2008 AR230 HO starboard engine won't start

[jpublic123]

Long-time boater, first-time jet boat owner. Starboard engine quit during third time out and won't restart - details below. Any advice on what to look for is appreciated. From info in other posts I will be checking the kill switch and clean-out hatch switch. Thinking maybe the fuel pump has failed - is the best way to test those swapping the outlet lines and seeing if the problem switches sides? Talked to the mechanics where I bought it and they want me to bring it in for them to check. Thanks in advance!

Timeline:
Had the boat out first time on Saturday. 7 people. Pulled wake boarders twice. Out for a couple hours. Ran fine.

Sunday took it over to a friend's house. 3 people. 30 minutes each way at about 25mph. No problems.

Tuesday had 8 people. Pulling a tube for about 20 minutes when there was a soft "pop" or "thump"and the engine tone changed - got a little deeper. Immediately shut off the engines. I wasn't driving so didn't see what the tachometers did at this moment.

Noticed a wisp of steam from the engine compartment port side so first thought was a burst hose, but didn't find one. Think maybe it was bilge water splashed on the engine?

Then tried starting the motors. Port side is fine. Starboard engine won't start. It turns over but won't catch. Swim for an hour or so and try again - same thing. Hadn't gone far so motor home on one engine at no wake speed.

Wednesday after work I tried the motors again. This time the starboard motor starts but doesn't get to full idle speed and won't stay running. Does this a couple times and then refuses to start again. Try again after 30 minutes and still won't start. Lights on the tach were normal the whole time.

 

[dgfreeze]

First things first, check compression on all four cylinders. Hope and pray that comes back good. If it does, then I'd be looking into the exhaust system, and other things that would potentially give you an audible "pop" while underway. No water ingestion in the boat? AKA, excessive water in the bilge?

If you don't have a compression tester, most auto parts stores will loan you one. ***IF*** my memory serves me correctly, you want to see about 125-150 per cylinder, but testers seem to vary a bit in their results, so as long as it's a bit over 100, and they're all 4 fairly close to the same number, you're likely ok.

 

[dgfreeze]

Oh, and welcome to the board!! lol

 

[jpublic123]

Thank you! I'll search out my compression tester.

 

[Bruce]

If the engine turns over but will not start the most likely issue is the kill switch / lanyard.

If the boat is not in neural or the safety switches under the cleanout hatch are not engaged the engines will not turn over.

If the lanyard is pulled or the switches are not closed the engines will turn over but there will be no spark. The single lanyard mechanism has separate switches for the port and starboard engines.

I would start by pulling and reinstalling the lanyard. If that does not work I would try pulling the lanyard switch and shorting the wires to test if the switch is defective.

 

[Babin Farms]

Check the oil. See if it’s overfilled and smells like gas or if it’s milky. Also check the spark plugs to see if one is unlike the others.

 

[jpublic123]

Sad to report that when I opened the engine hatch the bilge has a layer of oil and I can see what appears to be a connecting rod end cap lying in the oil. The bilge was clean immediately after the incident so I'm guessing the case is just cracked and more oil came out when I cranked the engine later.

Going to have the shop take a look. Maybe it's fixable since the engine was still turning over after this happened. Seems like the connecting rod failed somehow. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[scokill]

Sad to report that when I opened the engine hatch the bilge has a layer of oil and I can see what appears to be a connecting rod end cap lying in the oil. The bilge was clean immediately after the incident so I'm guessing the case is just cracked and more oil came out when I cranked the engine later.

Going to have the shop take a look. Maybe it's fixable since the engine was still turning over after this happened. Seems like the connecting rod failed somehow. Thanks for all the replies.

What's the history of the boat? Have you owned since new? Engine is not really fixable with hole in the block enough for parts to come out.

 

[jpublic123]

Just purchased the boat - was the fourth time taking it out. It had one previous owner. Well-used (over 150 engine hours) but well-maintained.

 

[Bruce]

Just purchased the boat - was the fourth time taking it out. It had one previous owner. Well-used (over 150 engine hours) but well-maintained.

Sorry, time to start looking for a waverunner with the same engine as a donor.

 

[WREKS]

Maybe @Brad_Ct can chime in. He just put in a replacement motor from SBT.

