American Skier Pro 2002 - Perth Australia

[conradg]

Just bought a Pro which was imported from US. What a fantastic boat! Beats the hell out of a Mastercraft 190 I used to own. I'm still getting used to it. A few teething problems such as overheating when idling after running at cruising speed. I'm using it in saltwater with RWC. Trying a new 140F thermostat which hopefully will fix the problem.

Fantastic forum. I feel honored to be an AS owner!

Does anyone know of any other Pros in Australia?

[Mike Harry]

Welcome aboard. Everyone is going to ask so Ill ask first, we need to see some pictures 

As far as the overheating, what kind of temp are we talking about? While your buying a T-stat you may want to look into a 160 degree stat as that is what Ron Tanis has recommended in the past as a performance part and has stated that is what was put into his promo boats.

Im sure he will post as soon as he sees this.

[conradg]

She is in immaculate condition.

[Joel]

Wow!  Thats a beauty!!  Buying a lower T-stat may work, but your treating the symptom without solving the problem.  Check all your hose connections to ensure they are tight, T-stat gasket seal, impeller pump gasket seal, etc...  want to ensure your not sucking ANY air... even a little loss of pressure will effect the system's ability to cool the engine.

Have fun with her... she's gorgeous!!!

Joel

[RonT]

I would not change the t-stat to a higher one for 2 reasons, one you are now using the boat salt water, two this is a computer controlled engine which will automatically "de-tune" the engine when running above design temps. Changing to higher temp t-stats is reserved for the older carb. engines.  I would however install a fresh water flush so you can flush the engine for 5-10 minutes every time after using in salt water. Ultimately you would have what is called fresh water cooling (was an option) but standard is "raw water cooled" which is what all iron block engines come standard with. 

[conradg]

Thanks Ron, Joel and Mike for your advice.

My previous inboard had a FWC system and this worked really well. This would be my preference as I am sure the engine will last longer when used in salt water. I will have to live with RWC for now as I have used up all my wife's allocated boat spend budget!

I read your thread on flushing boats on the trailer and the possibility of causing damage by pressurizing the system with a directly connected garden hose. I usually disconnect one hose from the strainer and shove the garden hose in there, this doesn't pressurize anything directly and you can see when you are sucking more than the garden supply. I run this for 10 - 15 mins.

What are you referring to when you say "install a fresh water flush"? There seem to be a number of options but the ones I have looked at seem to block off the intake and look like they end up pressurizing the system from the attached garden hose.

The overheating issue I have is really strange. Most of the time I have no issues but when doing something like teaching someone to ski, where there are bursts of power applied and then a quick drop back to idle multiple times in a row, I will suddenly see the temperature rise rapidly to the max and the engine warning light comes on. No amount of increasing revs in neutral helps. The only thing that brings the temp down is to get the boat on the plane. After a few seconds, the temp rapidly reduces to normal. When the temp is at max, the engine doesn't appear hot. My previous boats, you would get a feel that it was running hot by lifting the cover. The combination of smell and heat usually gave some indication that it was running hot. Doesn't seem to be the case here, although my "scientific method" for cross checking engine temp may not be valid.

I have checked all hose connections from inlet to pump and all looks ok. This weekend I will take apart the raw water pump and check the impeller and cover gasket, although the guy I bought the boat from said he replaced the impeller which was only a few weeks ago.

This is really worrying me as I seized the engine in my last boat through similar issues with temp and oil supply. I almost get the feeling that the water is boiling in the top of the engine near the temp sensor and requires high water flow through the engine to push this out. I sometimes see what looks like steam near the exhausts when having these issues. This would be my only explanation for the temp showing max but engine not appearing to be overheating.

Anyway those are just my humble opinions but keen to hear from the experts.

[backfoot100]

Conrad,
Welcome and what an awesome looking boat!

Listen what the others have said. Overheating at idle is usually indicative of an air leak on the suction side of the RWP. Overheating at speed is usually a partial blockage somewhere or an impeller missing a few blades or both.
Check all the hose hose connections from the raw water intake all the way to the RWP. Make sure there are no cracks in any of them and tighten them with a socket, not a screwdriver. Make sure the raw water strainer has a gasket and it seals good. If you see air bubbles in the clear plastic bowl while it's running, you're getting an air leak. Make sure the tranny cooler is clear. Make sure the gasket on the RWP is good.
Another thing that most people never realize is that the RWP also has a seal on the impeller shaft. You have to remove and disassemble the RWP to get to it. That seal will cause all kinds of problems if it's worn or leaking a little bit. Very easy to change with simple hand tools but very often overlooked.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Eddie

[Midskier]

Overheating at idle is usually indicative of an air leak on the suction side of the RWP. Overheating at speed is usually a partial blockage somewhere or an impeller missing a few blades or both.

your impeller is shot

[conradg]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will spend some time on checking out the entire cooling system and pump. Then check it out on the water.