2014-2015 Yamaha SVHO motor issue (severe)

[ScarabMike]

I use one of these....

http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Lock-Suction-Base-inch-Ball/dp/B0061QO332?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

[Slugger55]

So, now I know why they put all of storage on these crafts...

 

[ScarabMike]

I sold my FZ, and purchased a RXT-X 300. Seems the gods want me to have a stockpile of Rotax powered watercraft. Didnt want to deal with the chain issues, and the 2016 engine is unproven at this point chain wise..

 

[joel]

Can I fix this before it happens? I have a 2015 svho engine.

YES. IF your svho powered waverunner from 2014 or 2015 has not yet snapped its timing chain, you can purchase the new and improved timing chain assembly kit for 1500 dollars. If you wait until it snaps----which I did.....its an 8-10k price tag for the dealer to replace your entire engine. When my chain snapped at 53hrs, I was still under warranty and it was still hell to get them to fix their defective designed engine. and it was a bad design as evidenced by the totally redesigned 2016 svho engine timing setup. And by the way, it is very sleazy of Yamaha to act like this is a rare occurence and not something serious enough to warrant at least sending owners a lousy noticed. Me and my passenger were bucked off at 65mph when my chain snapped right as i was crossing a tiny boat wake......the decelaration was at least 2 or 3 Gs (yes I know because i"m a pilot and have to avoid anything higher than 3 gs if I don't want to die.) Had I gotten a letter from Yamaha I would have either sold the fzs and bought the 2016 model, or I would have had the timing chain assembly updated to the new design at my own expense. Now I will be left with a seriously compromised brand new skii. I was in saltwater when it broke and thus it could not be flushed.....Yamaha let the thing sit for months full of salt before they got it all torn down. I'm getting mostly new engine parts but I'm guessing there will be mechanical gremlins for the forseeable future if they ever even fix my waverunner at all. I'm paying 500 a mont.....6k a year and this year, I spent 6k on something that I only got to ride 30 minutes this whole season......dumb luck had the machine fail at the very start of riding season....I'm guessing I'll get the ski back after the first winter blizzard sets in.

 

[joel]

Slugger55 if you are going to purchase now it should be fine apparently they upgraded the chain in the latest model skis. Some say this is a cover up, while others say not a cover up and for 2017 they are making a serious hp ski that require the heavy duty chains so they are putting them in current svhos now. I'm waiting on more info from my friend.

NO.....its a coverup. If you don't believe me, talk to Yamaha Customer Service and watch how frantically they avoid even discussing the possibility of a defective design. I have studied this extensively and as an engineer, i often have to make educated guess based on anecdotal evidence and claims in the field. I'd bet my soul that the rate of timing chain failures on the 2014 and 2015 svho engines is at least one out of ever ten. I would bet less valuable parts of me that is likely more like one in four. I have seen surveys conducted on this very subject. Also a couple of guys who work at various service departments I spoke with....though not my own one......they all basically said that they weren't supposed to talk about it. And as a result of people keeping the lid on this mess...I was injured as have been several others I personally know of. IF the chain snapps at the wrong moment it is a safety issue for sure......and breaking down in the ocean is always going to ruin your day at the very least. Or was the waverunner being sold to me as a toy only suitable for use in sight of potential rescuers?

 

[joel]

When you get the 411 please share. I talked to my wife this morning about making a purchase. I would rather have the SVHO vs the SeaDoo...

NOT a bad batch of chains....that was an early rumor. Its the design which they changed for 2016

 

[gixerdean]

10 hours on my new ski is this a timing chain issue or something else or normal, I have a hard time believing it's normal used to work as a mechanic and never heard sounds like this coming from a motor.
this sound was almost from day one. The first day we took them out was for an entire tank of fuel. 50 mile ride up and down the river . Thanks for any help

 

[swatski]

10 hours on my new ski is this a timing chain issue or something else or normal, I have a hard time believing it's normal used to work as a mechanic and never heard sounds like this coming from a motor.
this sound was almost from day one. The first day we took them out was for an entire tank of fuel. 50 mile ride up and down the river . Thanks for any help

Sounds fine. LOL. Seriously.
I don't have SVHO, just a N/a 1.8l, but it sounds familiar. I'm technically on my third 1.8, they all sound like a bag of stones is sloshing inside.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

10 hours on my new ski is this a timing chain issue or something else or normal, I have a hard time believing it's normal used to work as a mechanic and never heard sounds like this coming from a motor.
this sound was almost from day one. The first day we took them out was for an entire tank of fuel. 50 mile ride up and down the river . Thanks for any help

Sounds fine! You are hearing impeller noise from the pump.

 

[haknslash]

10 hours on my new ski is this a timing chain issue or something else or normal, I have a hard time believing it's normal used to work as a mechanic and never heard sounds like this coming from a motor.
this sound was almost from day one. The first day we took them out was for an entire tank of fuel. 50 mile ride up and down the river . Thanks for any help

That's normal sound of the supercharger in these boats/PWC's. You can hear mine at 10:22 in this video

 

[magrelo]

Hi guys!
Same issue here... TWICE!
So At 26 hours, the fist chain went.
mine is a 2014 FZS SVHO, bought it in august of 2015, used it for 2 months and stored it.
June of 16, the first chain snapped.
Yamaha warrantied the job, no issues.
Ski sat at the dealer from july-September/16
When they finally gave me the ski back, they said Yamaha had sent them a "short block"
I took it to the lake, before I started it, it had 27 hours.
At 27.1 it stopped again.
Back to the dealer to find out the chain snapped again.
So it is now the 3rd motor, in 3 months of use.
Yamaha will not replace the unit.
They did acknowledge the unit has a faulty motor.
Today, the dealer called me again. (10/15/2016)
Yamaha sent a sealed power unit.
When they went to lake test it, the unit won't go over 40mp/h....
They told me the supercharger is now gone...
Tuesday they will get back to me....
SHAME ON YAMAHA!

