Our New Baby, 2024 252SE 🎉

[Babin Farms]

Definitely envious of you.
Wouldn’t be surprised if the old MR1 engines are better on fuel. Back in 2021 on the Bimini trip the two of us with MR1 engines made it over on just over 1/2 tank and others had to refuel to make it.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Actually own a decibel meter and plan to test this! I will update on fuel consumption too, it will be easier when we go for a week at LOTO since we will travel to different lakeside restaurants multiple days and usually can be 20 nautical miles one way at a time, but I will see how general fuel use is on our home lake too.

Sounds like an awesome trip!

 

[Acard7]

“If you don’t have an issue within the first hour, you won’t have an issue for the rest of the time with the boat.”

Famous last words from the salesman we bought the boat from.

Sadly we didn’t have a good maiden voyage on the water. Got it off the trailer and immediately had an overheat on the starboard engine. Checked the pissers and the starboard one was barely pushing water. Opened the hatch and the exhaust manifold was pretty hot to the touch. Port’s was not. Shut down, reset. Turned back on, gave it some juice and thought I could clear what was maybe clogging the intake. No luck, no vibrations like if there was cavitation either. Plugs were locked in place tight when checked. Impeller good. Limped back on the trailer on one engine.

Off the water impeller is good forward and aft. Looked at the intake screen through the pump and it looked good. Pulled the intake screen:

Found this thing that looks like a bug. Hoped for the best and put it back on the water on the trailer, but it still overheated again. Still just a slow dribble of water coming out of the starboard pisser but it was hot. Port had a sufficient amount and it was cool. Notified salesman, and he didn’t have any other ideas, especially since the exhaust manifold is now really hot to touch, so didn’t want to push it anymore.

Got home, snapped a bolt off the intake screen removing it again , thank god was able to get some vice grips on the shaft and turn it out (really the least of my worries). Figured as I run it on the hose hopefully it pushes stuff out that way as well, which it did, quite a bit of water, but there was nothing in the clear tote I placed below the exhaust and pump. I still had an engine overheat on the hose as well. Shut it down let the salesman know. I had planned on cooling the engine down first before I removed the Y connection to see if it’s blocked there:


I have a phone call coming from a tech at 0930 tomorrow to set up a game plan. I couldn’t remove hoses after the failed attempt while running it on the hose since the engine was too hot to play around it. The dealership ran it on the hose for a half hour before we picked it up to make sure it was fine, which it was fine. My best guess is something has been nestled in the cooling line from the intake screen to the Y connection, and as soon as we got it on the water it was forced forward and plugged itself somewhere. I’m very hopeful that I can clear it myself without taking it to a dealer. It looks like I can at least get to where the hose inserts into the engine itself forward of the Y.

If the gunk has inserted itself into the engine past the cooling lines I’m afraid we are screwed and will need to take it to the dealer and have them pull the engine and clean the cooling system.

Not all a bad day so might as well give some pros. The new engines are super quiet at idle and no wake mode, didn’t measure dBs due to the issues we were having, but when you hardly notice the noise I’d say that’s a win. Hit the trailer perfect on one engine with a stiff 15mph cross wind and no trailer guides (yet). Got a sunburn. NO WATER out of the drain plug when we pulled it out!

Only got one pic and the wife took it from the dock, unbeknownst to her that I was having issues until I met her at the dock to deliver the bad news of needing to trailer it.



Another pic of the boats side by side:


I will say, I’m happy I started out with the AR230, it gave me the experience to know to check everything I could on the water before trailering and then everything on the trailer. If I had not had the experience or wisdom I have gained from this amazing forum I probably would have destroyed a new engine. Very happy we have not sold the AR230 yet & plan to make sure the new boat is squared away before selling it. The kids would be devastated if we were boatless all summer! The AR230 would’ve never done this to us

I guess when a 2024 model has been sitting for over a year before being sold it may just get clogged in the cooling lines. Hoping for a better day tomorrow though!

