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HOW TO: Winterizing your Sea-Doo Watercraft

13 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in "How-To" Series, Doctor Doo

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

brp, business, doo, how to winterize, Personal water craft, Sea Doo Xp, Sea-Doo, Sea-Doo watercraft, storing your sea-doo, watercraft, winter sea-doo storage, winterization, winterizing your jet ski

Sea-Doo RXT-X 260Sea-Doo owners who live in the northern climates are ready to send their watercraft into hibernation for the winter, not to be heard from again until the first blooms of spring arrive. Winterizing is a critical maintenance function to ensure your prized Sea-Doo watercraft will be ready to go spring rolls around.

Even Sea-Doo owners in the south may be working towards winterizing their watercraft, not necessarily for the same reasons, but to prepare it for storage during the cooler winter months of non-use.

Winterizing is about preventive maintenance and the steps needed for proper storage, and where and how you choose to store your watercraft will vary depending on temperature exposure, weather, duration of storage, etc. Non-use can be damaging if specific procedures and maintenance products are not used, leaving you on the shore next spring while the others are on the water. We recommend consulting your authorized Sea-Doo dealer as they offer valuable advice and can assist in the maintenance of your personal watercraft.

Many negative implications can result from improper storage: gummed-up fuel systems, prematurely failed batteries, rusted precious internal metals to actual broken engine cases, and other areas with cooling jackets. Going through the proper motions is key to keeping your watercraft at peak performance. If you are in an area that reaches the water freezing range, complete winterization is a must.

Some individuals are able to do this on their own, but we recommend consulting your authorized Sea-Doo dealer as they offer valuable advice and can assist in the maintenance of your personal watercraft. This way you can be assured the right maintenance products, the right tools and technicians armed with the latest tech updates from BRP engineering, are utilized to ensure the best preventive maintenance is performed.

Here are a few tips to help you in the process of winterizing your watercraft.

Dry it: The biggest enemy of cold winters is water freezing where it isn’t supposed to be. Before you do anything, start your watercraft engine and give it several short bursts of power to blow out any excess water in the exhaust system. Do this until you don’t see any water existing the exhaust port, but not more than 20 seconds.

Soak it: Another option to protect the exhaust system from freezing fluids is to run a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water through the exhaust system via the flush system. Produce a two gallon mix of antifreeze and water in a five gallon bucket and using a hose or using a water pump or bilge pump attaché to the flush outlet and start the watercraft engine. Flush the system with the antifreeze mix and then shut the engine off when the mix has filtered through the exhaust system thoroughly and completely. The antifreeze should protect any fluids from freezing in the exhaust system.

Battery Care: As you are prepare your Sea-Doo watercraft for hibernation, pay special smart start batteryattention to your battery. Your battery is where it all starts (or doesn’t start) and batteries can and do lose their ability to maintain a charge over time and proper battery storage is essential.

Your watercraft battery should be removed from your watercraft to ensure no draw of any kind is made on the battery during months of non-use. To keep your battery fresh and healthy we suggest a Yuasa Smart Shot Automatic Battery Charger be attached to the battery to maintain a full charge. Ensure the battery is place on a secure surface in an open-air location away from any flammable substances.  If the battery is not showing a full charge after a day or two on the yuasa batteries 2charger, ensure all connections are solid and if the battery still does not charge, it is time to replace the battery with a new Yuasa battery.  Please see your local dealer about purchasing a new Yuasa battery for your Sea-Doo watercraft.

Fuel System Care: Time is the enemy with fuels that are untreated. This procedure should be conducted in below freezing climates as well as any time the Sea-Doo watercraft is going to be stored for an extended amount of time.

First, add a fuel stabilizer to the tank. The XPS’s fuel stabilizer will help prevent fuel fuel stabilizercontamination and residue build up in carburetor, fuel injection system and gas lines.  This stabilizer should always be used before storing your Sea-Doo watercraft for a long period of time and is suitable for all gasoline engines. If you do not have a full tank, we recommend adding the stabilizer before you fill your tank, and we recommend to fill your tank with premium gasoline if possible.

To further ensure your fuel system will deliver fuel to the engine properly, check fuel hoses for leaks and loose or damaged hose clamps. If you smell fuel or worse yet see fuel in the bilge you will need to trace the source of the leak using your hands and/or fingers and replace worn or cracked fuel lines, clamps, or gaskets.  Ensure you inspect your fuel cap and rubber gasket for cracks or leaks.

Winterizing is also the ideal time to check other normal wear items and possibly replace them if needed.

