Jetski Help!!!

[bigboy]

Looking for some help.. I purchased a used jetski in Aug-04. It is a Sea-Doo GTX/RFI w/125 hours on it. Now since than I have put 8.2 hours on it and it has been back to the shop twice since 04. The latest trip back to the shop (third time) I was told it needed a new engine! Now the good part. The marina I purchased it at has been sold to another well known marina. The new marina is not able to offer any assistance in help me get it fix other then telling me it is going to cost $2600.00. The old owners also said sorry not our problem. Now my questions:

1- are there any laws out there that protect saps like me?
2- Does any one know of a good jet ski repair shop?

[WeirsBeachBoater]

I have a lot of experience with PWC's. For that matter a lot of two stroke engines. I might guess that your sea doo is around a 99-early 2000 model year? I just saw one at a shop completely torn down and that customer decided to trade into another machine to avoid putting big money into repairs. Heres the tough part, why did the engine fail? There are many causes, most are not the dealers fault. That said, it could be a manufacturers flaw, and unless it is still under warranty, that is hard to get any help on. Or in other cases operator/owner error can cause the damage. Each case is different, but having been a service writer/mgr in the powersports industry in the past. I have seen a lot of blown up engines on jet skis. I know its no consolation, but you are not alone in this issue, many have faced it before and many will after you.

[bigboy]

Thanks for the feedback. It is a 2000. I still owe $2500.00 on it and was offered by the New Marina $800.00 leaving me $1700.00 upside down on a new one. So I am in a world of hurt on this one.

[jimbob1603]

High performance 2-stroke engines , like those found in PWCs, are very prone to failure. Spinning around at 6K rpm will bring nothing but trouble. PWCs are not like boats; a well maintained boat engine may last the life of the hull ...... a PWC w/ 2-stroke will almost certainly have a major engine failure within three years (and thats even if you're nice to it AND lucky!).

Unless you've trashed the crank/rods, its probably very much repairable. But, the cause of the failure MUST be determined, or you'll just be wasting your money. Improper fuel mixture, bad seals, cooling problems will all kill an engine in just a few seconds. What were the symptoms when it died ..... does it even start anymore??

I own two 1200cc jetskiis. (stay calm, they don't go on the lake ... way too rough) I blow at least one engine a year. But, I admit that I beat the living life out of them. I'm an adrenaline junkie, and those puppies lead a tough life. But, my garage is tooled up for full service; and I keep a spare engine ready to roll & can swap it out in just a few hours. If you want to play, you gotta pay!

Find a reputable independant motor-sports repair shop ..... they'll know what to do. These guys repair engines for a living .... and its not a big deal for them to replace a cylinder & piston. It might cost you $600, but that's a whole lot better than a new engine. By far, the major portion of the labor charge is removing the engine from the hull. So, if you don't have to replace the main bearings, seals, or crank assembly, you'll be way ahead of the game.

Check out www.sbtontheweb.com. I've never used them, but I hear they have a good reputation; and a killer no fault warranty on their engines. Many repair shops will install SBT engines, if the owners are not inclined to do so themselves. If you want to make the two hour trip, I can recommend a shop in Billerica, MA., who is well versed with SBT engines.

[codeman671]

There is a company out of Florida named SBT that offers complete replacement engines at very reasonable prices, if they do not have your motor in stock you can ship them yours and they will rebuild it for you. Most engines complete are under $1k. They offer a no-fault warranty for up to 2 years depending on which package you get and they can provide all gaskets and a great swimsuit calendar. I would trust their engines more than one rebuilt by a local dealer. If you have to have it done get the motor from a company like this and have the dealer put it in. Make sure that they go over every spec/setting during installation to look for any possible causes of the last problem.

Trying to battle it in court will probably lead to more legal fees than the repair is worth and you still get no guarantee of winning. What were the other two repairs that it has had since purchase for?

I have been down this road before on a Yamaha. I bought a 97 GP1200 that was blown up and had Adventure Suzuki/Yamaha (no longer in business) rebuild it. It lasted 5 hours before grenading. The machine was partially disassembled for inspection when I brought it to them so they claimed that they could not properly diagnose the problem the first time. I bought one of the remanufactured engines from SBT or one of their competitors and everything was good.

The one thing that you may want to consider would be is it really worth rebuilding at this point? Put $2600 into a machine that is worth $2500-$3k anyhow and you are still majorly in the hole. Someone else had posted $600 to have a few pistons replaced, I think that you will find this to be rather light, speaking from recent experience. Was their offer of $800 including your trailer or is there a trailer involved? The trailer is worth $3-500 alone if you have one.

[codeman671]

As I was typing my above post someone else threw out SBT as well.

[bigboy]

The $800 was with out my trailer. and I have considered SBT... I am not able to pull the engine or put a new one in. This is why I wanted a name of an independant repair shop to look at it.

[jetskier]

I am sorry to hear about your problem...

I had a GTX of the same vintage and had to replace the engine. The front cylinder was filling with oil due to seals that had failed (crankshaft, I think).

We had a shop in Salem, NH do the repair. I can get the contact information, if you like. The replacement engine was on the order of $700 and the total repair was approximately $2000.

I know that this has been an issue with this engine and that the same problem has occured in jetboats of the same vintage. I don't know of anyone who has received anything from the manufacturer and I don't think that the dealer has any responsibility for this type of issue. There is a good discussion board for Sea-Doo (www.sea-doo.net) and you might find someone who has made out better. We paid the money and took the lumps.

Best of luck

Jetskier

[Aquadeziac]

Try calling Bills Small Engine Repair in Gilmanton. He is a SeaDoo certified mechanic. He rebuilt the carbs on my GTX basket case that I actually put an SBT engine in. He is tops on SeaDoos in my book and has worked on friends' machines too. And as for SBT, I have nothing but good to say about them. They ship super fast and include instructions with photos for swapping the old engine out and which parts need to be transferred to the new motor. They also have a toll free tech line. You could probably arrange for Bill to do the actual swap and purchase the motor and have it dropp shipped directly to him.
I opted for the Premium Engine which has a full 2 yr unlimited warranty. They even tell you in writing that even if you run it out of oil, submerge it, torch it off...anything, they will replace it free. I am on my second summer with absolutely no problems.
If you have the 951 engine it was most likely the counterbalance shaft that seized and would bet it took out the lower side of the case. That particular engine has a sealed oil reservior for the counterbalance shaft/gears. It has to be checked and topped off regularly with 30W oil. It is however, burried in a hard to get at place and you need a mirror to get to it, therefore it is often forgotten during routine maintainance.(Its about a 20 minute job to do it).
Hope this helps. Good Luck!

[Airwaves]

Maybe contact Boat/US They sometimes get involved when situations like this come up.

Unfortunately it's an all too common an occurance in boats, manufacturers fight with dealers, dealers fight with manufacturers and you are left holding the bag.

Maybe MAYBE if Boat/US knows of a recall on that particular PWC prior to you purchasing it, and you were not told of that recall you might have recourse, but I'd give them a call and see.

There really are no lemon laws in boating, sad but true.

[Kamper]

If the "Bill of sale" stated "as-is" you'd have been on your own from the moment money changed hands. Discoverring a problem after two years of ownership you would probably not have recourse even against a dealer for a new product either, unless you held a long-term warranty.

Perhaps the above suggestions will get you back on the water at a reasonable cost.

Good luck!

[JG1222]

You might want to check out DaSilva Powersports (or something to that effect). They are on Route 25 in Moultonboro (across from Aubuchon Hardware), and have treated my father very well on both the sale and repairs. He finds the owner to be fair.

May be worth a shot.