Limping 2016 Scarab 195 HO Impulse

[Dave G]

Greetings,

I was happily going along at about 40 mph in my 195 HO impulse when the RPM's suddenly dropped for no apparent reason. Noting in the impeller. No warning codes. Nothing.

All I can get out of it is 6000 RPM which is about 23 mph. I took it to the dealer which is about 3 hrs away. They had it for the entire season, replaced the EReverse module, replaced a blown fuse, did an oil change, and declared it fixed.

I put it in the water for the first time since a few days ago and it still will not go above 6000 RPM. When I say 6000, I mean the display reads "6000" exactly. The engine also sound slightly different - almost as if the supercharger isn't spinning up but I don't have any way of driving and diagnosing at the same time. I called the dealer and they mentioned the wear ring. I really don't think this is the problem because even if the wear ring needed to be replaced, it should still reach full RPMs. I really don't want to take another 6 hour road trip to the dealer without getting some idea what's going on first.

I also need to find a part number for the 40A breaker for the sound system. I needs tunes!

Any suggestions on where to start would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave G.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Did you check the spark plugs? Somebody else I saw reported something very similar. They had too much oil, it fouled a spark plug and limited them to about 6000 rpm. If you haven't done so, I'd check all your spark plugs.

No idea on the breaker, sorry. Don't have such a sound system.

 

[Dave G]

Thanks Luc.

I'll check it and make sure but it's not running rough at all, just not getting up to speed.

I pulled the breaker out to get the numbers off of it. However, everywhere I looked, it appears to be obsolete. Looking for a cross reference now.

Dave

 

[Dave G]

Final diagnosis:

The supercharger died violently. When the dealer service pulled it off, they discovered that the main drive gear had exploded and the shrapnel was pulled into some of the oil channels and wedged in to the point that it cannot be removed easily. The choices were a.) do a complete rebuild/remanufacture of the engine for $11,000 or b.) just pull it out and toss it for a new one for $12,000. The boat was about 2 months out of warranty when this happened.

Just another day at the lake....

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Holy crap. That sucks.... a lot. Insurance???

 

[Dave G]

Still waiting to find out but, I called BRP (they handle all warranty issues on rotax engines, not Scarab) and had a discussion about the warranty. First of all, they had it that the warranty expired in 2019. However, the person on the phone found some paperwork that should have had the "Best" warranty which would expire in May of 2021. This paperwork existed but nobody actually ran it through the system so it was always deny, deny, deny.
Long story short, if I can prove that the failure happened (on the word of the dealer) near the end date of the warranty in May of 2021, they *MIGHT* cover the repair. I'm still waiting and hoping for their response.

I have to say, the BRP representative that I spoke with was really sharp and helpful. The number to call is (844)345-4277 for Customer Service.

Dave

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Well I wish you luck. I haven't seen many such reports (if any).

 

[Dave G]

Finally getting my repaired boat back next weekend! After weeks of back and forth between BRP warranty person and Performance East in Goldsboro, NC (Both of whom deserve kudos!) BRP will be covering the cost. The problems were numerous starting with the fact that BRP never implemented the "BEST" warranty that came with it (5yrs instead of 3yrs) until I called about the issues. After that they wanted all kinds of previous service records of anything that was done to the boat, proof of purchase date, and proof of delivery date. Next was proving when the failure happened. As it turns out, it happened 3 days before the end of the 5yr warranty period.

The questions I have now all deal with the break-in period of the new engine. What is the recommended break-in? At the outset it was all controlled by the software but when the engine is replaced, the hour meter does not get reset so it's up to me to follow the RPMs vs Hrs. Is this available somewhere in the owners manual or service manual?

Dave

 

[Babin Farms]

If you don't have the OM or any other literature I would contact the dealership for the break in procedure of the new engine.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

From the engine manual.

 

[Dave G]

OK. Thanks. I'll see how well I can do just cruising around High Rock Lake. To the water! I don't care if it's only 40 degrees this time of year, I'm back, baby!