11 replies to this topic

[thumper]

for rotax dry sumps only-

ok so the book says run engine for 30 secs then wait 30secs thencheck oil

then it says engine must be warm - so you cant check your oil before you go out because 30secs wont make the engine hot???

so whats the point of checking your oil when you come back???

or am i misunderstanding this...

any help to clarify would be appreciated

POST number 5000

[thumper]

c'mon guys

somebody must have an opinion on this or at least an idea - i am somewhat confused

[Yuji]

I know that you must run the motor for 30 seconds and then wait 30 so that the oil is pumped thru all the passage ways and then has time to settle. As for warming up the motor, this is very true as it must be at operating temp in order to get a true reading. I think if you were to let it idle for 5 mins or so it would be warm enough and checking oil level while on water is best because you know the boat is plumb with the world.
Oh...and I've also read that 1/2 to 3/4 up indentation on dipstick is optimum, too much oil is bad and can cause a loss of rpm, supercharger wear and poor performance. Not enough oil...well that's self explanatory


Hope this wasn't too confusing.

[thumper]

cool - thanks yuji - good to know about the oil level being not too high

[keviseeb]

We have on 5 different occaisons removed over 7 quarts of oil from 4-TEC engines because the procedure was not followed for checking the oil. The best time to check it is just before you load it back on the trailer, the engine is warm and the boat is at design level because of being in the water. Be sure to let it remain in idle while docking and then let it sit for at LEAST one minute, longer is better. Keep in mind that the 4-TEC may burn one quart during the frst 20 hours and then one quart every 30 to 50 hours after that depending on how hard you run it. If you find you are putting more than that in it you are either not checking it properly or there is a leak or there is an internal engine problem that needs to be looked at by the dealer responsible for your warranty protection.

PS When we deliver a boat we concentrate on checking oil and flushing correctly. The people we have noticed have problems are the ones with the owners manual in the best condition, usually still in the original package.

[thumper]

keviseeb - how about this then

ok - so ive just been skiing for an hour
it takes 10 mins at idle to get through the marina fairway because of speed limits
i get back to the ramp
switch off and leave for say 90 secs then check the oil - top up if necessary
as long as oil level is between indents say 1/2 - full ok -if near low add say 1/2 pint or 1/2 litre?
recover boat

this way as you say engine will be warm and baot level and will have cooled slightly on idling back to ramp for 10 mins

sound ok?

i think seadoo should amend the owners manual.

[keviseeb]

YES....that is exactly what to do. I bet your owner's manual looks like its been read too....I wish we had more customers like you.

[thumper]

in the uk this cost me about $38000 - so its quite a lot of money to not read the manual - cheers for the advice - perhaps as a delaer you could tell seadoo to amend the manual as its not too clear.

[thumper]

keviseeb - can you take a look at this video please - this is a standing start to wot - you will notice some what looks like steam rising around the swim platform - i have posted about this before and the concensus of opinion was that it was steam from the exhaust cooling - would you agree - it has no smell

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[stevenh]

keviseeb - can you take a look at this video please - this is a standing start to wot - you will notice some what looks like steam rising around the swim platform - i have posted about this before and the concensus of opinion was that it was steam from the exhaust cooling - would you agree - it has no smell

Thumper,

I think it's steam. My sportster did that all the time, my speedster does not. The difference is that the speedster throws the exhaust under water at low speed and directly into the jet flow at high speed. Any vapor is captured back into the water and there is zero steam. If there were real smoke, I would think it would be seen even if it was directed underwater. Given my sportster and speedster have the exact same engine, I think the exhaust layout of the sportster just makes it more prone to producing steam. I will be interested in seeing Kevinseeb's responce! I'ts great to have someone with lots of experience with the full line around to answer questions!

Steve

[thumper]

yeh i agree - its good to have a dealer with such knowledge on baord - perhaps we should suggest to kevin to promote keviseeb to technical guru or such standing if he should agree of course - but it would be good to have a technical/somebody on the inside to at least set some issues striaght rather than us all quoting rumours or what we have heard - particularly the 5hour/10 hour rumour which keviseeb has recently explained- worth considering?

[thumper]

checked oil yesterdat - its at 3/4 and still green!