And then, depression set in....

[SGY]

I took my 206 to the lake this morning for the first time. Man was I excited. It started right up and ran like a kitten. Until that is, while checking the bilge for leaks, I noticed that the exhaust risers were extremely hot. Shut the boat off and opened the drain valve on the riser and no water, just steam. Obviously I have a problem. Since I hadn't opened the boat up yet, I was fairly close to the dock and nursed it back in. The temp guage never got over 200 F.

The boat is now at the mechanic. He thinks the impeller is shot. I'm curious how that could happen with only 80 hours on the boat. The mechanic said that sometimes an impeller goes bad sooner or is just bad to begin with. He also indicated that the impeller could have taken a set or got stuck and broke off a vane. It was strange though, I was getting water in the strainer and believe there was water in the block. I was able to drain some water from the block drain on the port side and it was hot.

Whatever. My wife has removed all sharp objects from the house.

The boat also had a very nasty rattle when engaging both reverse and forward gear. Kinda like the rattle my 99 SNOB used to make when engaged in reverse at very low RPM--but much more pronounced. Sounded almost like the kind of rattle I used to hear on older inboards when the motor tries to die when put in gear. The boat did seem to have a slight miss--I'm wondering if the plugs are really fouled from being winterized?

Whatever. Did I already say that my wife has removed all sharp objects....

Hope we did no serious damage. The boat never went faster that idle speed and the temp never reached 200 F (was close though). I've read nightmare stories of similar occurences where head gaskets are blown and water gets into the cylinders--even when the temp doesn't get over 200 F. I understand that the temp guage doesn't necessarily tell you what the true engine temp is. Doesn't surprise me--especially since I was seing steam come out of the exhaust riser through my drain valve. The good news is that the boat would start even after it got hot. I suppose if water got in, it would not have fired.

Whatever....

Any words to the not so wise?

[skinautique]

There are numerous things that could have happened. If it pulled water through the strainer, your impeller was probably working. It sounds like the thermostat might not have opened up. I don't think you have done any serious damage by the sounds of it. The rattle in and out of gear could be due to the knock sensor possibly sensing that something wasn't right. If you only had water come out of one side of the block, you probably didn't run it enough to fill it.
I am sorry to hear that you got off to a rough start. Did you have the boat winterized or was it done by the previous owner? I know who you bought the boat from so I don't want to name names.
Was the thermostat housing really hot too?

[SGY]

Thanks for the quick response SN. I'm bummed but I'll get over it--with time, counseling, and money.

The previous owner is a great guy and I know he'll stand behind his boat. He had it winterized by his local dealer--just in case something like this happened.

I didn't touch the thermostat housing to see if it were hot. But, the hoses going to the risers were very hot. Like I said, steam was coming out of the drain valve--along with what looked like oil. I'm wondering if the impeller was just good enough to fill the strainer and then went south. Who knows! I'll tell my mechanic to check the thermostat as well.

I hope your're right about not doing any serious damage. I'm kind of a neurotic anal type of guy. I'm nervous enough as it is and don't want to worry about my boat running like it should.

Thanks again.

[skinautique]

SGY,
I know how it goes. We have all been there. Roughly how long did you run it for? I have never seen oil in a manifold before. Did you look at the oil? That is a quick way to tell you if there is a leak of that sort somewhere. More than likely if the impeller was pulling enough to make the strainer bowl fill up, it should have made it up to the thermostat housing. Sometimes it is good to rev the throttle to make the impeller work harder to draw the water. The impeller works its hardest at idle because it doesn't spin as fast. Let me know what you find out.

[NautiqueJeff]

Oh no! That boat is so nice. It was tough just reading that. Hopefully it'll be something simple and you'll be back on the water tomorrow. Judging by the way the previous owner took care of it, I doubt it was anything related to maintenance. Good luck with it!

[SGY]

SN, the boat ran for maybe a total of 15 minutes--but never much above idle. We turned it on and off several times as we tried to figure out what was wrong.

The oil issue does worry me. I thought it might be from the impeller getting hot and melting. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what my mechanic says.

Jeff, I have no doubt the boat was maintained perfectly. I'm sure it is a fluke thing. Maybe my mechanic's hunch is right and part of the impeller broke off in the first few minutes of operation.

We'll see.

Thanks guys for the support.

[skinautique]

Sounds more like a thermostat that didn't open. I have had that happen before. It could also be a bad impeller in conjunction with it because it is possible that the impeller wasn't pumping enough water to get to the thermostat housing let alone flow to the manifolds.
Let us know what they find out.

[dirtweed]

A thermostat not opening wouldn't cause the problems you had. The cooling system is a bypass system that always flows water to the exhaust risers to keep them cool. Impeller is likely the cause. How much oil did you see?? If it was a small amount, it was likely just residue in the exhaust or left over fogging oil.

Check the fiberglass muffler to be sure it wasn't damaged by the heat.

If the boat was winterized by just draining the block without the addition of antifreeze, the impeller likely went bad on the initial startup since it ran dry for a few to several seconds. After sitting dry all winter, that's all it takes.

Should be a simple fix as long as you get 100% of the impeller fragments out of the motor.

[skinautique]

When one of my previous thermostats got stuck, it didn't allow my manifolds to get full of fresh water. Changed the thermostat and I was good again. If the tstat doesn't open, the water won't make it to the manifolds.

[dirtweed]

A stuck thermostat will cause problems but generally speaking, the thermostat doesn't open until the motor reaches operating temp. However, water flows to the manifolds continuously after startup, regardless of temp.

[SGY]

Dirtweed, there were just a few drops of oil. It may very well have been from the fogging or exhaust.

The odd thing is there was antifreeze in the block. I made sure I drained most it out before I went to the lake.

