Any other maintenance besides oil and impeller

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  • lucky7t
    1,000 Post Club Member
    • Mar 2011
    • 1306

    • Oklahoma

    • 2015 SANTE

    Any other maintenance besides oil and impeller

    How often do you service trans ?

    I have 15 model with 130 hours .

    We changed oil and filter and impeller every year but not sure about other maintenance


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    Current Correct Craft Boat
    [URL="http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/05/1e6128564805861d2625d7b7f8efd2f1.jpg"]2015 SANTE 210[/URL]

    Correct Craft Boats Owned
    [URL="http://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/attachment.php?attachmentid=17771&d=1340117700"]2012 SANTE 210 (Boatmate Trailer)[/URL]
    [URL="http://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/attachment.php?attachmentid=14107&d=1313460568"]2003 SANTE 210 (Dorsey Trailer)[/URL]
    [URL="http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/attachment.php?attachmentid=14108&d=1313461675"]2007 SANTE 210 (Magnum Trailer)[/URL]
  • shag
    1,000 Post Club Member
    • Jul 2003
    • 2217

    • Florida


    #2
    Seawater strainer check/clean every time out
    Spark plugs at some point. (maybe every 150 hours -
    check manual)
    Belt same as above
    fuel filter
    Spark arrestor (I clean mine every year (take it off and use carb cleaner to remove any build up)

    Comment

    • Tom_H
      • Jan 2014
      • 244

      • Minnesota


      #3
      Your manual should specify intervals, but I change transmission fluid around every 100 hours.

      Comment

      • Infinity
        Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
        • Sep 2017
        • 730

        • Lake Norman - Denver, NC

        • 2014 SV244 w/ ZR409

        #4
        All great suggestions above. A couple notes I would mention since I have a few minutes to write it up and have been putting together my list, tho I am lucky to not have to do it till after Thanksgiving in my area.

        Trick to installing new impeller....I use LOTS of dawn dish soap on the impeller and gently rotate it as you push it in, works like a charm and does not hurt anything. I have heard some people mention using WD-40, but that is not great for rubber, so I would avoid that if possible.
        NOTE....if you remove the old impeller and there is any damage, or vanes missing. It is VERY important to back-flush the system to get any debris out or you are guaranteed to get an overheat down the road from the debris blocking the system. (since you have to remove the belt anyway to replace the impeller, I always check it out very carefully for any damage. This is one part that I always keep a spare on the boat too.

        Trick to changing oil filter which you probably already know... to prevent a mess, I use a gallon zip lock bag. I put some paper towels under that area, a couple paper towels at bottom of the zip lock bag just in case and then I pull the zip lock bag up and over the oil filter after I loosen it a little and remove the oil filter INSIDE of the zip lock. All spilled oil stays inside the bag....once done you can just close it up and remove it from the boat with ZERO mess. The paper towels I put under that area will catch any remaining drips of oil. I clean up the oil filter area, make sure that the o-ring from old filter did not stay on the housing....put some fresh oil on the new oil filter gasket and then hand tighten the new filter into place.
        NOTE....You ALWAYS want to run engine and check oil level after replacing (I also check and double check for leaks around oil filter). Overfilling is worse for the engine than being slightly low....so I put in 1/2 quart less and check it and then add slowly till its perfect. I always check it multiple times on the water as well after replacing to be sure its the right level (not always easy to have boat at right degree when on trailer). You are supposed to let boat sit for 5mins after turning it off to let the oil drain down so level is accurate.

        Depending on your engine, you may have more than one fuel filter and with today's ethenol fuels especially, this is important IMO. A clogged fuel filter can cause run issues and burn out fuel pumps if not flowing freely. My ZR409 has the spin on fuel/water separator...and then the engine has the FCC fuel filter (always replace gaskets/o-rings at same time which are included with new FCC fuel filter...I also lube them a little oil). Some models have an in-line filter on the gas line between the gas tank and engine. I run only ethenol free fuel and it still looks dirty when I pull it each year for replacement. ( also tend to do the fuel filters in the Spring since you have fresh fuel flowing thru them and new filters wont gunk up during layup....likely they would not anyway, but again, I am OCD about the little things when it comes to my boat).

        Make sure you add the blue Stabil to your fuel before layup....start engine and let it run 15mins to circulate it thru the system.
        I also remove all my ballast bags to make sure no mildew under them...and I run a little AF thru ballast pumps to ensure there is no water trapped in the pump.
        This is also probably a good time to check your thermostat. This is what I do, tho they rarely go bad from what I understand.

