need help!

[wolfking42084]

took the 150 out today for the first time since i bought it. Last time i was on here i needed some help with the engine light and realized after you all told me, that i had overfilled the oil. got it off the trailer today, cranked first time and took off only to have the temp. light come on and top out at 20-30mph. Went back to the dock checked the coolant and was low, problem solved. Went back out, no check engine light but this time acted limited, almost like an engine would be with the choke on. maxed out at 38mph and the turbo guage was only coming half way up. sometimes i would stop and idle and when i would hit the throttle to accelerate, would poke at 8mph. just bought this machine off a friend of mine. i changed the oil, new battery, and was going to change the fuel but there was only a gallon left in the tank from 2006. my mechanic at work smelled it and said it was fine so i fillled the tank with 93 ontane plus injector cleaner. i was thinking maybe the old fuel in the lines(should of ran it long enough today to get rid of that though). fuel filter(if there is one. kinda new to the pwc world). just really have no clue. please help me guys!
thanks logan

[Rocky_Road]

You mentioned that you changed your oil. Have you searched this forum for the numerous posts about the common mistake of overfilling the reservoir?

The proper way to check for your oil level, is to run the engine for around 15 secs...turn off...wait a few minutes...unscrew the dipstick, wipe, and insert (without screwing it down). The level should fall somewhere BETWEEN 'add' and 'full hot'.

Too much oil can do what you are experiencing.

[wolfking42084]

i think i'm good on the oil level, but will def. check again just to make sure. let you know tom. how that turned out. is there anything else it could be right off the top or your head? thanks for the help

[Rocky_Road]

There is a fuel filter, but it isn't changed until 100 hours.

You should also check the turbo waste gate for free movement.

[wolfking42084]

rocky,
me being very new to pwc and also stupid, could you explain to me where that is and just what to do? thanks man

[K447]

... explain to me where that is and just what to do? thanks manDownload the Service Manual (http://www.mattmans.com/polaris/upload/), if you haven't already.

[wolfking42084]

k447,
i downloaded what you told me and that was very informative, but i just don't know where any of that is and don't know what it looks like. The best i can understand, the little door that they are talking about is spring loaded and that must be what is messed up. i just dont knnow where the wastegate is or what it looks like.

[K447]

Well, if searching for other threads (http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?p=518569&highlight=waste#post518569) related to the waste gate doesn't get you what you need, then perhaps other MSX 110/150 owners will post some info and pictures regarding the waste gate.

[Rocky_Road]

k447,
i downloaded what you told me and that was very informative, but i just don't know where any of that is and don't know what it looks like. The best i can understand, the little door that they are talking about is spring loaded and that must be what is messed up. i just dont knnow where the wastegate is or what it looks like.

Here is the waste gate...left side of engine, facing forward.

The rod is attached to a spring loaded baffle, so there will be some resistance when you try to move it. If you want to disconnect the rod, it takes a 5mm allen wrench (supplied in the original tool kit). With the rod disconnected, you can really know if the waste gate lever moves freely....

All said, and done, the problems that you are describing sound more like some of the engine sensors being fouled by the original oil overfill. But try the waste gate lever first....

[wolfking42084]

rocky, thanks so much for the picture, that really helps. let me try that

[wolfking42084]

ok, the lever moved down like you said with resistance but nothing hanging up. if it's the sensors, is that the ones right above the battery??

[Rocky_Road]

took the 150 out today for the first time since i bought it. Last time i was on here i needed some help with the engine light and realized after you all told me, that i had overfilled the oil. got it off the trailer today, cranked first time and took off only to have the temp. light come on this light will also come on if your jet pump has an obstruction and top out at 20-30mph. Went back to the dock checked the coolant and was low, problem solved. Went back out, no check engine light but this time acted limited, almost like an engine would be with the choke on. maxed out at 38mph and the turbo guage was only coming half way up. Do you recall the RPM's at this point? sometimes i would stop and idle and when i would hit the throttle to accelerate, would poke at 8mph. Was there the 'Check Engine' light? just bought this machine off a friend of mine. i changed the oil, new battery, and was going to change the fuel but there was only a gallon left in the tank from 2006. my mechanic at work smelled it and said it was fine so i fillled the tank with 93 ontane plus injector cleaner. i was thinking maybe the old fuel in the lines(should of ran it long enough today to get rid of that though). fuel filter(if there is one. kinda new to the pwc world). just really have no clue. please help me guys!
thanks logan

Note the red remarks above. Take a flashlight and look for anything out of the ordinary in the jet pump. Fuel breaks down quickly, and any fuel 2 years old would be highly suspect...but if you topped the tank with Premium, you should be alright as to the fuel you are running. You haven't mentioned the hours on this engine, but stale fuel could have 'gummed' up your fuel filter. Lots of posters here swear by a product called Sea Foam, and you wouldn't do bad adding this to the tank.

As for the sensors...what you see above the battery is the ECU, not the sensors. I hope that someone on this board more knowledgeable about which sensors are corrupted by too much oil, will chime in. I am not convinced that this is your problem...since I believe that any sensor issue would trigger your Check Engine light. I seem to recall that the intercooler is a prime victim when overfilled with oil.... We could use some help here.

