2008 RXT-X 255 Intercooler and Supercharger Dilemma

[hightide610]

Nature of the beast when used in salt. Machine is 12 years old so you got your monies worth out of the IC & charger. RR

Thanks RR!! Yea, I'm not a stranger to salt corrosion, this just looks different... I am a new owner to the ski so it wasn't "my money" but one way or another I'll get it sorted out.

Question... your tag lists same year RXT-X, you still own it? Any insight you care to share about these things as far as replacement or "watch out for" issues? Since its pretty much broke down to a bare block with everything accessible in the hull if there are other things we "aren't" seeing right now but need to look hard at it would help me out.

[RiverRat71]

Thanks RR!! Yea, I'm not a stranger to salt corrosion, this just looks different... I am a new owner to the ski so it wasn't "my money" but one way or another I'll get it sorted out.

Question... your tag lists same year RXT-X, you still own it? Any insight you care to share about these things as far as replacement or "watch out for" issues? Since its pretty much broke down to a bare block with everything accessible in the hull if there are other things we "aren't" seeing right now but need to look hard at it would help me out.

Yep, still have the 08 & gonna keep it. Been a damn fine machine. Haven't had any trouble out of mine so things to watch out for aren't many. Keep an extra starter solenoid & plugs in ski. Change the boot & clamps on the VTS every 2 or 3 years. Replace the carbon ring, hat & bellows if you haven't. If you see a drop in rpms on top of around a 100 or so likely plugs. I change mine every 10-20 hrs just for hell of it. Use genuine BRP parts every chance you get. Thats about it. RR

[1tommygunner1927]

What's the history & how long have you owned this ski?

I have owned it for a year, the history... I have NO idea now, I was lied to by the guy I bought it from, he "rebuilds skis" locally out of his garage (he never registered my ski in his name, and the title has only had one owner outside of me)... but the "re-builder" was supposedly an honest individual, turned out was nothing more than a crook who masquerades as a jet ski mechanic. I didn't get that sorted out until it was too late as I'm not the only person that has done this to. He knew how to make things "look" awesome... unfortunately also knew how to hide all the bad stuff... Obviously I should have dug deep into the guts of this machine before I bought it.. and that is the painful lesson now.

As to its "true" history, honestly we have suspicions, but there are a lot of gaps. We do know that it was taken to a local dealership and sat outside their shop for a long time with no cover on it, the original owner never stored it under cover and that it sat WAY more than it ran, all of that we found out much later in this.

So our best guess was rain filled the motor compartment up (at least partially) with water, its not salt corrosion. Maybe possibly that it was sunk in freshwater but given the original owners info its unlikely. It did run when I bought it, the guy claimed he did several sea trials, when I took it out everything seemed ok, but within 15 min it threw a 1502 code, we limped it back to the dock loaded it up and took it back to the guy I bought it from, he claimed he replaced the oil pressure sensor but if he did, he grabbed a used one out of his box of spare parts as it wasn't the correct one (we just found that out 9 days ago). When we got the Ski back from him after nearly 3 weeks from replacing the oil pressure switch it started and immediately stopped throwing 351, 352 and 353 codes. I called the guy I brought it from, went by his house multiple times, text messages.. all silent.. All of that happened last summer. I had some medical issues last summer in the middle of this and honestly at that point wasn't in a place I could battle with this guy over it so it sat in the garage for roughly 8 months.

Where we are now, is I am into this for almost $4k, but we are rebuilding the oil pumps, intercooler, fuel pump, brand new ECM, manifold and exhaust have been pulled for inspection, throttle body cleaned, injectors cleaned, new prop, wear ring, oil pressure regulator, jet pump, supercharger, new rod, main and balance shaft bearings (not because they showed obvious signs of wear but just for peace of mind) plus other things I am sure I am forgetting. When we pulled the pumps we found this and basically said its all gotta get tore into and explored:



The bones of the ski are great, hull and pump tunnel are immaculate, new seat, console gauge, traction mats, graphics etc... were all replaced by the "rebuilder". After taking the bottom of the motor off the rods, crank and cylinders are perfect.