        Of COURSE.....draining all the water out of your engine by removing all the drain plugs (don't forget the hidden one in v-drive). I have a perko flush valve and like to suck up Anti-freeze when done (there is small black adapter hanging off the cap of the Perko, you have to push this into the top before sucking up since that spring loaded valve will not allow it to open unless you have pressure on the line....like from a hose) but have found that sometimes just using a 5 gallon bucket to suck up AF after I drain does not like to work well or quickly....since system has no prime due to water being drained and nothing in impeller it does not like to pull in the AF since its sucking so much air (this will also happen if you have any kind of air leak in the system). So I bought a Harbor Freight transfer pump and use it to "pump" AF into engine since the pump creates its own pressure to push the AF into engine (you still have to start the engine tho to pull it all the way thru properly). I set up the system....turn it on and then instantly start the engine. 5 gallons of AF will go thru system in less than 60 seconds and ususally its coming out of exhaust at around 3.5 gallons.....which is why I do 5 gallons to be sure. Wal-Mart has them for like $3, Lowes is more like $5-$6 each.
        If your heater is not part of closed cooling system (and you have a heater)....make sure you empty the lines. Mine is part of closed cooling system with the ZR409 so I dont have to worry about it, but have found when draining the water in my engine that if I use a shop vac each time I remove a plug....I am able to get a LOT of extra water out and this can only be a good thing IMO. If I did have to drain the heater, I would use shop vac on the lines and then also blow them out with compressed air to be sure. (course freezing is an issue when water is not able to expand, so cracks something....but I tend to go the extra mile on everything for complete peace of mind).

        I personally change serpentine belt every 250hrs or 2 yrs. It can last longer, but figure its cheap insurance for $60 since a shredded belt can wreak havoc. My manual does not specify a time period, just says you should check it periodically for cracking, glazing or deterioration and replace if needed. Check all pulleys for any play when belt is off as well. (15mm socket for belt tensioner). NOTE....if you install a new belt, it will almost certainly be too tight to slip over the lip on the pulley for the belt tensioner. The first time I installed a new belt, this frustrated me. Finally realized that you DONT want to pull the belt over the tensioner last, you want to slip it over one of the pulleys that is smooth last and it will go on just fine. On my boat...this took 2 people since the belt tensioner was on one side of the engine and the smooth pulley (I used the one over the impeller pump), was on the other side of engine.

        Check manual for trans fluid since many engines are different and you NEED to run the correct stuff. Many older engines and some newer (like my 2014), call for the Dex IV trans fluid which is not easy to find anymore, I found some on Amazon.

        Another thing I think is important at layup is battery maintaining. A smart maintainer will pay for itself quickly since you can double the life of your batteries by keeping the charge topped off. Check water level of batteries before storage, if you need to fill....use distilled water only.
        Manual says to "remove the batteries" and store them off concrete, in a cool, dry place after checking water level. Guess it depends on if you have power where you store the boat. A TRICK....if you have to remove the batteries, use a zip-tie to tie together all the positive wires together...and negative wires together. I then also label them as battery #1 and #2 (I have 3 batteries since I added a 2nd accessory battery to my boat so removing them is a serious PITA for me...but I also have power and keep boat at my house, so I do not remove them at all.

        Check ballast impellers too. I find they wear out about every other year depending on use. Once the ballast impellers start to stiffen up, your ballast will lose water thru the impeller. Easy to replace, wakemakers has most of them in stock. SKIDIM has most of the parts for PCM and prices are some of the best I have found, they also offer 10% discount and free shipping over $99, not to mention they are fast to ship.

        Damp Rid pails in boat....spray down engine with something like "fluid film"...and if possible have some air movement in the boat to prevent mildew during layup.
        I also like to clean entire interior of boat, 303 all my vinyl really well....remove all my seats and store them inside boat in a way that the vinyl wont get messed up and I also clean exterior of boat and wax for protection....tho Spring is ususally when I do any buffing, etc. (I also leave impeller in during layup since I suck up AF into engine, then I replace in Spring so impeller is fresh....even manual says you do not want to leave it in the engine over layup cause the vanes can take a permanent "set"). Many people remove it anyway tho and tie to steering wheel inside a baggie so it cannot be forgotten and also leave a list with anything else they did....like maybe close the main water intake valve, I never do that tho since its super easy to foget something like that, start up the boat in Spring and realize too late that it was not sucking any water from lake and engine overheats). I leave my impeller in during layup, since I sometimes take boat out during colder months, but we ride thru Thanksgiving and then back out in late March or early April.
        NOTE....The other reason I change impeller during Spring is cause I like to test it. Some of the new impellers will come with manufacture defect and "spin the hub", which basically means the hub separates from the actual impeller so even tho its all hooked up right, the hub is spinning....but impeller is NOT. This will overheat the boat fast, so I ALWAYS test a new impeller in my driveway before going on lake and make sure to idle the boat for 15mins, or till the boat reaches operating temp and then starts a cooling cycle so I know its working right.

        This is all I can think of at the moment.....

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