MAIDEN VOYAGE WAS AWESOME TODAY....AND THEN DISASTER

[rkluck]

I have had to limp back on one engine several times and as long as you go slow you won't have a problem with water in the engine.

 

[anmut]

Call your insurance company and get your claim filed. That's why we pay those jerks.

 

[zipper]

I took my 2021 212SE out for her maiden voyage today. Perfect weather, sunny, no wind, water was like glass all day. I was breaking her in so I never went over 30 mph, just fast enough to plane. Those engines were purring. I was the only one on the lake except for numerous fishermen. I was heading back to to the launch which was on the other side of the lake, maybe 6 miles. I came across some buoys that I thought were 5 mph buoys, but by the time I realized my mistake the low depth warning was blazing away, and I was stuck big time. I killed the engines immediately. I couldn't free the boat, so the Sheriff had to pull me off. Once I was free, the port engine started fine. The starboard engine sounded like a gravel mixer, and would crank but not start. So I headed back to the launch on the port engine. After I put it on the trailer, I was amazed the damage was limited. A testament to a well built boat. So my boat has less than 4 hours on it and I'm down to one engine. I'm screwed. Haven't told the wifey yet, and I guess I can kiss my extended warranty goodbye. Any ideas on how to get the rocks and sand out of the pump? Pray for me.....

So you said the starboard engine sounded like a "gravel mixer". So it did at least turn over. After the tow did you try to turn it over? If you did not, I would pull the spark plugs to check for water first, before cranking it. Check the impellor from the intake grate and pull the pump if you need to clear debris.

 

[swatski]

I took my 2021 212SE out for her maiden voyage today. Perfect weather, sunny, no wind, water was like glass all day. I was breaking her in so I never went over 30 mph, just fast enough to plane. Those engines were purring. I was the only one on the lake except for numerous fishermen. I was heading back to to the launch which was on the other side of the lake, maybe 6 miles. I came across some buoys that I thought were 5 mph buoys, but by the time I realized my mistake the low depth warning was blazing away, and I was stuck big time. I killed the engines immediately. I couldn't free the boat, so the Sheriff had to pull me off. Once I was free, the port engine started fine. The starboard engine sounded like a gravel mixer, and would crank but not start. So I headed back to the launch on the port engine. After I put it on the trailer, I was amazed the damage was limited. A testament to a well built boat. So my boat has less than 4 hours on it and I'm down to one engine. I'm screwed. Haven't told the wifey yet, and I guess I can kiss my extended warranty goodbye. Any ideas on how to get the rocks and sand out of the pump? Pray for me.....

Sorry to hear. I can relate.

I would pull the pump, here are some pics, it's pretty strait forward:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/lucky-13-l13-anti-cavitation-cone-install-2016-ar240.12099/

If you start your engine with the pump off, do not rev it up much, it has no load. The terrible noise MOST PROBABLY comes from the pump. If it still sounds terrible with the pump off, take it in. If it sounds fine/normal, similar to the other one - you have some work to do on the pump.
We can walk you through this, or take it for repair, it is not going to be a warranty item and most likely not worth filing for insurance claim.

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[2kwik4u]

If you did not rev high then you should be ok but check the oil anyway to be sure. I think you will be fine after clearing impeller.

@RobbieO
Don't just check the oil. Pull the plugs on the engine that didn't run on the way back to the dock. Make sure you don't have water in the cylinders BEFORE you attempt to start that engine again. You're most likely OK, but it's a quick and easy check.

 

[RobbieO]

That made my guts spin. Hope it all comes out in the end, literally! Fingers crossed for you man.

Thank you...the encouragement on this forum has been awesome

 

[RobbieO]

@RobbieO
Don't just check the oil. Pull the plugs on the engine that didn't run on the way back to the dock. Make sure you don't have water in the cylinders BEFORE you attempt to start that engine again. You're most likely OK, but it's a quick and easy check.

Thanks for the help. I did crank it when I got back to the launch ramp, but it sounded exactly the same. Wasn't hydro locked

 

[RobbieO]

That made my guts spin. Hope it all comes out in the end, literally! Fingers crossed for you man.

Thank you !

 

[RobbieO]

Sorry to hear that. I’d start by looking at the clean out ports and then to the impeller. Might have to remove a bucket to get a good view. Probably isn’t as bad as you think. The guys in this forum will get you right.

Luckily, I've been a mechanic my whole life. Ford dealer for 20 years, now working on Hybrid/Diesel Articulate buses. Hopefully I can use some of my skills to work on something that is somewhat different. Thanks for the feedback! You guys on this forum have been great.

 

[rad1026]

Okay, there are several responses here recommending checking the oil for water because of the possibility of water moving up through the cooling system when the down engine is being towed. That doesn't make sense to me. The water has the possibility of moving up through the cooling system and depositing on top of the cylinders creating a hydro-lock situation, correct? You need to pull the spark plugs and check for water in the cylinders, not for water in the oil. Am I wrong? Not trying to disrespect anyone's recommendations, just trying to understand.