Lesson learned, take a used ski out with the seller and run it thru the gambit prior to handing anyone any money and don't take someones word on a persons integrity. Am I an idiot for not thoroughly inspecting it prior to sale, yea... Is this a stupid move to throw this much at the ski, yea... but I was going to be losing money regardless on this deal, so I might as well spend the money, go thru the thing COMPLETELY and know its right so I can enjoy it. None of us get into this for an investment or to make money (at least I would hope not)... but damn.. I coming close to being better off to buy a new one. The RXT-X 255 had some issues but was a pretty fun ski and a little ahead of its time which is why I was inclined to buy it to begin with. Was it worth the $3500 I paid for it.. now... HELL NO, but it is what it is now.

Ok.. I get it, but the rebuild kit was already bought and that picture looks bad but it actually cleaned up really well. We went thru all the tubes last night looking for any sign of weak points or issues and couldn't find any, the only tubes I could find all relocate the IC (which I really don't want to do as it removes the suppression box and at 50, I am not into building a 85 mph loud ski, I just want something reliable that the wife and I can ride) and the kits are $500+. The OE replacement IC thru SBC is $400, Jerry has the Riva Gen-3 for $429 so that was a no brainer. I also added the RIVA catch can, water strainer and the 4" air intake kit as well (forgot to mention that in the previous post).

Honestly, with you guys saying add a catch can (and you aren't the only ones to say this), ok... done, but that just doesn't look like oil, it looks like dirt, but this is my first supercharged ski so I got no basis for comparison.

Well, sorry about this situation on your purchase. Unfortunately, it happens. But what was done is now history. Let's move forward.

First, and to be clear, I did not mentioned modifying your ski from stock. I understand you're wanting a reliable ski suitable for your lady.

Seeing you have the engine out of the hull and apart, a rebuild is suggested: Have cylinders re-honed, block flushed, new rings/bearings, f/r oil pumps. Have the head checked/rebuilt. Check every connector for corrosion.

Check the jet pump bearing for excessive play, replace wear ring. Check driveshaft splines and "C" clip groove. Replace the bellows, carbon seal and floating ring (hat).

The pump tunnel is prone to cracking. Check the top of the tunnel for a hole saw cut. If present, tunnel was repaired. If not, repair will be necessary.

[hightide610]

Well, sorry about this situation on your purchase. Unfortunately, it happens. But what was done is now history. Let's move forward.

First, and to be clear, I did not mentioned modifying your ski from stock. I understand you're wanting a reliable ski suitable for your lady.

My apologies, I wasn't inferring that you would or did, I have a TON of other folks outside the board in my ear about it constantly, sorry if that rubbed off here. The RIVA intercooler was a sensible upgrade purely on understanding that a better flowing intercooler will make the machine run better and not get heat soaked, the 4" air upgrade was kind of in that same thought process.. first, I truly think all engines need an air filter and second after looking inside that intercooler, that became paramount. Could I have done that cheaper, maybe, but not enough to cause me to loose sleep over it.

Seeing you have the engine out of the hull and apart, a rebuild is suggested: Have cylinders re-honed, block flushed, new rings/bearings, f/r oil pumps. Have the head checked/rebuilt. Check every connector for corrosion.

We checked compression and leak tested before we pulled the motor and we are around 152 lbs across all three cylinders, (three tests on each averaged) no cylinder leak was detected, we are putting in all new bearings (just because) rebuilding oil pumps and pressure regulator (mine did suffer from the TSB BRP issued in 2010 on them), regulator cap was horribly scored, I literally today was finally able to talk to the original owner and find out that was the genesis and the hold up when it sat at the dealership and why the ski never got ran much, they couldn't clear the 1520 code (and the machine was in constant limp mode) the original owner didn't want to spend the money to pull the motor and fix it. He had several people try and fix it but to no avail, it sat outside, uncovered, seat deteriorated, baking int he Florida sun for almost 8 years in his back yard, so it was rain water that caused the corrosion not sinking.They got two seasons out of it.. apparently they didn't maintain it at all... and was sold as a parts ski for $100 to the guy I bought it from!!

Check the jet pump bearing for excessive play, replace wear ring. Check driveshaft splines and "C" clip groove. Replace the bellows, carbon seal and floating ring (hat).

