paul

Rudder tab is adjusted and tight. It pulls reasonably to the left at higher speeds

Hi,

 

Looking for some advice on some steering issues we are experiencing on a 2014 SN200 with 500hrs. Its ok at higher speeds but at lower speeds there is lots of play in the steering wheel and the rudder feels like it kind of jumps. I've greased the rudder a few times which helps but after 25hrs its back to being poor steering.

 

I pushed the rudder side ways and there is play. I'm assuming there is a bushing in the rudder port that can wear out? Does the rudder port need to be taken out to replace the bushing? Or can I just put new packing in and tighten the rudder nut? It is not leaking right now.

 

Also, at the helm, it looks like replacing the helm is often done to reduce the play in the steering wheel (about 2" when the rudder is held) or should I just try to shim and get the rack tighter to the pinion?

 

The steering cable feels fine - one finger to rotate the steering wheel so, unless the rack needs replacing I would think its fine?

 

Thx,

 

Paul

We use 20 feet of 1/4 stainless cable from the winches on the jump to tires. From the tires to the anchors we use 3/4 poly rope - 150’ long. Our anchors are 6’x6’x1’ concrete and we are in 25-30’ of water and our jump gets exposed to high winds. The tires act as shock absorbers.

bump - are there any off the shelf options for a connector to serial port? Will Perfect Pass update these? I don't really want to start building my own harness...

Agreed. Run some vinegar or dilute muriatic acid through the engine. I had ports in my 2002 that were completely blocked when I took off the heads.

Sucked out old fluid tonight and put 2L of above (motomaster) fluid in. It was reading just over full when following the manual instructions. Ran fine for a couple of minutes and then slipped when I gave it some gas. I then ran with the engine cover open and held the shift linkage as far up as it would go - still slipped on acceleration.

 

Now that I remember, it slipped once before we changed oil - thought it was just an electronics issue at the time. It ran fine for 2-3 hrs after.

 

Although I’d love for it not to be it really seems like the tranny is toast.

Checked it last night and it was right up to the top mark. I will change and check again - cold with the dipstick not screwed in

yes - 5hrs after a fluid change the problem started. Did it once the first time after the change then was fine for the rest of the day (4boat hrs). Next time out ran for 2 passes (likely till it got warm) and then started. Tranny fluid was quite dark from the previous owner but looks good now. And yes mechanical shift.

 

What's the process for a pressure check? Linkage was checked and is good.

Looking for some advice.

 

Our new to us SN200 6.0L (365hrs) tranny started slipping last night. We have put 11 hrs on the boat - and changed the tranny oil at 360hrs (not sure when the previous change by the previous owner).

 

We went out with the first skier and pulled him two passes. Getting out of the water on the 3rd pass the boat surged but he got up. Then he fell and we tried to get him out of the water again and it slipped so bad that he couldn't make it up. Opened the engine cover and could smell it.

 

We checked fluid levels and they were fine. We changed the fluid with a Dexron which is a replacement for Dexron III - https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-dexron-iii-mercon-automatic-transmission-fluid-0281502p.html.

 

Took it out again and could get it up to speed if we accelerated slowly. If we drove it like there was a skier it would slip.

 

My thought was to change the fluid again and see if that helps. Is the fluid above ok or should I be using a different fluid?

 

Any other suggestions? From my research, if this tranny is bad, the only option is to buy a new one??!!

SkiPath PC has the ability to design ski courses (slalom, trick and jump) and then place them in the lake. The jump setup feature including grid buoys is particularly good.

It’s actually accurate to less than 1cm. You are referencing actual location. These systems are pretty inaccurate for where they are in the world (probably 3+m) but they know exactly where they are in reference to each other provided the base station is close enough.

Interesting thanks for the follow up. I guess it shows that doing flow tests with no restriction isn’t always a great test as you did check your circulating pump and you did have good flow. Makes sense though as if the pump is gone it can sometimes generate flow but not pressure

We had a minerals buildup in our exhaust manifolds that restricted flow that materialized as a problem priming the raw water pump the first time the boat was put in the water. Flushed the engine with a dilute mixture of muriatic acid (2%) and all was good. Boat ran cooler after. Our lake is quite alkaline with Waterspots if not wiped down with soft water

You bet. Using the mobile and PC version. PC version is great for jump setup! Biggest thing is you need a line of site from your base station to your boat - preferably at all times but at minimum prior to your 55’s so the system can lock on.

We had an issue in our ‘16 MC (6.2L) this year as it was backfiring on acceleration. No other issues. Turned out to be a bad injector. No codes or check engine light.

Our ‘02 MC was slow out of the hole - turned out to be a bad plug. Couldn’t tell it was missing though

A new SN has ballast for trick...

Why don’t you just buy one of these and not worry about tarps? https://www.rockgard.com/

I’ll take my ‘02 PS 190 wake over a SN 200 any day. I do think there is a difference between the same model of boats - our PS 190 is a gem!

Any update on whether there is a no cell service option?

I launch with a Jeep TJ (Prostar 190). 4.0L is rated for 2000lbs. It does just fine but I am 200m from the launch. The TJ excels at getting it out and into the garage with its short wheelbase. 4Lo handles it no prob on steep slippery driveway. Not sure I’d take it on the highway but I know a guy who used to pull a 93 Prostar with a TJ...

We have 400ton autonomous haul trucks with no driver at work that are much more similar in how they would operate than an autonomous car (closed course, known centreline etc.) they are down to the centimetre and are actually too accurate. They have developed code to make them offset where they can to not rut up the roads as bad.

 

That is the next step on a closed lake - skiing by yourself with remote start/stop.

Can this be run at a site without cell phone signal - ie 900mhz radio or something similar? Does the base have the computing power or does it have to be sent to the web?

I built a portable course awhile back and screwed up the length of the triangle due to a bad calc. I think it ended up being 12” short between each section. It was nearly impossible to ski. Your turns had to be so quick. Pretty much everyone could run only one pass or two at the most.

Just saw Joel Poland is going plant based after watching the movie game changers. I’ve been plant based for a year now and I have been amazed at the difference. One crazy thing is that I have had a back injury for the past 17 years or so. I basically could just manage it but it would flare up every so often. This year no flare ups and now it is totally gone. Apparently eating plant based causes less inflammatory responses so your body can heal quicker. Crazy... I highly recommend it.

 

Sorry kind of skiing kind of not - delete if off topic...