 

[2kwik4u]

Luckily, I've been a mechanic my whole life. Ford dealer for 20 years, now working on Hybrid/Diesel Articulate buses. Hopefully I can use some of my skills to work on something that is somewhat different. Thanks for the feedback! You guys on this forum have been great.

That makes you WILDLY over qualified to work on these things. Best advice now.....Don't over think it. These boats are dead simple machines. The entire drivetrain is a couple of bearings, a shaft, and a couple cables. There is nothing difficult to be had here.

Watch the youtube video on pulling the pump, remove that and clean that area really well. Inspect for damage, reassemble and see how it goes.

 

[2kwik4u]

Okay, there are several responses here recommending checking the oil for water because of the possibility of water moving up through the cooling system when the down engine is being towed. That doesn't make sense to me. The water has the possibility of moving up through the cooling system and depositing on top of the cylinders creating a hydro-lock situation, correct? You need to pull the spark plugs and check for water in the cylinders, not for water in the oil. Am I wrong? Not trying to disrespect anyone's recommendations, just trying to understand.

No your 100% correct here. If hydro-locked is a concern (OP says it isn't at this point), then pulling the plugs is the CORRECT way to check. It is possible that the oil looks acceptable and there is still water in the cylinder.

HOWEVER......if water sits on top of the cylinders for very long it will seep past the rings (they're dynamic seals, not static seals) and into the oil. You can usually find evidence of water in the cylinders IF there is oil in the water.

Typically to make the common "milkshake" style oil evidence, you need a cooling water to oil pathway. Those usually come from cracked or eroded cylinder heads, though there have been other issues that have caused that condition.

 

[rad1026]

Same as engine run on in a water cooled outdrive system where water has the possibility of getting sucked back through the exhaust manifold back to the cylinder. Thanks 2kwik, that is what I thought.

 

[RobbieO]

That makes you WILDLY over qualified to work on these things. Best advice now.....Don't over think it. These boats are dead simple machines. The entire drivetrain is a couple of bearings, a shaft, and a couple cables. There is nothing difficult to be had here.

Watch the youtube video on pulling the pump, remove that and clean that area really well. Inspect for damage, reassemble and see how it goes.

The housing that is sealed to the transom stays in place? I don't need to remove that part. That was my big concern breaking that seal. You guys have been great. Thank you so much. Not a great way to start my retirement. The boat is a retirement gift I gave to myself. Less than 4 hours on it.

 

[swatski]

Extremely small chance you have water in the engine. I took my boat surfing one time a couple years ago. Couldn’t figure out why it was having trouble keeping a good wave with all the ballast bags full. Turns out I forgot to start both engines! But it had no damage. No water at all in the engine. This potential problem gets blown out of proportion a lot on here I’ve noticed.

I agree. Most if not all hydro-lock issues are due to errors in engine flush sequence on a hose.

The OP traveling at hull speed - chances of water ingress are vanishingly low.

BTW, another good practice not in the manual is to throw the non-working engine's throttle binnacle up - to the wide open position; it raises the reverse bucket and prevents backpressure building up in the pump, which can push water up the exhaust.

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[swatski]

The housing that is sealed to the transom stays in place? I don't need to remove that part. That was my big concern breaking that seal. You guys have been great. Thank you so much. Not a great way to start my retirement. The boat is a retirement gift I gave to myself. Less than 4 hours on it.

Correct, no need to pull the transom plate.
There is no real seal or gasket, albeit some use blue RV silicone between the pump segments which is similar to whatever that is that Yamaha does. And don't loose those pesky dowels, if they still use them between segments, lol.

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[2kwik4u]

The housing that is sealed to the transom stays in place? I don't need to remove that part. That was my big concern breaking that seal. You guys have been great. Thank you so much. Not a great way to start my retirement. The boat is a retirement gift I gave to myself. Less than 4 hours on it.

Yeap.

You can pull the nozzle, then slide the impeller out on the shaft. So the bearing and seal internal to the hull stay put. The rest comes out, with exception to the metal plate on the transom. That stays.

 

[swatski]

The housing that is sealed to the transom stays in place? I don't need to remove that part. That was my big concern breaking that seal. You guys have been great. Thank you so much. Not a great way to start my retirement. The boat is a retirement gift I gave to myself. Less than 4 hours on it.

Think of all the positives here, you are on a crash course to get to know your boat so much better!

Another positive: you are not looking at a whole new lower unit or outdrive! Beauty of jet boats.

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[RobbieO]

Yeap.

You can pull the nozzle, then slide the impeller out on the shaft. So the bearing and seal internal to the hull stay put. The rest comes out, with exception to the metal plate on the transom. That stays.

Okay, great. I'll post some pictures later and keep you guys updated. Hopefully if I need to buy a new impeller or pump, they are available.

 

[RobbieO]

Well by the grace of God or whatever....no damage...Whatever was rattling around yesterday preventing the starboard engine from cranking fast enough to start, must of fell out on the way home. Have NO idea how that is possible. The cylinders are bone dry, the oil still looks new, and no apparent damage to the impeller. Hopefully the shaft splines are not stripped, and the impeller actually turns. She purrs like a kitten right now. Going to flush the engines out and make sure I got good flow. Thanks everyone for your positive vibes. They worked!