Tow rope in 120XR Sportjet

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

Hi,
Been working the last few days cutting out the stuck tow rope from my 1996 Regal Rush 120xr Sportjet impeller. This is the worst one yet.
Finally got enough of it out to start the boat. I ran around the lake a few times then put it back on the boat lift. Unfortunately there are still a few rope pieces visible.
After watching a YouTube video I tried using a 59” x 1/8” band saw blade. I had to cut it to loop over the impeller. Got a little more rope out.
Would it be worth trying to loosen the six screws holding the intake grate in to try and get to the rope pieces inside? The impeller goes through a hole in the intake so I don’t know how much room there will be when loose.
If I continue to run the boat do you think the small rope pieces will disintegrate and “blow” out?
Also, do the fill/vent screws need to be taken off to free the intake grate? If so, then the oil needs to be drained.
Thanks! Looking forward to any comments/suggestions!
Regards,
Ski

 

[tdonoughue]

Yuck!

(that is my professional comment)

Not sure how the impeller comes out on your boat, but on my Yamaha, I can remove 4 bolts, disconnect the bucket and the whole back part of the jet comes right off (along with the impeller). Might want to check if you can do something similar. Any rope left in there will cause cavitation and your boat will run like crap. It is possible if there are just a few bits left to blow it out, but just a few bits remaining will cause you issues.

On the bright side, you get extra points here for sucking up a rope! Congratulations! Make sure you fill out your profile to say you did...

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

Yuck!

(that is my professional comment)

Not sure how the impeller comes out on your boat, but on my Yamaha, I can remove 4 bolts, disconnect the bucket and the whole back part of the jet comes right off (along with the impeller). Might want to check if you can do something similar. Any rope left in there will cause cavitation and your boat will run like crap. It is possible if there are just a few bits left to blow it out, but just a few bits remaining will cause you issues.

On the bright side, you get extra points here for sucking up a rope! Congratulations! Make sure you fill out your profile to say you did...

Thanks! These photos are from a YouTube video I made when my shift cable broke. As you can see it is a big job to remove gate and housing to get to impeller and shaft.
I’ve had the boat since 2001 and have never taken the front of the assembly off except to replace the ionization bar (gray metal in photos at bottom of gate - bucket). From what I’ve read on the net the likelihood of breaking the bolts are very high.
I’m going to work on it again today depending on the thunderstorms. I will try to free up one side with rope hoping that I can gently work on the other side of the impeller shaft and slowly pull out. We’ll see!
When I drove the boat the other day it ran good - no noise or loss of power. I did not push it as I was just happy that it started and ran!
Will update on any progress.
Thanks,
Ski

 

[tdonoughue]

Yes, that looks quite a bit messier than on ours. And you definitely don't want to go breaking a bolt. Ok, scratch that idea....

I think that leaves you back at 'pick out what you can and try to blow out the rest'.

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

Yuck!

(that is my professional comment)

Not sure how the impeller comes out on your boat, but on my Yamaha, I can remove 4 bolts, removedisconnect the bucket and the whole back part of the jet comes right off (along with the impeller). Might want to check if you can do something similar. Any rope left in there will cause cavitation and your boat will run like crap. It is possible if there are just a few bits left to blow it out, but just a few bits remaining will cause you issues.

On the bright side, you get extra points here for sucking up a rope! Congratulations! Make sure you fill out your profile to say you did...

Thanks! These photos are from a YouTube video I made when my shift cable broke. As you can see it is a big job to remove gate and housing to get to impeller and shaft.
I’ve had the boat since 2001 and have never taken the front of the assembly off except to replace the ionization bar (gray metal in photos at bottom of gate - bucket). From what I’ve read on the net the likelihood of breaking the bolts are very high.
I’m going to work on it again today depending on the thunderstorms. I will try to free up one side with rope hoping that I can gently work on the other side of the impeller shaft and slowly pull out. We’ll see!
When I drove the boat the other day it ran good - no noise or loss of power. I did not push it as I was just happy that it started and ran!
Will update on any progress.
Thanks,
SkiView attachment 152313View attachment 152314we

Yes, that looks quite a bit messier than on ours. And you definitely don't want to go breaking a bolt. Ok, scratch that idea....

I think that leaves you back at 'pick out what you can and try to blow out the rest'.

Thanks again for your reply! Tried gently tapping the visible rope but did not move. Went to Lowe’s and got these hooked razor blades and will try today. Also found this illustration which gives me hope that anything that comes loose will “blow out!” We’ll see. I’ll post results!
Thanks again,
Ski

 

[Roger Ski Gapinski]

Hi,
Tried using the hook razor blade. Got a little more out. Ran boat around lake at various speeds. Gunned it several times and all works fine. The little pieces that I can still see I’m not going to worry about.
I will monitor after each day on the lake. Maybe they will work themselves out. We’ll see!
Thanks and take care!
Ski

 

[tdonoughue]

Sounds like a plan. Do recommend you check it every now and then to see the progress. You don't want debris in there long-term. That can lead to cavitation rash on the impellers. But won't be an issue for a little bit. And if it does blow it all out of there (good chance), you are home free.

 

[stpetesearayderf16]

I've disassembled the impeller housing for my 120xr and it's easy, Do the grate, the nozzle, all of it and clear that whole thing out. All bolts, all easy to unscrew and rescrew.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Haaa if he still has not removed it by NOW then FORGETABOUTIT! LOL