All of the above components have been replaced by BRP OEM (wear ring and pump rebuild kit) or something as comparable as I could get in light of everyone being "grounded" or severely delayed. The upgraded carbon seal kit I bought from GreenHulk. The prop was all kinds of messed up, I couldn't find the OE one in stock, rebuilding mine was a 3 week+ lead time and although I am sure its a good prop, I want the ski running before I drop the money on a Solas (if its even necessary, so I went with a stock replacement Adonis one from SBT.

The pump tunnel is prone to cracking. Check the top of the tunnel for a hole saw cut. If present, tunnel was repaired. If not, repair will be necessary.

That was the ONE thing I did spend time verifying because when I asked the POS "builder" he hadn't looked at it, so I crawled under the trailer and looked into the grate with a flashlight, it is perfect absolutely no spider cracks in the gel coat anywhere. There also is no hole on the engine compartment side of the pump tunnel. I have starred at the ceiling the last few nights over this very thing... I won't be doing a whole lot of intercoastal riding once we get this together as we are moving about 70 miles inland and have several HUGE lakes and a pretty awesome river to ride... but I have read thru the forum threads on the repair, it doesn't look bad and I am already there so I am pretty sure I will.

[RiverRat71]

I dont & never have ridden ocean or really rough water but reinforced mine just for hell of it. You have everything out might as well. I cut the hole, dug out the foam & used West Systems G Flex in mine then glassed over the tunnel down to the bottom of the bilge. Be careful when pouring any epoxy. Little at a time is key. Shit gets really hot if you aren't careful. RR

[hightide610]

I dont & never have ridden ocean or really rough water but reinforced mine just for hell of it. You have everything out might as well. I cut the hole, dug out the foam & used West Systems G Flex in mine then glassed over the tunnel down to the bottom of the bilge. Be careful when pouring any epoxy. Little at a time is key. Shit gets really hot if you aren't careful. RR

Yea... thanks bud!! I’ve decided yesterday after yours and Bob’s response to just do it. I read the thread again last night and due to its age was kinda curious on the latest info around this.

How much epoxy did you buy?

What strength of fiberglass mesh did you use?

How big of a hole did you cut?

[RiverRat71]

Yea... thanks bud!! I’ve decided yesterday after yours and Bob’s response to just do it. I read the thread again last night and due to its age was kinda curious on the latest info around this.

How much epoxy did you buy?

What strength of fiberglass mesh did you use?


How big of a hole did you cut?

I cant remember the amount it took to fill the tunnel once its cleaned out. I think around 16 oz but probably varies a little. Call & speak to a tech at West Systems & tell them what you are doing. I know I used G Flex for the pour but don't remember which cloth & resin I used. 3 1/2-4" on the hole. Takes a little while to dig all the foam out. Use whatever you can tool wise to break it up & dig it out. I used a shop vac to suck a lot of the loose stuff out. You can tell when its all out. There used to be a 3 part video on youtube of a guy doing this. RR

[hightide610]

I cant remember the amount it took to fill the tunnel once its cleaned out. I think around 16 oz but probably varies a little. Call & speak to a tech at West Systems & tell them what you are doing. I know I used G Flex for the pour but don't remember which cloth & resin I used. 3 1/2-4" on the hole. Takes a little while to dig all the foam out. Use whatever you can tool wise to break it up & dig it out. I used a shop vac to suck a lot of the loose stuff out. You can tell when its all out. There used to be a 3 part video on youtube of a guy doing this. RR

Cool... I think the local west marine has that stuff in stock, I think I found the video on YouTube but damn... that is the most annoying music on the planet!!! Lol

[1tommygunner1927]

I cant remember the amount it took to fill the tunnel once its cleaned out. I think around 16 oz but probably varies a little. Call & speak to a tech at West Systems & tell them what you are doing. I know I used G Flex for the pour but don't remember which cloth & resin I used. 3 1/2-4" on the hole. Takes a little while to dig all the foam out. Use whatever you can tool wise to break it up & dig it out. I used a shop vac to suck a lot of the loose stuff out. You can tell when its all out. There used to be a 3 part video on youtube of a guy doing this. RR

Cool... I think the local west marine has that stuff in stock, I think I found the video on YouTube but damn... that is the most annoying music on the planet!!! Lol

One additional comment on the tunnel......once the IC and bracket are out of the way, the top of the tunnel is relatively flat but inside it is shallow near the rear of the tunnel. Begin the hole saw cut more forward than rearward and be very careful not to allow the hole saw to go too deep into the tunnel as you could cut thur the outer tunnel (waterside)!

