Speedster Engine Surges

[Ron B]

Hello. I have a 2010 Seadoo Speedster 150 with the 255 HP supercharged engine that i bought new. Love the boat and the performace.
The problem is, I cant find anybody to service the boat anymore in Phoenix. The engine surges under load. I’ve changed the plugs, coil packs, replaced both fuel filters, fresh gas, new fuel injectors, checked fuel pump pressure (60 psi). It starts, idles great but wont accelerate, just surges badly. There is no check engine light or trouble code displayed on dash. Can anyone suggest how i can get my boat fixed. It must be one of the many engine sensors gone bad…. Please help, still love the boat!

 

[Sidarousmg]

hey Ron B, when you say it "idles but wont accelerate" , do you mean when you hit the throttle the RPMS increase, but the boat does not accelerate or move? if so, that's usually a sign of an issue with the pump/impeller/wear ring. have you checked the condition of the impeller and ring?

 

[Ron B]

hey Ron B, when you say it "idles but wont accelerate" , do you mean when you hit the throttle the RPMS increase, but the boat does not accelerate or move? if so, that's usually a sign of an issue with the pump/impeller/wear ring. have you checked the condition of the impeller and ring?

Thanks. The boat has a new wear ring and the jet is clean. It runs perfectly when starting, idling or at low speeds through the no wake zone. Up to about 4000 rpm it runs perfect. When i accelerate, the engine revs nicely but suddenly power drops off for a few seconds, then tries to rev up again. I assumed this was a fuel problem rather than electrical. But other than sensors, ive gone through the whole fuel system.

 

[Sidarousmg]

Thanks. The boat has a new wear ring and the jet is clean. It runs perfectly when starting, idling or at low speeds through the no wake zone. Up to about 4000 rpm it runs perfect. When i accelerate, the engine revs nicely but suddenly power drops off for a few seconds, then tries to rev up again. I assumed this was a fuel problem rather than electrical. But other than sensors, ive gone through the whole fuel system.

since there are no fault codes or alarms, i wouldn't think it would be a sensor issue, but i may be wrong. when was the supercharger last rebuilt? I seem to remember someone on the seadoo facebook page a few years ago with a similar issue, i think it ended up being a leaky intercooler?

 

[Ron B]

since there are no fault codes or alarms, i wouldn't think it would be a sensor issue, but i may be wrong. when was the supercharger last rebuilt? I seem to remember someone on the seadoo facebook page a few years ago with a similar issue, i think it ended up being a leaky intercooler?

Excellent comments - thank you! Agree that any faulty or intermittent sensor should register a check engine light and a fault trouble code on my dash info center. None shown. The boat has 101 hours on it. Not sure what the lifespan of the supercharger (clutches) is? Also, although ive only driven the boat in fresh water, and always garage kept in the desert, ive read intercoolers can rust out, which would cause air leakage. Both the supercharger and/or intercooler leaks could cause the surging. Any way to check the supercharger? Do i need to remove the intercooler to pressure test it? Thanks for your help - appreciate it.

 

[Sidarousmg]

@Ron B doing some reading on the seadoo facebook group, seems that a leaky intercooler could be a cause for your symptoms. many described what they thought were engine missfires at higher rpm without any error codes on the dash. I'm sure you could remove and pressure test the intercooler, though i have no idea what you would need to accomplish that, maybe some digging might find you a video or instructions. also, looks like most went with an intercooler from a company called Fizzle or Fizzled. as for the supercharger, ask 3 people and you will get 10 different answers. i think the book called for 2 years or 200 hours, whichever comes first. personally, I think that sounds a little ridiculous (2 years) and i'm personally redoing mine every about 100 hours or 5 years. but since you've never had it rebuilt in 12 years, it might be time to go ahead and get it done. it's pretty simple and costs about $500 if you remove and send it out for the rebuild.

 

[Ron B]

@Ron B doing some reading on the seadoo facebook group, seems that a leaky intercooler could be a cause for your symptoms. many described what they thought were engine missfires at higher rpm without any error codes on the dash. I'm sure you could remove and pressure test the intercooler, though i have no idea what you would need to accomplish that, maybe some digging might find you a video or instructions. also, looks like most went with an intercooler from a company called Fizzle or Fizzled. as for the supercharger, ask 3 people and you will get 10 different answers. i think the book called for 2 years or 200 hours, whichever comes first. personally, I think that sounds a little ridiculous (2 years) and i'm personally redoing mine every about 100 hours or 5 years. but since you've never had it rebuilt in 12 years, it might be time to go ahead and get it done. it's pretty simple and costs about $500 if you remove and send it out for the rebuild.