 

[Babin Farms]

Try pulling the thermostat and make sure there’s nothing blocking it from opening. Simple & easy.

 

[Acard7]

Try pulling the thermostat and make sure there’s nothing blocking it from opening. Simple & easy.

I had mentioned this to the salesman and he didn’t think that would be the issue. I’ll mention it tomorrow to the tech and see what he says, bcuz yes indeed it would be easy!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

My two cents.. that bug you found in the intake screen is too large at that stage to have fit through the holes, so unless it got in there in larvae stage in came in from up stream of the intake screen somewhere and was trying to get out that way, or it got pushed down to the screen when you started it on the water. Fucking bugs..

You have minimal flow at the pilot water which is normally the outlet from the oil cooler, and an engine overheat. That tells me that the clog is in the main inlet line, somewhere before the oil cooler inlet, I’m pretty sure the cooling water for the oil cooler comes in direct from the raw water from the pump? I’m not sure on that engine but pretty sure that is the way it comes in on my engine. If it were in the thermostat you would have had full flow out of the pilot water outlet?

I’d start at that T fitting just after the Wye fitting for the flush water, disconnect the hoses where they terminate after the T fitting so you won’t be forcing any water into the engine / exhaust etc.. turn on the hose and see what happens. If you have full flow out of those two hoses then move up stream towards the engine, I’m assuming the T line goes to the exhaust / water mixer but I cannot tell from the picture, and the other straight through goes to the motor.. just be careful not to push any water into the exhaust system or engine without the engine on.. you’ll know pretty quick where the clogged line is.

So here’s a question, were you getting plenty of water out of the jet pump itself? Meaning water coming back down from the Wye connector and out the filter screen where the bug was? I wonder IF, that bug was just part of the bug clog in the main line before the T and that is just what was able to get pushed back towards the main inlet screen? You’ll know soon enough once you disconnect those hoses and hook up the garden hose and start checking. I hope you find the clog quickly and you’re back on the water soon.

Sorry you didn’t have a grand maiden voyage and hopefully this is just one small speed bump in the boats life and you guys will be enjoying the new boat soon.

 

[Acard7]

My two cents.. that bug you found in the intake screen is too large at that stage to have fit through the holes, so unless it got in there in larvae stage in came in from up stream of the intake screen somewhere and was trying to get out that way, or it got pushed down to the screen when you started it on the water. Fucking bugs..

You have minimal flow at the pilot water which is normally the outlet from the oil cooler, and an engine overheat. That tells me that the clog is in the main inlet line, somewhere before the oil cooler inlet, I’m pretty sure the cooling water for the oil cooler comes in direct from the raw water from the pump? I’m not sure on that engine but pretty sure that is the way it comes in on my engine. If it were in the thermostat you would have had full flow out of the pilot water outlet?

I’d start at that T fitting just after the Wye fitting for the flush water, disconnect the hoses where they terminate after the T fitting so you won’t be forcing any water into the engine / exhaust etc.. turn on the hose and see what happens. If you have full flow out of those two hoses then move up stream towards the engine, I’m assuming the T line goes to the exhaust / water mixer but I cannot tell from the picture, and the other straight through goes to the motor.. just be careful not to push any water into the exhaust system or engine without the engine on.. you’ll know pretty quick where the clogged line is.

So here’s a question, were you getting plenty of water out of the jet pump itself? Meaning water coming back down from the Wye connector and out the filter screen where the bug was? I wonder IF, that bug was just part of the bug clog in the main line before the T and that is just what was able to get pushed back towards the main inlet screen? You’ll know soon enough once you disconnect those hoses and hook up the garden hose and start checking. I hope you find the clog quickly and you’re back on the water soon.

Sorry you didn’t have a grand maiden voyage and hopefully this is just one small speed bump in the boats life and you guys will be enjoying the new boat soon.

