I don’t think I have ever seen a post on how to fix a ride motor, and with it being such a common failure, I’m surprised no one has made a guide on how to do it.
We do also offer this as a service if you do not want to attempt it yourself
We are well versed in jet ski repair, and if you’re a local to Jacksonville FL, then you don’t even have to ship it to use or remove from your ski.
Anyways, lets get into it. (Try at your own risk, you can damage your motor even more if not careful).
Assuming you have your ride motor removed from the jet ski already the first thing you will see are Phillips head screws lining the black plastic housing
the metal on these can be kind of soft, so be careful not to strip them
We like to take a properly sized Philips screwdriver, tap it into the screw with a hammer slightly to break up any corrosion etc.
and then start to back it out
The chance of success is vastly higher this way to prevent stripping.
With all the screws removed you will still have the housing stuck together
you will need to take a heat gun and go around the edge where the plastic housing meets the metal housing
DO not hold in one spot too long
and do not heat up to the point the plastic gets overly soft or melts.
Our goal is just to make the adhesive that holds them together softer to pull it apart.
After the adhesive is softened
there is a spot in the housing you can use a wide flathead, or plastic pry tool, to work the housings apart
be careful not to break or warp the plastic, as it will not seal correctly again if you do.
With the two halves separated, this should leave you with an empty plastic housing you can set aside
and the metal housing with the ecu, motor and shaft
Depending on the repair needed this could go a few ways
but usually has to start with taking off the 4 bolts holding the ecu down (As it covers the rest)
If the motor is failed, it is the exact same as a Subaru Forester motor from 1998-2008 or Impreza from 2002-2007
Make sure the gear has 8 teeth and is oriented the same way
If the shaft is broken or failed
the part number can be found in the service manual
for a 2020 VX it is F3Y-60221-00-00
you will also need the appropriate o-rings
these can usually be sourced in a universal nitrile kit
If the shaft has to be pressed out
just remember to swap over the positioning magnet at the top into the new shaft
When putting in the new shaft make sure to add marine grease on the shaft and O-Rings to prevent future corrosion and O-ring failure.
These are the two main failures that can occur.
If the ECU is bad another can be purchased
this will vary by ski as to which ecu is needed.
When reassembling your ride motor make sure to use blue thread locker to keep bolts in place
and clean the sealing surface of the 2 halves of the housing before reapplying rtv and resealing.
After assembly you should have a working motor again ready to install.