Drive Line: Wear on the impeller and impeller wear ring can negatively affect the performance of your watercraft. Even if you avoid ingesting a large rock into the jet pump system, shells, sand, pebbles, and other debris can wear the edges of the impeller and/or grind away at the wear ring.

The wear ring is a plastic ring that encases the impeller and is intended to sacrifice itself when debris is ingested as it is much less expensive and easier to replace than the high-performance stainless steal impeller. If you feel the acceleration isn’t what it used to be on your Sea-Doo watercraft a new wear ring can help return that legendary acceleration. The Sea-Doo wear ring is made of a high density polymer material and the part number can be found in the Sea-Doo Parts Catalog or contact your local dealer.

The impeller is what ultimately grabs the water and pushes you over it and even though it is produced a very high grade and hardened stainless steel. It is a finely tuned piece of the performance equation and a rock or other hard object can cause damage to the blades leading edge and rob performance. The impeller damage is usually easier to see than the wear ring as the leading edge is usually bent, chipped, torn. If the impeller is damaged a replacement is in order.  If your impeller is damaged, we recommend consulting your local dealer.

jet pump oilAnd finish by completing the jet pump maintenance with a fresh dose of XPS jet pump oil. The water jet pump put tremendous pressure on the drive line and it is important that all moving parts are properly lubricated including the jet pump and the impeller shaft.

Lubrication: A fresh oil change with XPS 4-Stroke

xps oilsynthetic oil and fresh oil filter is recommended to again ensure that your Sea-Doo watercraft will be ready to go as soon as you unwrap it for spring.  XPS synthetic 4-stroke oilis specifically engineered to meet the particular lubrication requirements of Sea-Doo watercraft equipped with Rotax 4-TEC 4-stroke engines.  And to finish the pre-storage care xps lubeshould always include a lubrication of all moving parts such as the steering nozzle pivot points and reverse/brake mechanisms with XPS Lube. It is also helpful to mist over the engine and electrical components with XPS Lube as it also displaces any left over water on components.

We know nobody looks forward to putting their Sea-Doo watercraft in hibernation but if you follow the above recommendations, come spring you will be on the water trouble free.  Please consult your local dealer directly with any questions regarding winterizing your Sea-Doo watercraft.

DOCTOR DOO – Keeping Your Battery Charged

26 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Doctor Doo

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

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Many of you have already stored your Sea-Doo for the winter, or are in the process of storing your Sea-Doo.  A very important aspect of winterization is battery maintenance.  Proper storage techniques can be make the difference between a dead battery or a battery that roars to life after a long winter’s slumber.

Reasons for keeping a constant charge

– It keeps the battery from being depleted from non-use.

– Help maintain battery life

– Battery is ready when you go to de-winterize your Sea-Doo watercraft.

Tools needed

–       Phillips head screwdriver, Flat head screw driver or 10mm nut driver

–       Trickle Charger (Sea-Doo carries the Yuasa smart shot automatic battery charger, part # 529035773. See your local dealer for details)

Important Note

–       Never charge or boost battery while installed in the watercraft

–       Always charge a battery in a well vented room

–       Always make sure trickle charger or battery charger is unplugged before connecting charger cables or before removing charger cables.

Instructions 

1.  Locate the battery in your Sea-Doo watercraft.

2.  Next take a look at the bolts that secure your battery cables to the battery and determine what tool must be used to remove the cables.

3.  Be sure to remove the negative (-) black cable first and make sure it does not come in contact with the battery or any other grounding component (such as any exposed hardware) during the next steps.

4.  Remove the positive (+) red cable from the battery.

5.  Disconnect the vent hose from battery.

6.  Install a piece of hose (same type as vent hose) with a cap or a small hose pincher onto the battery to prevent electrolyte spillage when removing the battery.

7.  Remove any straps or brackets that may be securing the battery into the battery tray.

8.  Remove the battery and place it on a workbench or something comparable. Be sure to place it out of the reach of children.

9.  Make sure your trickle charger is unplugged and then connect the charger to the battery, making sure the positive (+) red cable is hooked up to the positive end on the battery and the negative (-) black cable is hooked up to the negative end of the battery.

10.  Plug in the charger to a wall socket and you are ready to stay charged!

Additional instructions – If the battery terminals seem to have corrosion or rust of any sort, use a wire brush to remove before connecting to the charger.

The best way to maintain proper battery life is to keep a constant charge, so keep up on your battery maintenance to maintain that showroom like quality all year round.

 

 

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