I’m going to talk to the tech and have them explain exactly how the water flows, and then I’ll get back to the forum with pics of the water flow on the new engine.. It was getting late when we got back and after I tried flushing again. There was plenty of water coming out of the intake screen area, I removed the intake screen off the pump to see if it would and it was spraying out of the intake screen area off the side of the pump. I had planned on pipe clamping the main inlet at the Y to just force water out the intake screen area. But after I got the overheat still that meant the plug is definitely at the Y or further forward.

The bug and clog definitely was in there between the Y and intake screen, since the dealership didn’t have any issues running it on the hose prior to pick up. I just forced everything forward when we put it in the water.

Fairly certain you are correct that the water to the oil cooler runs directly from the pump. I can remove that line there and at the Y and plan to use compressed air to blow it out, I then will use a hose to back flush from the the Y to the intake screen while it’s all disconnected from the engine. Unless the tech wants me to do something different. But yes barely any water flow out the pisser on the side for sure.

As simple as these engines are designed one would hope I can fix it without going to the dealer, but we shall see today!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I’m going to talk to the tech and have them explain exactly how the water flows, and then I’ll get back to the forum with pics of the water flow on the new engine.. It was getting late when we got back and after I tried flushing again. There was plenty of water coming out of the intake screen area, I removed the intake screen off the pump to see if it would and it was spraying out of the intake screen area off the side of the pump. I had planned on pipe clamping the main inlet at the Y to just force water out the intake screen area. But after I got the overheat still that meant the plug is definitely at the Y or further forward.

The bug and clog definitely was in there between the Y and intake screen, since the dealership didn’t have any issues running it on the hose prior to pick up. I just forced everything forward when we put it in the water.

Fairly certain you are correct that the water to the oil cooler runs directly from the pump. I can remove that line there and at the Y and plan to use compressed air to blow it out, I then will use a hose to back flush from the the Y to the intake screen while it’s all disconnected from the engine. Unless the tech wants me to do something different. But yes barely any water flow out the pisser on the side for sure.

As simple as these engines are designed one would hope I can fix it without going to the dealer, but we shall see today!

If you’re going to use compressed air I’d suggest regulating it down to 50 psi if you can. I’m pretty sure we are on the same page here but just to be sure, you just want to be sure not to force anything into the engine that might be in the lines with high pressure.

I’m going to assume you did not see the dealer run it on the hose? Seems like the flow out of the jet pump would have been restricted if the clogging material was between the Wye and the pump? Doesn’t really matter I suppose at this point….

Maybe one of our members who has a service manual for the 1.9 could post a picture of the cooling water flow…I think the only change in water flow between the 1.8 & 1.9 was the cooling water for the regulator / rectifier cooling plate came from the head instead of the exhaust manifold?

 

[Acard7]

If you’re going to use compressed air I’d suggest regulating it down to 50 psi if you can. I’m pretty sure we are on the same page here but just to be sure, you just want to be sure not to force anything into the engine that might be in the lines with high pressure.

I’m going to assume you did not see the dealer run it on the hose? Seems like the flow out of the jet pump would have been restricted if the clogging material was between the Wye and the pump? Doesn’t really matter I suppose at this point….

Maybe one of our members who has a service manual for the 1.9 could post a picture of the cooling water flow…I think the only change in water flow between the 1.8 & 1.9 was the cooling water for the regulator / rectifier cooling plate came from the head instead of the exhaust manifold?

Yes definitely will not be forcing any air or water into the engine as I disconnect things to clear them out! I did not see the dealer run it on the hose but the engines had half an hour each, so I assume they would have gotten some sort of overheat in that time and they probably weren’t looking for the water coming out of the pump much is my guess…

I believe you’re correct on the minor changes to the water flow.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Yes definitely will not be forcing any air or water into the engine as I disconnect things to clear them out! I did not see the dealer run it on the hose but the engines had half an hour each, so I assume they would have gotten some sort of overheat in that time and they probably weren’t looking for the water coming out of the pump much is my guess…

I believe you’re correct on the minor changes to the water flow.

Best of luck! Hope to see a post with success and bug carcasses!

