15 replies to this topic

[stevenh]

I just opened up my back compartment to charge the battery and noticed that my port coolant resivor is down to about a half inch of coolant. My starboard resivor is at the "full cold" mark. I have yet to get the boat in the water. I assume I am headed back to the dealer... I don't see any sign of leakage.

Steve

[thumper]

i would give him a ring - it should be up to the cold mark - i think you can top these up with water but dont quote me on it

doesnt that really annoy you when they send something out that hasnt been pdi'd properly

i had the same thing on a previous boat - which led to major probs

how come your charging the battery - it should be ok?????

[stevenh]

i would give him a ring - it should be up to the cold mark - i think you can top these up with water but dont quote me on it

doesnt that really annoy you when they send something out that hasnt been pdi'd properly

i had the same thing on a previous boat - which led to major probs

how come your charging the battery - it should be ok?????

The boat has been sitting for three weeks without getting launched . I wanted to make sure it was topped off for this weekend so I put the trickle charger on the battery. I guess there are sometimes problems with air in the lines when the boat is new and it can take a while to get to a stable level.


Steve

[tiggerman]

i would give him a ring - it should be up to the cold mark - i think you can top these up with water but dont quote me on it

doesnt that really annoy you when they send something out that hasnt been pdi'd properly

i had the same thing on a previous boat - which led to major probs

how come your charging the battery - it should be ok?????

The boat has been sitting for three weeks without getting launched . I wanted to make sure it was topped off for this weekend so I put the trickle charger on the battery. I guess there are sometimes problems with air in the lines when the boat is new and it can take a while to get to a stable level.


Steve

Probably air from a not-so-perfect prep. It happens...

[keviseeb]

GRRRR!!! As a dealer we agree that the levels on both tanks should be at the cold level. The air bubble theory doesn't work for me, I find it hard to believe that the boat wasn't run at all before you got it. We do a 5 minute water test for that very reason! Besides checking the fluid levels we have also found the water test to be an excellent time to set the speedometer which is ALWAYS off as well as adjust the forward speed in neutral (1 MPH) and finally to make sure the boat goes straight WITH the engines synchronized at 1/4, 3/4, and full speed with the steering wheel pointed straight ahead.

[stevenh]

GRRRR!!! As a dealer we agree that the levels on both tanks should be at the cold level. The air bubble theory doesn't work for me, I find it hard to believe that the boat wasn't run at all before you got it. We do a 5 minute water test for that very reason! Besides checking the fluid levels we have also found the water test to be an excellent time to set the speedometer which is ALWAYS off as well as adjust the forward speed in neutral (1 MPH) and finally to make sure the boat goes straight WITH the engines synchronized at 1/4, 3/4, and full speed with the steering wheel pointed straight ahead.

Thanks for your input keviseeb. The boat was water tested, but I don't think they checked the levels after. I topped off the tank tonight and hope to get the boat in the water this weekend (it's been a long wait). I called the dealer and they told me to just top it off. If the coolant is leaking, it's into the engine. There is no sign at all of leakage in the bildge. I guess it won't take long to test the bubble theory... I wish I had checked the levels myself when I picked the boat up, but I forgot to check the coolant. I will check the oil after I warm it up to ensure there is no coolant there. Anything else I should look for?

Steve

[thumper]

just a thought

you might not see a leak in the bilge as the cooling plate may have a small ding in it and theta would leak out once the cooling system is pressurised, i had a similar thought as i have a small scratch in the cooling plate and i was worried if the fluid would drain out once under pressure if you see what i mean - it would be worth taking a look at your cooling plates - just to satisfy yourself.

[stevenh]

just a thought

you might not see a leak in the bilge as the cooling plate may have a small ding in it and theta would leak out once the cooling system is pressurised, i had a similar thought as i have a small scratch in the cooling plate and i was worried if the fluid would drain out once under pressure if you see what i mean - it would be worth taking a look at your cooling plates - just to satisfy yourself.

I did have a quick look at them when I noticed it was low. I did not see any sign of damage and I noticed no sign (or smell) of antifreeze below the boat. I also checked the oil at the dipstick last night. The oil looked clear. You are right about the difference of being under pressure. I will watch it closely when and if I get the chance to get in the water .

Steve

[keviseeb]

If leakage is a concern check the coolant tanks on either side of the hull on the bottom of the boat. Don't forget the 200 does not use the ride shoe plate for cooling as all of the other 4-TEC engines do. We have had instances of coolant loss to a minor degree and have found the connections to the tanks to be the culprits. If you continue to see a problem with coolant loss complain early, a bad connection can ONLY get worse. We have NEVER seen coolant leak into the oil so far except in the case of a catastrophic engine failure which has only happened once and that was in a PWC.

