Ultra 150 not making full power. Help please.

[Skiriches]

Hi all!

I'm hoping somebody can shed some light on a problem I have with my 2002 Ultra 150. I bought it with around 130 hours and it ran like a rocket, as they should! now at 150 hours it has lost it's 'snap'.
It is still perfectly smooth with no bogging or missing but it wont leap out of the water like it used to and top speed is 92kph on the clock on flat water and you have to work hard for that. I've thoroughly cleaned the carbs and that didn't help, I've bought new plugs (NGK BR9ES) but not fitted them yet as haven't had chance. Does this sound a common fault on the ultra? I'll be running compression tests in the near future but just wanted to see if anyone had anything similar? It seemed to happen overnight, one weekend was fine then over the next couple of weekends was as though 25bhp had been knocked off.

Really appreciate any help with his, Thanks. Ben.

[nmpeter]

your pump has failed. Pull it off and check it for a rebuild before it becomes a total loss.

Ultra 150 bearing seldom live more then 50 hours.

and welcome aboard GH!

[Skiriches]

Thanks for the quick reply buddy! It had crossed my mind about the pump but I'm not too clued up about them, what do I need to check for? is it a quick fix or pain in the a**? any more info would be fantastic as I'd love to get it back to full power again soon. Thanks again for your help!!

[nmpeter]

remove the pump, it will be pretty obvious as to the problem.

there are a couple of hidden allen screws in the ride plate.

I'd suggest reading all 150 pump threads so you know what you'll be dealing with.

Sorry..this is gonna get expensive for you.

150 pumps are a pain to rebuild if they fail badly

what's happened is that the bearing seals failed, then both bearings break up and the impeller is now rubbing against the back of the nozzle.

typically best bet is a used but serviceable pump, then you install all new bearings and seals.

you'll find plenty of talk one ultra 150 pumps here.

[Skiriches]

Excellent I'll have a look through the pump threads then! Thanks mate!

[kryppie]

Hey there sorry to hear about this. If you need a pump I have one in excellent condition. The ski was parted out for a blown engine. So all of the ski is actually available so if you need any additional parts let me know. lrmjr1@gmail.com .

[Skiriches]

So I'm lost now, I pulled the pump last night and it all seemed absolutely fine? No play in the bearings and when I pulled the pump cone it was half full of what looked like clean 10w 40 engine oil, not a drop of water. The bearings looked and felt brand new. Did whoever rebuilt the pump put the oil in for preventative measures? The prop looks a bit dinged and scratched but doesn't look drastic? It's a solas 16-20. Maybe a little bent? The gap to the wear ring is between 0.1 and 0.5mm depending on where abouts on the ring it is measured.
My compression gauge wasn't working so I have a better one tonight to take some readings.
I've put new plugs in BR9ES as the old ones were BR8ES.
also can I do a compression test with the pump off or will the prop shaft flap about?? Any help is massively appreciated!!

[Skiriches]

Compression is at 118-115-115 with the other plugs out.

[nmpeter]

that's good news on the bearings, very good news. The oil in the tailcone is to extend the bearing life just a little and every little bit helps.

the pump is not your culprit. make a note of the hours, pull the pump again in 50

now that the common items are out of the way....

what about an exhaust leak?..a small one will cut the burnable air to the engine

look for soot around the couplers.

[Skiriches]

Thanks for the reply, yeah seems okay with pump bearings and compression! I'll check the exhaust thanks! I'm still a little concerned about the wear ring as it looks scratched and scored up pretty well, and would I be able to tell if the prop was bent? I mean would it be obvious if that was the problem or do tiny differences make speed 10mph speed losses?
ill check the exhaust temp sensor too?