No Thrust from either engine

[Glads77]

Hey Everyone,

I’m somewhat new to boating and brand new to jet boats so feel free to give any obvious answers here. I went to take a 2007 Yamaha sx210 out this weekend and once we had it in the water we had zero thrust from either engine. Tried putting both throttles in reverse/forward and no movement. Gates do go up and down and it sure revs up. I would compare it to a car stuck in neutral. Is there something dumb I’m missing like a button to put it in gear? The clean out plugs are stuck and have been for quite some time. The only difference is that I vacuumed out the standing water in the clean outs so I could view the plugs better. Any ideas/help is greatly appreciated. Ended up having to winch the boat back on the trailer

 

[jdkaeser]

There are no gears. If the engines are turning then the impeller and shafts are turning. They turn all the time while running. The gate just changes the direction of the water flow from forward to reverse. I'm not an expert on the older boats with the clean out plugs that get stuck so I'll let someone else chime in there. My first thought was, are the plugs in. That is usually what causes that type of feeling. Start it up on the trailer and open the gates and look inside to see if the impellers are spinning.

 

[Glads77]

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll take a look when I get over to the boat. I’ve seen the several threads about stuck plugs, but I fear that I’ll break something else trying to get them out. I’ll also go ahead and fill them back with water and maybe that will help with a seal issue if there is one.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Sure sounds like plugs. When I forget to lock mine it that is about what happens. Could be a broken shaft but I would doubt both shafts would be broken at the same time. Only other thing would be if the splines on both shafts are sheered off. But again it would be highly improbable for both to be like that.

Did you just buy the boat? Have you ever been out in it before?

 

[Glads77]

Sure sounds like plugs. When I forget to lock mine it that is about what happens. Could be a broken shaft but I would doubt both shafts would be broken at the same time. Only other thing would be if the splines on both shafts are sheered off. But again it would be highly improbable for both to be like that.

Did you just buy the boat? Have you ever been out in it before?

I did just buy the boat and have not been out on it unfortunately. I got it from a family that said they had it out just a few weeks ago and I trust that’s accurate. Should have actually taken it out first, but we live and learn.
With how the plugs are stuck I honestly don’t know if they’re locked or not, but they sure don’t budge. Would they technically need to be “locked” even if they’re stuck? Thanks!

 

[HangOutdoors]

They could be stuck at an angle and not creating a seal, possibly. Just a thought.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Perhaps there is stuff in the pumps?

Did you look up in through the intake grates to see if there is anything in the pumps?

 

[Glads77]

I did go under the trailer and look through the intake grates. I didn’t see anything but it’s also not the easiest to look into. Started both engines and the impellers spun in both. I’m leaning towards a plug issue

 

[itsdgm]

Any leak of pressure within the pressure side of the pump as well as the intake side will cause a lack of thrust. What your describing (engine running, like a car stuck in neutral) is called cavitation. Your pumps are sucking in air and causing cavitation. Even a piece of fishing line wrapped around the pump shaft could cause that. But a very common cause is the cleanout plugs.

More than likely it’s a simple fix. Possibly small debris that got in both pumps. You just have to know what/where to look for It.

Good luck with fixing it. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Sounds like the clean out plug are not in place maybe just sitting in the holes as was already mentioned or you idled in shallow water and clogged the intake grates then when you turned off the engines the weeds etc fell out, you really have to watch reverse especially if you don't want to throw trash up into your intake grates in shallow water. do a search on here about my reverse move and learn how to do it so if you get weeds you can easily remove then from the pump intake grates. just remember the pumps are huge vacuum cleanser and they will suck up the bottom pretty quickly.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

You have the blow out plugs so I would suggest looking at my EZ locks to prevent any serious issues in the future with those plugs even if they are not the problem but I believe they are. Cobra EZ-Locks

 

[Glads77]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and quick replies. I will see if I can seat the plugs better and perhaps try again. Eventually would like to get them out and rebuild them, but for now just want to get out on the water.

Question though, if there wasn’t a good seal with the plugs or they weren’t seated all the way, should the clean out port holes have been filled with water after idling there? They were still dry after getting the boat back on the trailer.

 

[djetok]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and quick replies. I will see if I can seat the plugs better and perhaps try again. Eventually would like to get them out and rebuild them, but for now just want to get out on the water.

Question though, if there wasn’t a good seal with the plugs or they weren’t seated all the way, should the clean out port holes have been filled with water after idling there? They were still dry after getting the boat back on the trailer.

water on top of your plugs is not a big deal. Seating the plugs in properly is key. The plugs should slide in with little force. The same can be said about removal. I always pulled my plugs at the end of the day, to minimize swelling. If your plugs are stuck there are ways that people have removed their seized plugs. Do a search for that.

 

[fireflymedic]

Can you, with engines off, put throttle in forward positions and take a picture of prop. Also get under boat with a light and take a pic of leading edge of prop. And post them. It seems odd both would get bent at same time but maybe they have to much clearance. One thing to check is the gate covering your jet nozzles are actually moving when boat throttle is moved. You can do this with engines and batteries off on the older boats like yours.

 

[fireflymedic]

PS: Did you notice if you had water comming out of pissors when you had it in water? (The 2 water outlets on side of boat by the bilge outlet) that water really shoots out hard with engines turning high rpms. If you did the props were moving water and it would further make me think it was your reverse gates not moving.

 

[Skyhawk223]

Make sure the cleanout plugs are installed and locked in place. I speak from very recent experience...

 

[sunbyrned]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and quick replies. I will see if I can seat the plugs better and perhaps try again. Eventually would like to get them out and rebuild them, but for now just want to get out on the water.

Question though, if there wasn’t a good seal with the plugs or they weren’t seated all the way, should the clean out port holes have been filled with water after idling there? They were still dry after getting the boat back on the trailer.

Good question!

 

[Glads77]

PS: Did you notice if you had water comming out of pissors when you had it in water? (The 2 water outlets on side of boat by the bilge outlet) that water really shoots out hard with engines turning high rpms. If you did the props were moving water and it would further make me think it was your reverse gates not moving.

I will have to check the gates again. They definitely move but I had someone else watching the last time and would like to view it myself.
As far as the water out of the side that’s a good question. With how hectic it was having a boat that won’t move at the public ramp, I don’t remember if there was any or not. It was running for 5-10 minutes and no signs of overheating so I’m leaning towards yes, but will need to confirm.

 

[Glads77]

Can you, with engines off, put throttle in forward positions and take a picture of prop. Also get under boat with a light and take a pic of leading edge of prop. And post them. It seems odd both would get bent at same time but maybe they have to much clearance. One thing to check is the gate covering your jet nozzles are actually moving when boat throttle is moved. You can do this with engines and batteries off on the older boats like yours.

Gates do open and close fully. Plugs still won’t latch, but for all I know they may be glued. Can’t tell if that’s glue or salt on the plugs from the pictures. I put all my weight into them with a board and they didn’t move.

 

[VitaminSea]

IMO it appears the clean out plugs are very warn. The edges appear rough and in need of replacement.

Your impellers have a few nicks and dings on the leading edges, but don’t appear terrible & I couldn’t image they are the root cause. Also the tunnels appear smooth & clean.

Can you provide a few pics from the top of the plugs?

Also you mentioned putting your weight into it with a board. For clarification was that pushing up or down?

If you haven’t already, I would source the rebuild kits so once you get ‘em out you can rebuild them and see if that was your issue.