If you PM me your email address, I can try to send you a PDF file of the MSX 150 Parts Manual. This would be invaluable in helping you locate some of the parts we are talking about. This manual may still be available for downloading from the Polaris website....

[wolfking42084]

rocky,
Check engine light was not on when this was happening. the only time it was on was when i first took off and realized 15 seconds in, that the light was on and temp. reading hot. coolant solved this and the light never came back on. The whole time, never got above 38mph and was never above 5600rpm.

[Rocky_Road]

I just visited the Polaris website, and with a little searching found the parts manual still available for download:

http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/Vehicles/Search?Query=msx%20150

From this page, you will probably be asked to log in (I am registered), so just type in whatever they request (e-mail address and password) to become a registered visitor. If you have any problems doing this, just holler!

You do know that the check engine light ALWAYS blinks for around 10 to 15 seconds, every time you start the engine? The computer is checking all of the sensors, and parameters, before giving you full control of the throttle....

[Rocky_Road]

Logan,

Check out this link to an old thread about what happens to the MSX intercooler, when too much oil is run....

http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=44417&highlight=msx+intercooler

I am beginning to wonder if this isn't what you are experienceing. I am also leaning towards replacing the fuel filter, just as a precaution.

[wolfking42084]

rocky,
that really helped out, thank you. I am taking it to work tom. and going to change the fuel filter. i re-read your post and forgot to tell you that it has 54.7 hours. hopefully this will be an easy fix.

[wolfking42084]

I took the 150 to work today and changed the fuel filter. Any suggestions as to what to do now?

[beerdart]

I would talk the Jay at.
WWW.ATLANTICPOWERSPORTS.COM (http://www.atlanticpowersports.com/)

[wolfking42084]

got the 150 worked on last week and finally got the dreaded call about what was wrong and how much $. Turns out it was a spark plug problem. they took it out and said it is awesome, other than one thing. Now it is taking on a small amount of water. He is continuing working on it as i write this and said something about maybe having to pull the engine and some freeze plug problems. I was thinking maybe a gasket problem or seal or something. any ideas??

[f150vtx]

Check all the lines going to the water box, exhaust manifold and intercooler. Are you loosing any coolant fluid? Also check the drive shaft bear seal. I know you said they changed the plugs, and everything is running fine. But did anyone check to see if you have any oil in the intake lines. I say this only to prevent you from having any other problems in the future from when the oil was over filled. Glad to hear the ski is up to speed and hopefully the water leak is a bad drain plug seal/gasket.

[K447]

...it is taking on a small amount of water. He is continuing working on it as I write this and said something about maybe having to pull the engine and some freeze plug problems.
I was thinking maybe a gasket problem or seal or something. any ideas??The engine coolant is a closed system. If the leak is from the engine, the water will have anti-freeze in it (pink color?).

Fresh water goes to the heat exchanger (check the hoses), but not to the engine itself.

If the engine itself isn't leaking, and your tech doesn't find the source of the water, here are some ideas;

Check that the through hull fitting is tight where it actually exits the hull. Others have found the plastic threaded fitting to have loosened. The seal for the plastic fitting is an O-ring on the outside of the hull, with a special nut holding it tight.

If you haven't already, grease the through hull bearing until a little grease is squeezing past the seals. If it takes a lot of grease, then the bearing may have been running dry, or started rusting - examine it more thoroughly.

If you can't find the problem from the inside with the ski in the water, put it on the trailer, dry it off, and put a few inches of water inside the hull (not too much, just enough to cover the drive shaft through hull fitting). Watch for where the water comes out, if anywhere.

If no hull leaks are found with standing water inside the ski, then it must be coming from a hose inside the hull.

[wolfking42084]

hey thanks so much! still waiting to hear back from them and see what they say. hope it's nothing major, but if they can't find it, i'll def. try those things for sure. logan

[f150vtx]

Fresh water still runs through the exhaust and heat exchangers. Check hoses for wear marks and loose connections. I tried to grease the shaft bearing on my 110, but it is a sealed bearing.

[wolfking42084]

so the polaris place went through the leak problem and said it was the heat exchanger and freeze plug problem. said the heat exchanger would be $600 dollars alone. does this sound right? how hard is it to change out if i did it myself? thanks logan

[wolfking42084]

they also said that the heat exchanger was warped and something about the 2 endcaps. anyone have any clarification on this?

[f150vtx]

Changing it out is not that hard. You will need to remove intake hoses, but it may have to come out the front compartment storage. Put some Thread Blasters on the bolts before loosing. If you have alot of corrision you will need to get new rubber mounts for the intercooler. They are about 10 each and I thing you have two of them on a 150. As far as it being warped, that sounds pretty fishy to me. The outside casing I believe is steel with copper inner tubes. You would have to get this thing really hot to warp it. I would pull it and psi test it to about 30 psi(your boost is about 9psi, so if to holds than you should be OK. If you need a new intercooler get ahold of JAY... hell get ahold of JAY anyways. He is the man to talk to. He is a great guy and is really busy this time of years, so be patient.

[wolfking42084]

can anyone tell me where the freeze plug is on the exchanger?? Imust be stupid but i dont know where the plug is. i pulled it off and the end caps don't looked warped as i was told. thanks