[1tommygunner1927]

Well, sorry about this situation on your purchase. Unfortunately, it happens. But what was done is now history. Let's move forward.

First, and to be clear, I did not mentioned modifying your ski from stock. I understand you're wanting a reliable ski suitable for your lady.

My apologies, I wasn't inferring that you would or did, I have a TON of other folks outside the board in my ear about it constantly, sorry if that rubbed off here. The RIVA intercooler was a sensible upgrade purely on understanding that a better flowing intercooler will make the machine run better and not get heat soaked, the 4" air upgrade was kind of in that same thought process.. first, I truly think all engines need an air filter and second after looking inside that intercooler, that became paramount. Could I have done that cheaper, maybe, but not enough to cause me to loose sleep over it.

Seeing you have the engine out of the hull and apart, a rebuild is suggested: Have cylinders re-honed, block flushed, new rings/bearings, f/r oil pumps. Have the head checked/rebuilt. Check every connector for corrosion.

We checked compression and leak tested before we pulled the motor and we are around 152 lbs across all three cylinders, (three tests on each averaged) no cylinder leak was detected, we are putting in all new bearings (just because) rebuilding oil pumps and pressure regulator (mine did suffer from the TSB BRP issued in 2010 on them), regulator cap was horribly scored, I literally today was finally able to talk to the original owner and find out that was the genesis and the hold up when it sat at the dealership and why the ski never got ran much, they couldn't clear the 1520 code (and the machine was in constant limp mode) the original owner didn't want to spend the money to pull the motor and fix it. He had several people try and fix it but to no avail, it sat outside, uncovered, seat deteriorated, baking int he Florida sun for almost 8 years in his back yard, so it was rain water that caused the corrosion not sinking.They got two seasons out of it.. apparently they didn't maintain it at all... and was sold as a parts ski for $100 to the guy I bought it from!!

Check the jet pump bearing for excessive play, replace wear ring. Check driveshaft splines and "C" clip groove. Replace the bellows, carbon seal and floating ring (hat).

All of the above components have been replaced by BRP OEM (wear ring and pump rebuild kit) or something as comparable as I could get in light of everyone being "grounded" or severely delayed. The upgraded carbon seal kit I bought from GreenHulk. The prop was all kinds of messed up, I couldn't find the OE one in stock, rebuilding mine was a 3 week+ lead time and although I am sure its a good prop, I want the ski running before I drop the money on a Solas (if its even necessary, so I went with a stock replacement Adonis one from SBT.

The pump tunnel is prone to cracking. Check the top of the tunnel for a hole saw cut. If present, tunnel was repaired. If not, repair will be necessary.

That was the ONE thing I did spend time verifying because when I asked the POS "builder" he hadn't looked at it, so I crawled under the trailer and looked into the grate with a flashlight, it is perfect absolutely no spider cracks in the gel coat anywhere. There also is no hole on the engine compartment side of the pump tunnel. I have starred at the ceiling the last few nights over this very thing... I won't be doing a whole lot of intercoastal riding once we get this together as we are moving about 70 miles inland and have several HUGE lakes and a pretty awesome river to ride... but I have read thru the forum threads on the repair, it doesn't look bad and I am already there so I am pretty sure I will.

Apology is not necessary as no offense was taken. Regarding air filters, I would only add the K&N stainless steel mesh air filter IF using the 4" kanaflex tubing. If staying with the stock air take system, no air filter is needed. The stock air box is baffled and it also serves as a mount the voltage regulator. Besides that, there is no space available to add the 4" kanaflex at the supercharger with the IC in the stock location! Only "mods" I'd make is adding the Riva catch can, a bilge pump, and a brass shut off valve in case your ski needs to be towed.

150 compression is good. No need to change anything there.