 

[scokill]

Just purchased the boat - was the fourth time taking it out. It had one previous owner. Well-used (over 150 engine hours) but well-maintained.

Did the previous owner replace that engine? Just curious. 150 is very low hours. Just for some context, mine has around 700 which is less than 50/year that I've owned. I have a theory with nothing but random observation over the years for MR1 motors. Low hours aren't good. I don't think these engines like to sit.

 

[Brad_Ct]

Just purchased the boat - was the fourth time taking it out. It had one previous owner. Well-used (over 150 engine hours) but well-maintained.

150 hours is nothing on these engines, our boat showed over 400 hrs on the meter but both engines got water in them before we bought it. The ski I bought for a donor engine was a 2002 with a little under 1000 hours on it, as long as they are properly maintained they will run a long time. Of course with anything mechanical there are exceptions.

We bought a rebuilt engine from SBT as @WREKS mentioned above, don’t have a lot of hours on it yet but so far it runs great Unfortunately your engine cannot be used for a core since there is whole in the block and most likely the crankshaft got messed up when the rod broke. SBT also sells what they consider new engines that they manufacturer, @84rzv500r bought a couple of them when he swapped out his 2 strokes.

 

[WREKS]

I do not know if overheating the engine led to @jpublic123 's problem. But @scokill, I agree with you; and here is why. I am one of those low hour boaters (<125 hours ,each engine).We used to have overheats constantly. I spent more hours pulling engines and diagnosing the problem than we did on the water.

One reason an overheating problem develops, in low hours use, is because the engines sit with a wet cooling system for weeks/months on end. The residual water left inside, feeds a microbial build-up. Once that develops, there is no flushing it out. It leaves a silicone like residue that dries out and cakes in the cooling water jackets. An easy way to observe the buildup (if it is happening), is to remove the cover on the back of the oil cooler and inspect the cooling fins. If the cooling fins
are anything but clean, there is a problem.

Now, after flushing, and after the engines have cooled down, I run them for about a minute without cooling water. I repeat the process over the next several days. I have not had overheats since I started doing this.

 

[Brad_Ct]

I do not know if overheating the engine led to @jpublic123 's problem. But @scokill, I agree with you; and here is why. I am one of those low hour boaters (<125 hours ,each engine).We used to have overheats constantly. I spent more hours pulling engines and diagnosing the problem than we did on the water.

One reason an overheating problem develops, in low hours use, is because the engines sit with a wet cooling system for weeks/months on end. The residual water left inside, feeds a microbial build-up. Once that develops, there is no flushing it out. It leaves a silicone like residue that dries out and cakes in the cooling water jackets. An easy way to observe the buildup (if it is happening), is to remove the cover on the back of the oil cooler and inspect the cooling fins. If the cooling fins
are anything but clean, there is a problem.

Now, after flushing, and after the engines have cooled down, I run them for about a minute without cooling water. I repeat the process over the next several days. I have not had overheats since I started doing this.

Like this!!

 

[WREKS]

@Brad_Ct, That's the stuff. Here is how it looks in the oil cooler. It does not flush out.

 

[Brad_Ct]

@Brad_Ct, That's the stuff. Here is how it looks in the oil cooler. It does not flush out.

I used my old oil cooler on the new engine, maybe I should look into this.

 

[WREKS]

@Brad_Ct Without replacing the gasket, I removed and reinstalled the covers several times. When reinstalling, I spot adhere the gasket in several places to insure that it will not get displaced.

 

[Scottintexas]

@Brad_Ct, That's the stuff. Here is how it looks in the oil cooler. It does not flush out.

@WREKS what's the difficulty factor in removing the oil cooler and cover ?

I wonder when we flush on the hose how much flush water makes it up that high ( especially when you don't clamp off at the Y fitting and loose a bunch of water out the inlet at the jet nozzle ???)

@finnrigged - have you ever taken the oil cooler apart on any of your skis and seen this ?


.

 

[WREKS]

Even though the cooling system self-drains, it stays wet inside.

As prefaced at #14, I believe this is more the problem for an infrequent user. The wet environment feeds the growth which then dies out but builds up and leaves additional scale after each infrequent use. Frequent use does not allow the scale to develop.

@Scottintexas Pulling the back oil cooler cover is just a matter of following the service manual instructions (proper torqueing sequence). Removing the oil cooler requires removing the engine.