercury High Performance gear lube. It will continue to lube the gears, even if a little water gets in there. Some of the other gear lubes will not. Also... make sure the blue gaskets are on the fill/drain and vent screws.
If you don't visually see oil around the pump housing... I would flush it out again... and make sure to use the Quicksilver/Mercury High Performance gear lube. It will continue to lube the gears, even if a little water gets in there. Some of the other gear lubes will not. Also... make sure the blue gaskets are on the fill/drain and vent screws.
Thanks for the info. I took off the two screws today and the fibrous washers looked in rough shape. I'm going to order a new set. I also took off the stator and pinched the darn rubber seal. I pushed it back in place and it looks okay, but I may as well replace it while I'm in there. That brings me to a question, are these the right Mercury part numbers? Any surprises changing the seal?
Stator seal: 14381
screw kit: 79953Q2
It's a 2002 Seadoo Challenger with a 240 EFI.
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