 

[Speedling]

Hi guys!
Same issue here... TWICE!
So At 26 hours, the fist chain went.
mine is a 2014 FZS SVHO, bought it in august of 2015, used it for 2 months and stored it.
June of 16, the first chain snapped.
Yamaha warrantied the job, no issues.
Ski sat at the dealer from july-September/16
When they finally gave me the ski back, they said Yamaha had sent them a "short block"
I took it to the lake, before I started it, it had 27 hours.
At 27.1 it stopped again.
Back to the dealer to find out the chain snapped again.
So it is now the 3rd motor, in 3 months of use.
Yamaha will not replace the unit.
They did acknowledge the unit has a faulty motor.
Today, the dealer called me again. (10/15/2016)
Yamaha sent a sealed power unit.
When they went to lake test it, the unit won't go over 40mp/h....
They told me the supercharger is now gone...
Tuesday they will get back to me....
SHAME ON YAMAHA!

I am just not ready to buy a 1.8 boat. This makes me very sad.
I am sure they have figured out what to do and they have changed out the chain on newer models but i agree it is sad.

 

[Brice]

Saw this thread and thought I'd share my experience as well. I had a 2014 FX SVHO and right around 15 hours, noticed water in the oil. Took it to the dealer who first informed me it was normal condensation build up. After arguing with them a bit, they eventually agreed to change the oil and sent me on my way. After 2 more hours, it nearly left me stranded and started smoking heavily. I was able to limp it back to the ramp and noticed more water in the oil. I took it back to the dealer and this is when I made them take a more thorough look. They finally found a porous void in the cylinder head which was causing cooling water to mix into the oil. The head was replaced under warranty. This lasted for a few more hours and then the Timing Chain broke. This time it left me stranded and drifting in a major river. There was nobody in sight to help out and I eventually drifted into a rocky embankment where the tide tore up and ripped through the hull. After sitting at the dealer for months and numerous exchanges with Yamaha, it was declared totaled. Yamaha only agreed to replace the engine but would not pay for a new hull. I even tried to get lawyer action involved but they said I did not have much chance at winning a case. I did call Yamaha a few days ago to see if the new 2017 SVHO's have a timing chain update and they did confirm that for 2016 and 2017, they made a revision to go to a thicker chain with an extra link added. He could not confirm the other issue that I had with the porous casting and from reading some forums, I am not the only one who had that issue.

 

[Fourjets]

Wow, I just bought a 2014 Fx SHO(not an svho) yesterday and just came across this thread.
Is my engine at risk for the same issues? Mine has,46.4 hours on it. I haven't even been on a test ride yet.
It is noisy at idle. And when I turn it off I can hear the supercharger still spinning for a bit. Clutch issue?
Any advise would be great.
Thanks guys n gals....

 

[d_coyne1984]

Wow, I just bought a 2014 Fx SHO(not an svho) yesterday and just came across this thread.
Is my engine at risk for the same issues? Mine has,46.4 hours on it. I haven't even been on a test ride yet.
It is noisy at idle. And when I turn it off I can hear the supercharger still spinning for a bit. Clutch issue?
Any advise would be great.
Thanks guys n gals....

If the low speed engine noise sounds like marbles rattling around inside the engine, that is normal, oddly. I can't comment on the super charger. The issue with the timing chain failure is there is really no indicators of any impending failure. The is an upgrade kit you can purchase, but I think I saw a price of about $1500 for that, so not cheap. Otherwise the only really options are to cross your fingers or sell unfortunately... I'm in the crossing my fingers group for now.

 

[Fourjets]

Is the timing chain issue common to the SHO as well?

 

[d_coyne1984]

Is the timing chain issue common to the SHO as well?

Yes it is.

There is a bunch of info in what others have gone through on this thread:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/have-you-had-a-1-8-timing-chain-failure-was-it-in-warranty-and-how-has-yamaha-handled-it.10799/

 

[Fourjets]

Thank you Sir.

 

[Ron@Scarab]

When you get the 411 please share. I talked to my wife this morning about making a purchase. I would rather have the SVHO vs the SeaDoo...

Personally I would go with the Seadoo because of the closed-loop cooling since you are in Florida---less wear and tear on the internal side of your engine. We are constantly cleaning out peoples cylinder cooling jackets here in the Fort Myers area from excessive sand, shells, debris etc. The ports for cooling on the Yamaha's are very small. Be religious about flushing, and don't beach it--Only Baywatch gets new PWC every episode, you don't, lol!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Personally I would go with the Seadoo because of the closed-loop cooling since you are in Florida---less wear and tear on the internal side of your engine. We are constantly cleaning out peoples cylinder cooling jackets here in the Fort Myers area from excessive sand, shells, debris etc. The ports for cooling on the Yamaha's are very small. Be religious about flushing, and don't beach it--Only Baywatch gets new PWC every episode, you don't, lol!

You still need to flush a Sea-Doo/closed loop system --- just want to clarify that for future readers. The heat exchanger still needs to have the salt water flushed or the jackets can become clogged or corrode through and you end up with water in your oil. Yes, better here than in your engine block, but still a costly mistake.