My mechanic wasn't too worried. He indicated that the hoses looked fine and they would burn up before anything else. But, it's not his boat. So, I'll have him check.

Weird, huh?

[tryan]

a.) check the impeller hub to see if it sheared off the rubber. they do not like to sit in antifreeze all winter. the impeller could have swelled , no key or the raw water pump could be flipped. the water in the strainer could be from the motor.

b.) check the o-ring on the strainer and all connections and routing. you could be sucking air instead of water.

c.) no matter what, change the engine oil and the tranny oil.

d.)in my opinion, a thermosat that has been exposed to subzero temps, is going to try to force itself closed fairly tight. it might just be stuck, but as previously stated, your exhaust should always be cooled by by-passed water. take it out and put it on the stove. i have a habit of starting the motor and letting it get up to a 120 and shutting it off and letting it cool to a 100 then restarting in the spring. a little tap on the stat housing is sometimes required. my boats NEVER come off the trailer until everything is cycling, but i use a private ramp. i e no hurry.

my 0.02

[SGY]

Thanks for everyone's help and advice.

I just spoke to my mechanic. He said the boat started up and ran fine. It pumped water normally. Even the impeller is fine. He indicated that there must have been an air leak somewhere which inhibited the motor's ability to pull water through to the risers. (Either that or I'm smoking way too much crack.) The mechanic indicated that when he started the motor there were lots of air bubbles in the strainer so that is what led him to tighten everything up. Any suggestions or comments?

The mechanic doesn't think it got hot enough to hurt the impeller or the oil. He doesn't recommend changing either. Any suggestions or comments?

Thanks again.

[skinautique]

It could have been an air leak. Just keep an eye on your temp guage and you should be fine. If the oil looks fine, leave it. Just check it periodically. Good luck with it!

[SGY]

Thanks SN. I appreciate your continued help on this. I spoke with Jeff Warner and CC. His thought was that I had an air bubble somewhere between the hull fitting and the raw water pump. This would prohibit 100% water flow. I guess I got enough water to save my impeller.

Jeff said this will happen sometimes when a boat sits all winter--like mine. He also said that many customers will prime their boats by pouring water into the strainer and hose leading to the raw water pump.

Learn something new every day.

Take care,

[skinautique]

Glad to hear you are being taken care of. I wouldn't loose any more sleep over it! Just go and enjoy it now and be glad you didn't get a huge service bill!!

[Edwin]

SGY - likewise, it's great to hear you're good to go.


Just go and enjoy it now and be glad you didn't get a huge service bill!!


SN - wouldn't this have been covered by the 5 year warranty, regardless of the issue?

[tryan]

i would change the engine and tranny oil, the impeller and the o-ring on the strainer. 35 bucks won't kill ya.

my 0.02


edit...the strainer cup was probably loose.

[skinautique]

Not sure how they would handle it exactly. I know that there are certain things that aren't covered such as the impeller itself if it fails. They could also say that he should have had it summerized by a dealer and had it all checked out. CC has nothing to do with this part. I think it will more or less be how the dealer wants to create/maintain a relationship with SGY.

[SGY]

SN is right--the impeller is not covered under PCM's warranty. The second problem I have is we don't have a CC dealership in Colorado. The closest one is either in Utah or Omaha.

Frankly, it's only the support from Jeff Warner at the CC factory that has kept me in CC's products. Otherwise, I would have bought a Malibu Response. When you spend $35,000 on a toy, you want support and a home. CC needs to get a dealership here pronto. Tommy's Slalom Shop is now selling Malibus. And there are lots of serious skiers and boarders in Colorado with an abundance of money and an abundance of private lakes. Tommy is making a killing.

CC, are you listening? Myself and others are desperate for a place to take my boat where the mechanic knows that boat and its attributes.

[SGY]

Took the 206 out yesterday. I was nervous to say the least. So nervous that I put my right foot in the front boot instead of my left foot.

The boat ran perfect. It's really hard to describe in words how nice that boat is. BUTTER!

My impressions are as follows:

a. Much smoother and bigger hole shot than my 99 SNOB with the GT-40. This really suprised me given how venerated the GT-40 has become. I was at skiing speed much sooner giving the skier a better set up through the gates;

b. The boat planes very quickly--much quicker than my SNOB;

c. The 206 turns on a dime with no vibration at all. Left and right turns are identical. My SNOB growled and vibrated a bit on the quick turn arounds.

d. The 206 handles the chop better--much better.

e. The wakes are very nice--even at slow speeds. Very similar to my SNOB--but perhaps a little smaller and softer. My skiing buddy skied better behind the 206 than he's ever skied. I skied with the wrong foot foward.

f. My brother in law, who was very skeptical (some people don't like change) loved the boat. Couldn't get over how much better it was.

Ping Edwin. If you are still in the market, I say buy one of those gunwale ski racks from CC and get a 206. Amazing boat.

JJ. Thanks for an awesome boat.

[surfsup]

I'd recommend changing out the impeller at the beginning of every season - it a cheap insurance policy for the year.

Sounds like you'll be back out on the lake real soon - glad to hear you didn't have anything serious happen to the motor...

[Edwin]

Thanks for the review SGY...sounds like an awesome boat. Glad to hear the dealer got you taken care quickly.

I've still kept my eyes open for any good deals on 206's floating around...there are a few out there. The gunwale rack is a definite possibility, adding a tower w/ a ski rack is another.

I'm hitting the water tomorrow, will keep my fingers crossed that season #4 w/ my Malibu is as good as the previous 3.

[MARK-S]

SGY,
I told you you would love the 206 wakes. It blows the LXI and the 197
out of the water. I am going with another 206 for 2004.
I need to move my 2003 ASAP. Have fun with the new toy.