Double blown intermediate bearing seals

[Canuckjetboater]

Well happy new year to me. Was anchored off Clearwater today and happened to poke around in the engine compartment because I saw the bilge pump come on. 1 bearing looks like a drip leak, the other is a steady stream. Both leaks go away when the engines are on.

2014 with 460 hours. Does that seem early for these seals to be going? I got the boat at 115 hours and have never greased them.

Also feels like the one with the stream has less power than the other. Would a blown intermediate bearing seal have any impact on performance?

Looking at estimates for this it may have to be the next thing I learn to do.

@FLJetBoater ..... the bearing's seals on the pump casings should definitely be greased and if they haven't been for over 300 hours of use I can certainly see them leaking. Your manual should instruct you on the volume of grease to use. You may have to grease them in stages - that is a little at a time to see if the seals swell. They may be beyond salvage at this point. Do you have a local shop you trust for advice? RIVA racing may let you speak with a service technician, they are a super outfit. If you mention that they were recommended on the Jetboaters Forum you may get some advice. As for the rest of us we need to read our service manuals. I read mine cover to cover at the start of each boating season and make a maintenance checklist for the boating season. That alone has saved me a lot of money over the years. Good luck Florida Jet Boater!

 

[WREKS]

@haknslash I made these to assist in reaching into the awkward places. Laylows

 

[14SX190]

I would also check the coupler clearance, where engine aligns with intermediate shaft. That clearance should be very small (0.5mm).

Makes a difference if not aligned as it will give a driveline chatter. Mechanic I used to install head used two quarters to check clearance.
Take pictures before for after or use scribe marks to help line parts up again

Yeah, probably! I will document as much as I can. At least the parts are (reasonably) cheap. Probably going to go the pre-built housing/seals/bearing from WSM. I have a press but it doesn’t seem any cheaper to build it vs buy it. Plus the measurements seem very precise.

I would go OEM. Look how long it old one lasted. Something about WSM I wouldn't chance it to have to do it again.
Good time to get harbor freight press if you dont know of machine shop around you that can do it. Just take SM and specs with you

Did you take it completely out vs just moving it forward? Biggest concern I have is getting it back exactly where it was....steps to remove completely look fairly well documented in the manual.

Forward and up. Works easier with hoist but for that just take it completely out and have extra space to work in. Either way you need overhead hoist to lift engine.

It is, but I think others have just been able to slide it forward vs having to remove it entirely. Saves disconnecting fuel lines, etc....

Make sure to label them well. I couldn't find two plugs that were running under EM tot he back

4 star has to do with the emissions. Usually there are some stickers on the boat that will say it. Yamaha was hit or miss regarding which boats they added the hose to. Per their manual it should be on 4 star boats which come with the CARB/California-compliant engines (has cats).

The grease in that housing is for the seal more so than the bearings. It’s best to have too little than too much or none at all. If you’re worried about blowing it out (honestly it’s not common on here IMO) its fine to remove the fitting and fill with a large syringe.

yip

 

[FLJetBoater]

I would go OEM. Look how long it old one lasted. Something about WSM I wouldn't chance it to have to do it again.
Good time to get harbor freight press if you dont know of machine shop around you that can do it. Just take SM and specs with you

True....will price it out. In that case I assume that I can save the housing and just replace the seals/bearings if I can get them out OK?

I have a press here - the 2 ton one from HF which should be fine.

Put some grease in this morning, will see if it makes any difference. When I greased the one that just had a small drip leak it only took 1 squeeze and a bit came out the front of the assembly. The one that was leaking hard I put about 6-7 squeezes in and none was coming out so I stopped. Also when I was greasing that one I noticed that all 3 bolts on the rear engine compartment connection were loose so had someone help me hold the nuts in the bilge and tightened all those up.

 

[FLJetBoater]

Forward and up. Works easier with hoist but for that just take it completely out and have extra space to work in. Either way you need overhead hoist to lift engine.

Is it OK to just remove the 8 bolts holding the mounts to the floor vs the 4 bolts holding the engine onto the mounts? Would that make it easier to ensure its installed back in the same spot properly?

 

[14SX190]

I guess? Increases chances of more bolts breaking would be negative.

Cant say I haven't thought of it and why others haven't commented on if they did.

Let's see other opinions on it.

 

[Levi Weatherford]

Is it OK to just remove the 8 bolts holding the mounts to the floor vs the 4 bolts holding the engine onto the mounts? Would that make it easier to ensure its installed back in the same spot properly?

I have always thought that if an engine had to be moved, this idea might make it easier for realignment. Another idea I had to add to this procedure, I thought about either tracing the floor mounts or "misting" some paint around them so you would know exactly where they were sitting originally. Just an idea. May not work in real life.

 

[FLJetBoater]

I don't think the type of grease matters, the actual bearings are indeed sealed, the grease just goes in the space around the sealed bearing to occupy the space and keep the water out. But once there is water intrusion (which can happen if too much grease is pushed in blowing the outer seal/diaphragm) and things fall apart, who knows...
That whole intermediate bearing gizmo - it's a mysterious design, to me.

--

Well, initial results seem to be OK. Had the boat out for an hour yesterday and for the couple of times I checked the engine bay the housings were not leaking. Going to go out again in a few days and check again. Also ordered everything I need for a 2nd bilge pump. If this doesn't fix it permanently and they happen to go again and both end up leaking quickly vs one just dripping I'm not sure the oem bilge pump could keep up.

 

[Avidgrant]

Anyone have pics of what it looks like when you e added too much and blown a seal?

 

[FLJetBoater]

Anyone have pics of what it looks like when you e added too much and blown a seal?

I'm not sure if I have any pics and there's really no way to visually tell. The surefire way to know is that you have water leaking into your engine compartment through the bearing housing when you're idling. It starts as a drip and ends up with a solid flow. Most times, it stops once you turn on the engine but if you hit certain speeds/rpm's it can spray through as well.

You can put more grease into the housing at that point as a temporary stop gap, but after an outing or two it'll be right back where it was and that grease will have been pushed out by the water flow.

 

[FLJetBoater]

Anyone have pics of what it looks like when you e added too much and blown a seal?

Also, the dealer charged me $2200 plus tax to do both sides parts and labour. That included both full housings, bearings and seals and 1 of the coupler shafts.