So i looked online at all of the intercooler problems Seadoo owners have (both jet boat and jet ski) and checking the intercooler is easy. So i removed the intercooler hose at the throttle body and a significant amount of water poured out. I started the engine and the hose blew out alot more water. So i think, as youve concluded, that the intercooler has corroded (very common problem) and is leaking. Ive stated to remove it. Your’re right again, seems Fizzle is what people as replacing the OEM intercooler with (OEM sounds like poor quality). So im going to remove, test and replace the intercooler first - very likely the problem. The supercharger will be next at some point in time, especially if this doesn t solve the problem - im convinced youre right, there should not be water in the intake. (There is one Utube video of water spitting out of the tube due to condensation but mine must be leaking. Also, while testing the boat in water, my son and I recall seeing “ unusal smoke” in the wake. Now, im sure it was water vapor that was burned during combustion - didnt smell of oil, plugs clean. Soooooo, thank you very very much for helping out and i think youve diagnosed my problem from afar! If you dont mind, id like to update you on the intercooler condition/ pressure test when i get it out….thanks so much. Ron.

 

[Sidarousmg]

So i looked online at all of the intercooler problems Seadoo owners have (both jet boat and jet ski) and checking the intercooler is easy. So i removed the intercooler hose at the throttle body and a significant amount of water poured out. I started the engine and the hose blew out alot more water. So i think, as youve concluded, that the intercooler has corroded (very common problem) and is leaking. Ive stated to remove it. Your’re right again, seems Fizzle is what people as replacing the OEM intercooler with (OEM sounds like poor quality). So im going to remove, test and replace the intercooler first - very likely the problem. The supercharger will be next at some point in time, especially if this doesn t solve the problem - im convinced youre right, there should not be water in the intake. (There is one Utube video of water spitting out of the tube due to condensation but mine must be leaking. Also, while testing the boat in water, my son and I recall seeing “ unusal smoke” in the wake. Now, im sure it was water vapor that was burned during combustion - didnt smell of oil, plugs clean. Soooooo, thank you very very much for helping out and i think youve diagnosed my problem from afar! If you dont mind, id like to update you on the intercooler condition/ pressure test when i get it out….thanks so much. Ron.

i'm glad you've narrowed it down and at least have a testable theory to go on. please do keep me and the forum updated!!! this is why we have this board, so someone in the future who encounters a similar problem can look it up and figure out a solution. also, i just realized you're in Arizona, I might hit you up next time i'm visiting my parents in Scottdale so you can show me the good boating spots....

 

[Ron B]

Hello again! An update: I removed the original intercooler and prepared to pressure test it - no need because when i poured water in the water inlet, it all ran out the air inlet/outlet. So it was corroded badly. I ordered a new intercooler from Fizzle, model Gen X - a direct replacement for my 255 HP engine. The Fizzle intercooler fit in the same location without any mods Using the original rubber mounting straps. The water inlet/ outlets were in a different location than the stock intercooler, but the stock water hoses fit without any mods. The rubber supercharger hoses also fit without mods. The Fizzle intercooler is much better quality, thicker material and comes with a threaded port for the included zinc anode, which should help prevent internal corrosion. It didn‘t have a connection for the 1/4” bleed/pisser line - Fizzle provided a plug to plug the 1/4” hose off. Dont know what its original purpose was - it discharged intercooler water into the end of the exhaust exit - a bit more exhaust cooling, i suppose. I took the boat out to the lake and no more surging or hesitation!!!!!! It ran beautifully and I believe it was notibly faster. The engine seemed to breath better than stock because the intercooler is supposedly less restrictive. Of course all the other stuff I did before you steered me in the correct direction didnt hurt either - new plugs, coil packs, injectors, fuel filters. So thank you once again for solving the surging operating problem. And yes, if youre ever visiting your folks in Phoenix, let me know and i’ll buy you a beer or two!

 

[Sidarousmg]

Hello again! An update: I removed the original intercooler and prepared to pressure test it - no need because when i poured water in the water inlet, it all ran out the air inlet/outlet. So it was corroded badly. I ordered a new intercooler from Fizzle, model Gen X - a direct replacement for my 255 HP engine. The Fizzle intercooler fit in the same location without any mods Using the original rubber mounting straps. The water inlet/ outlets were in a different location than the stock intercooler, but the stock water hoses fit without any mods. The rubber supercharger hoses also fit without mods. The Fizzle intercooler is much better quality, thicker material and comes with a threaded port for the included zinc anode, which should help prevent internal corrosion. It didn‘t have a connection for the 1/4” bleed/pisser line - Fizzle provided a plug to plug the 1/4” hose off. Dont know what its original purpose was - it discharged intercooler water into the end of the exhaust exit - a bit more exhaust cooling, i suppose. I took the boat out to the lake and no more surging or hesitation!!!!!! It ran beautifully and I believe it was notibly faster. The engine seemed to breath better than stock because the intercooler is supposedly less restrictive. Of course all the other stuff I did before you steered me in the correct direction didnt hurt either - new plugs, coil packs, injectors, fuel filters. So thank you once again for solving the surging operating problem. And yes, if youre ever visiting your folks in Phoenix, let me know and i’ll buy you a beer or two!

fantastic news!! glad you got it all figured now. now i'm jealous it's January and you're out on the boat while i'm dealing with ice storms in VA!!!

 

[Andrew Coronado]

Hello Guys, I have the same problem with my 2011 speedster 150, Rod do you have any tips on how to remove the intercooler ?