 

[anmut]

Sorry to read about the bad maiden voyage. Have you attempted any weed trimmer line, running in reverse from the engine intake back out to the screen?

 

[Acard7]

Sorry to read about the bad maiden voyage. Have you attempted any weed trimmer line, running in reverse from the engine intake back out to the screen?

I plan to use compressed air when I disconnect the hoses to push anything out. I had removed the intake screen completely and ran the garden hose on it while the engine was running, and had a good amount of water coming out of the intake screen area. Still got an overheat even on the hose which is a different intake into the main line than from the intake screen. We believe (and hope) that whatever is stuck is stuck in the T intersection forward of the Y where the hose splits to the oil cooler and another part of the engine. So by taking that apart today I hope I find the issue!

 

[YoDaddy292]

Man I hate it when the maiden voyage turns ugly. Luckily, like you said, you understand Yamaha boats and know the fix should be simple. It seems like I spent the first year making adjustments, buying the right aftermarket pieces, and learning how to troubleshoot strange issues. She sure looks awesome on the water and can't wait to hear about the next SUCCESSFUL voyage.

 

[Acard7]

I’m happy to report I have had success. First learning that removing the T piece is easier if you just move all the clamps from: the exhaust, to the engine, and then from the Y piece and the T piece itself. Before I put it all back together I blew out the main inlet towards the intake screen, nothing was found there. I blew out the pilot line as well but it wasn't blocked. I ran the engine on the hose for 10 min without an overheat! The exhaust manifold was much cooler since I could actually place my hand on it. The pisser on the side flowed more water on the hose than it did on the water. Below is what was blocking the T piece:


Couldn’t even see daylight through any of the ends.

Below are some pics of how the water travels:





As you can see it comes from the pump, travels to the oil cooler and also splits off to the exhaust at the T. It then goes from the oil cooler to thermostat (line runs behind exhaust manifold) and pilot hole. Probably would’ve gotten more photos but had the 3 year old with me so she kinda got in the way at times.

Reset the engine light by leaving the batteries on and then: key on, turning the stbd engine on then off, and key off. Did this 5 times and it reset. Dealer said it can take up to 10 times to reset a CEL but usually 3-5 times does it.

We will redo the maiden voyage come Wednesday!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Super awesome you found the problem and had successful test on the hose!!!!

So exactly where was all that crap?

Bugs are some industrious little bastards! Bet whatever it was thought they’d built a great hut and all was good!

 

[Acard7]

Super awesome you found the problem and had successful test on the hose!!!!

So exactly where was all that crap?

Bugs are some industrious little bastards! Bet whatever it was thought they’d built a great hut and all was good!

All of that crap came out of the T piece, it was packed in so tight. Definitely a little ecosystem they created!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

All of that crap came out of the T piece, it was packed in so tight. Definitely a little ecosystem they created!

Wowzer!

So does all the water to engine flow through the oil cooler first?

Are you going to have to get your wife to take another mental health day to go out on Wednesday?

 

[YoDaddy292]

What a little thing to bring down such an expensive piece of machinery. Could you imagine losing a motor to some insect?!?!?!

 

[Acard7]

Wowzer!

So does all the water to engine flow through the oil cooler first?

Are you going to have to get your wife to take another mental health day to go out on Wednesday?

It sure looks like it’s distributed via the oil cooler, no other lines going into the engine anywhere. And thankfully the wife has Wednesday off, supposed to be high of 76 degrees with winds increasing later in the day but at this point idc! We won’t have the kids, sad for them, but less work for us for sure.

 

[anmut]

It sure looks like it’s distributed via the oil cooler, no other lines going into the engine anywhere. And thankfully the wife has Wednesday off, supposed to be high of 76 degrees with winds increasing later in the day but at this point idc! We won’t have the kids, sad for them, but less work for us for sure.

It's pretty interesting that Yamaha would choose to warm the intake water with the oil and then pump that into the block... I guess there's enough volume passing through they figure that's enough (although I get pretty warm pisser water when surfing, not hot to the touch, but warmer than ambient.