Attention ZR6 Owners

[SilverSpraySports]

If you have any model Nautique with a ZR6 engine, you need to pay attention to this.
You must keep your bilge empty of water because the serpentine belt is picking up water from the bilge (if it is deep enough) and sending the water flying to the air intake. When this happens, the engine will seize up. This is NOT covered under warranty so make sure you keep your bilge dry!

-Doug

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Thanks.

But sounds like it should be covered if it were to happen. If it happened to my boat before I knew about this I wouldn't accept them saying no. They say warantee does not cover specifically "missuse or abuse." This is neither of those...

[skinautique]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Abundiga,
There is no reason to cover this under warranty. It is an owners responsibility to keep the water out of their bilge. That is why there is a drain plug and a bilge pump. Same goes for starters and water in the transmission, etc. That is an owners misuse

[NautiqueJeff]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Gotta agree with skinautique on this one. Thanks for the heads up, SSS. If I ever get one, I'll be sure to keep an eye on this. Any idea if a change is coming for the ZR6 to make this less of an issue?

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

I see your point, but I could go on for hours on warantee I think I'm a little tough on them. Maybe if it was clearly printed in the manual I would agree 100%. So I guess the reason is legit but I would want it to be made clear a little better, just "advertise" the situation more...

[skinautique]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Abundiga,
I think the situation has just arisen. Rumor has it that they are working on a sheild for it to help eliminate the problem.

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Sounds good... next question is are they going to make it make it a service bullitan? re-call (i dont expect that)? or have the dealers install it for free? or just recomend the customers to pay for it to be installed?

[skinautique]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Too early to know much yet. I don't have an answer on this for you.

[straightstich]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Why would an automatic bilge pump not keep the bilge water level low enough to avoid this problem?

[skinautique]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

It will as long as you have the automatic bilge switch on.

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Isn't the auto-bilge always on no matter what and the switch is just a temporary manual override?

[NautiqueJeff]

RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

You have to turn on the switch on the dash in order for the automatic bilge pumps to be activated. I have made this a practice as soon as I start the boat.

[Hollywood]

Re: RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

But sounds like it should be covered if it were to happen. If it happened to my boat before I knew about this I wouldn't accept them saying no.

So suppose this did happen to your boat, and you went into your dealer and they said they weren't going to do anything about it? They say no and then you do what?

[wake-sk8]

Re: RE: Attention ZR6 Owners

Isn't the auto-bilge always on no matter what and the switch is just a temporary manual override?

I thought this too. I have a 2005 SANTE, can someone confirm.

Also,

If this is the case with this engine then CC should fit an auto bilge which does NOT require swithching on in the first place. (Why would it be called AUTO if you have to turn the thing on first ??). If this problem is so critical with such devastating consequences and CC know about it, then they should at least try to take 'common sense' steps to prevent it ever happening.

It is unfair to load ALL the resposibility with the customer, when such a simple and sensible spec change would prevent 99% of problems. (IMO)

[skijones]

It would take a considerable amount of water to seize an engine. Hydroplane engines ingest large amounts of H20 all the time.

Are the engines hydrolocking?