WSM (Aftermarket) carbone ring boots...

[howie099]

I put 2 new OEM carbone rings in my boat since I had to replace the pumps and impellers, but I am little worried about the WSM boots. They are not even clost to as stiff at the 2 I took off. Granted the old boots are 14 years old. After I installed them I can pretty easily push back the boot, it has some tension but not a lot. The old one barley colapes anymore. I almonst passed out in the engine compartment trying to compress the old ones.

Is that how the boots are supose to be kind of weak? I don't have a new OEM one to compare it with.

I don't want to put the boat in the water and I take on water or cavitating real bad. That would really suck.

 

[Dr Honda]

I've used the WSM boots in the past, and they were OK... but they weren't soft. Remember... they need to be stiff enough to keep the seal from getting sucked back by the pump.

This is the problem with aftermarket parts. You can never be assured of the quality. WSM could have had a problem with a supplier, and they started buying boots from some one else... and never checked them in a real life trial. This is also why I recommend using OEM wear rings. If you get an aftermarket ring that fits... then everything is fine... but I've see them be the wrong size WAY TOO OFTEN for me to bother with.


With all that said... ALL aftermarket carbon seals suck. SO... I hope you didn't get the WSM carbon rings.


Anyway... if they are very soft... then send them back. But... check one thing. See if they are significantly longer than the OEM boot you took out. If they are at least 1/4" longer... then it may be OK. They will hold more tension on the ring.

 

[howie099]

They were a little longer than the OEM. Maybe because the old ones just stiffened up some over time. The old ones take effort to compress. The new ones did have tension on them, but not a strong as the old OEM ones. The old ones remind me of the hard platic shock protectors for trucks. I did buy OEM Carbone Rings that had seadoo numbers on boxes. I did find someone selling a new OEM boot that they had extra and I will use that to compare and decide from that. I should of just bought the OEM.

But at the time when I was buying all the parts 2 WSM boots costed like $15 compared to $45 for Seadoo ones. I really didn't think you could mess up a boot..

 

[jsp]

Eek. 45 for a seadoo boot? I just paid 25 for mine at a seadoo dealer. And that's Canadian prices lol

For a 98 sportster 1800 twin

 

[howie099]

That was for 2 boots for $45 with shipping not 1. I don't like to go to dealers if I have to. You wastes to much time and closest seadoo dealer is like 40 mins from me...

 

[howie099]

The OEM boots are much stiffer and thicker material than the WSM ones. I am going to swap them out since I don't think the WSM ones will hold back the water. I can pull them off the carbone ring with very little effort so I am pretty sure the water can move them.

 

[griz400]

check out this thread and the parts i found howie, i havent ordered anything yet, mine blew this last weekend and i took on about a ft of water
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?49269-carbone-seal-and-bellows-kits-avail

tell me what you think of them boots

 

[howie099]

The firmer looks and sound like the 272000184 seadoo number which I bet it is. That is the new boot style that replaced the 27200167 which is the standard one. I have the standard one in my boat that I removed and they are pretty close to same firmness, but the 272000184 is about 3/16" longer than the 272000167 so that is why is might be called the firmer one since it puts more pressure on the seal since it's a tad longer.

I will take a pic and show you the old OEM lenth to the new OEM lenth. The WSM ones are thinner and not as strong. I will compare the lenth of all 3 when I remove them.

The WSM collars feel and look the same as the OEM ones. I will keep them. Most of the time the WSM supplier buys from the same places the the OEMs do. They didn't on the boots.

I would get the firmer one since that is the newer seadoo number.