[stevenh]

If leakage is a concern check the coolant tanks on either side of the hull on the bottom of the boat. Don't forget the 200 does not use the ride shoe plate for cooling as all of the other 4-TEC engines do. We have had instances of coolant loss to a minor degree and have found the connections to the tanks to be the culprits. If you continue to see a problem with coolant loss complain early, a bad connection can ONLY get worse. We have NEVER seen coolant leak into the oil so far except in the case of a catastrophic engine failure which has only happened once and that was in a PWC.

Well, I finally got her launched. I ran for about an hour and a half last night mixing up the throttle and just fooling around. After about an hour I stopped and checked the coolant and it was fine. I ran for about anouther half hour and trailered and went home. When I got home, the same coolant tank was almost empty again and I still could not find a leak (oil was fine). Looks like I am headed for the dealer. I also noticed my battery does not seem to hold a charge well. I left my smart charger on it for a day and it never got lower than 3 amps, after shutting down for a bit and drifing after the first hour, the starters seemed weak. I was able to get going, but not with great confidence. The engines started fine again at home. Something else to look at. On a positive note, I could not be happier with the performance of the boat. Even without WOT, it has great hole-shot and the handling is top notch, I can't wait to open it up! I had fun and never ran it over 6200RPM.

Steve

[tiggerman]

Aside from the problems, sounds very cool. Sounds like a less-than adequate prep is what you got. I wonder if the boats come from the factory "dry"- that is to say that all fluids are added by the dealer?(coolant, oil)....
Hope all is well, so you can get to the enjoyment portion soon!!

[keviseeb]

The boats are shipped with coolant...sorta kinda most of the time! As far as the battery being dead after a few days, this is going to sound strange but it is the radio! We have talked to Seadoo about it and their solution is to disconnect the radio. Not exactly what we as a dealer want to hear. Apparantly the new Clarion draws about 1 to 2 tenths of an amp if the battery switch is on! Trust me on this one, don't leave the battery switch on if you have a Clarion radio! This DID NOT happen with the JBL radio last year or the Seaworthy radio in years previous. The Utopia SE does not have the problem as it has a different radio than the standard model. I'm sure there will be a recall, probably a shunt or resistor will be added in line as was done in the early 90's with the personal watercraft.

[stevenh]

The boats are shipped with coolant...sorta kinda most of the time! As far as the battery being dead after a few days, this is going to sound strange but it is the radio! We have talked to Seadoo about it and their solution is to disconnect the radio. Not exactly what we as a dealer want to hear. Apparantly the new Clarion draws about 1 to 2 tenths of an amp if the battery switch is on! Trust me on this one, don't leave the battery switch on if you have a Clarion radio! This DID NOT happen with the JBL radio last year or the Seaworthy radio in years previous. The Utopia SE does not have the problem as it has a different radio than the standard model. I'm sure there will be a recall, probably a shunt or resistor will be added in line as was done in the early 90's with the personal watercraft.

Wow, 200ma to keep the memory active! I will keep the battery switch "off" when I am parked (I assume the radio is on the back side of the battery switch?).

Thanks for the info!

Steve

[stevenh]

The boats are shipped with coolant...sorta kinda most of the time! As far as the battery being dead after a few days, this is going to sound strange but it is the radio! We have talked to Seadoo about it and their solution is to disconnect the radio. Not exactly what we as a dealer want to hear. Apparantly the new Clarion draws about 1 to 2 tenths of an amp if the battery switch is on! Trust me on this one, don't leave the battery switch on if you have a Clarion radio! This DID NOT happen with the JBL radio last year or the Seaworthy radio in years previous. The Utopia SE does not have the problem as it has a different radio than the standard model. I'm sure there will be a recall, probably a shunt or resistor will be added in line as was done in the early 90's with the personal watercraft.

You are exactly right Keviseeb, the boat pulls 240ma with the radio connected and nothing on, it pulls 30-40ma with the radio disconnected. Wow, 200ma to keep the memory alive, nice. At 240ma, the 75AH battery will be dead in 13 days with no charge (let's hope it does not have to sit that long again, but just in case my switch is off).

Steve

[thumper]

did i read that correctly - with the battery switch on the clarions draw a current or do they draw a current when the switch is off - the only reson i ask is that i always switch my battery off. but evrytime i take the boat out it has remembered the radio station it was tuned into..........

confused

can anyone clarify this.....

[stevenh]

did i read that correctly - with the battery switch on the clarions draw a current or do they draw a current when the switch is off - the only reson i ask is that i always switch my battery off. but evrytime i take the boat out it has remembered the radio station it was tuned into..........

confused

can anyone clarify this.....

I was assuming the radio would lose it's memory. With the switch off I see a very small draw (10ma or so), with the switch on I see the 240ma draw. With the switch off you should be fine.

Steve