FYI - '04 MSX 140 Engine Mount Issue

[Makon]

I have already fixed this issue on my ski this year; but I figured I'd post up and report what I found because this may be happening to other skis.

Last year I found some damage to the hull lip that surrounds the engine compartment, right where the thermostat pop-valve housing bolts are on the water manifold. The bolt heads for the pop-valve assembly had hit the hull at that spot, damaging the gel coat; which meant that the engine had to "elevate" itself at least 1/2 inch to do that. So I at first thought, bad motor mounts.

Upon further investigation, when I pulled the motor, I found that the front (bow facing side) engine mounting plate had become loose. ALL three of the bolts which secure the mount plate to the engine casing had somehow loosened themselves over the years. This caused the engine to shift slightly during operation, and in cases of wave jumping, lift into the air!. The engine was basically floating on the engine mounts, not completely secure. I verified this by grabbing a hold of the water manifold and forcibly pulling repeatedly and observing the engine (and hearing it) shift slightly. There should be some movement due to the rubber mount isolators, but no audible shifting noises.

So if any of you guys have experienced or are experiencing a similar issue, check that mounting plate!

I also checked the rear plate, and found all the bolts to be secure. I think the service manual recommends blue Loctite on the bolts and then torqued to either 50 or 90 FTlbs (I can't recall which!)

[ripcuda]

Good tip. I've experienced the exact same thing.

The front engine cradle bolts on my MSX 140 were also all loose out of the block. Rears were still tight. The fronts were loose enough to allow the front of the engine to bounce enough to slightly deform the mounting bosses on the engine case and cradle. Thankfully the hull engine mounts were okay. I ended up replacing the case and had to fix my cradle and realign my engine/jet pump for good measure. Replaced cradle to block bolts were red loctited for sure too.

Definitely something MSX 140 owners should check.

Cheers!

[Makon]

Yep, for sure. I picked up an alignment tool and re-aligned the engine with the jet pump when I put the motor back in the hull. Well I guess you won't be removing those bolts with the red Loctite on them anytime soon! haha.

I wonder if it is a factory issue if multiple machines experience the same thing, just wanted to make other msx owners aware!

[CrazyA]

Good thread!!!!

[UnityRacing]

I'm pretty sure I've read the same situation years ago on the Virage & Genesis machines. Same block and mounting, however the MSX uses an additional bolt on each mounting plate. Guess Polaris tried to fix it with 3 bolts, but that didn't help.

All 3 MSX engines I have here were a royal bitch to remove the bolts on, no problems there.