Super Jet Blew my hood off. Almost blew my head off. Stripped every head bolt.

[sharkcus]

I'll leave the fun details about out about how I had to swim about 2 miles at sundown while the rest of my group zoomed past me and didn't see me.

701, single carb, blue/maniac ported cyl, RIVA head, 35cc domes, pro-x 83mm pistons (I think 83mm), carbon tech reeds, limited bpipe, brap strap (this is relevant)

So I had some cooling problems 3 days ago, plugged cooling line at pump, I noticed pisser wasn't pissing. Macgyvered my dual cooling into single cooling and drove home. No overheating, or at least very little. THIS is the reason I setup dual cooling.

Yesterday was normal. Ski responded normally. Rode for about 45min. I went for a semi-wot run to catch up with my friend. (it was choppy). I got on it for about 2 seconds, then heard a muffled pop. Thought I blew a coupler. I tried to start it again and ******BOOOOOOOOM******* my hood flew about 5ft in the air with a big fireball and landed in the water next to me. Hit my helmet on the way up. It probably would have killed me if I didn't have my helmet on. Nothing on the hull was damaged, not even the brap strap ratchet. It didn't break the strap, it just pulled it out of the ratchet.

Fast forward 3 hours. I got it home. I'll attach pics tonight. EVERY.SINGLE. bolt in the head pulled the threads right out of the cylinder. Some were still semi tight. The front side of the head was lifted about 1/4" and the orings were hanging out. I backed out what was left of the bolts in the rear so there was no stress on the head and pulled it. The lifted side dome looked brand new, ZERO carbon. The oring was nowhere to be found on that cyl. I'm guessing that is the one that failed. Probably so clean looking because of the water from the water jacket getting in. The one that was still kind of sealed had an intact oring, and there was a normal amount of cabon/discoloration on the dome. Pistons looked okay. I sprayed fog in the cyl to keep the rust down. Also, after I heard the first pop, the pisser coming from the head stopped. (It died within seconds after that)

So here are my questions.
1. Anyone ever have this problem? Figure out why?
2. What on EARTH could have caused the head to do this?
3. Any suggestions on what to do to fix this? Will a helicoil hold? Send it to a machine shop? Junk it? (it's BRAND NEW from blue/maniac)

 

[swapmeet]

No idea what could have happened but i'm def interested in seeing some pics!

 

[txsuperjetfreak96]

Wow thats crazy


Jeremy

 

[MADMAT]

Wow some crew.

And wow on the carnage! I have never seen it!

Pics!

 

[Dutchie]

Gasoline gascloud inside of the engine bay. Got a spark an BOOM

 

[txsuperjetfreak96]

Could of been hydro locked has to go somewhere always up


Jeremy

 

[jdmforlife]

Lets see pics but nice crew

 

[N3vrSat1sfied]

subscribing for photo carnage, and your crew seriously didnt come tow you?

 

[motozachl]

Ouch man I'm more bummed about the guys leaving you rather than the condition of the ski. I'm completely mind boggled about how this happened though. I may stop by later tonight to check it out and drop off tap kit

 

[sharkcus]

I would thing that it would bend a rod or do something to the piston before stripping all of the head bolts.

Just thought of something. My head isn't girdled, it bolts to the cyl. I might just buy a girdled head that bolts to the base. Makes sense, right? Instead of effing with this thing. The girdled heads don't use any of the stock headbolt locations, right?

Yeah, it wasn't their fault. I was out with friends on my jetboat. They were cruising around and went up the lake a bit while I stayed and screwed around. I went to catch up with them and BAM. I swam close to shore so I could see what actually happened. When the hood blew off, I fetched it and installed it back loosely on so my ski didnt sink. I didn't see what happened to the motor at that point. I was by the rocks in an industrial spot east of the cuyahoga. When I saw that it wasn't something I could fix (like a coupler) I put my handpole up so they would see me and started swimming toward Whiskey Island. For all they knew, I could have been back at the ramps. But I think I blended in with the rocks. They drove by WAY out. So I swam with the ski all the way to the river mouth and across it. Luckily there was a nice couple on the pier by the lighthouse that called my buddy on his cell and he circled back to pick me up. I had been out there maybe an hour and a half swimming already so I was beat. I was just trying to make it back to whiskey island beach so I could walk back and pull my car around before dark, which wasn't going to happen. They were freaking out because they couldn't find me.

Okay so I'll check my head for flatness, list it for sale, check my cyl (which should be fine) and buy a girdled head.

As for carnage pictures, it sounds worse than it looks. It's just a head with no bolts sticking out 1/2", several are still missing. I wonder if they shot out with the hood. Couldn't find them in the hull. The cyl itself looks fine. But I'll still take the pictures. I can't believe how hard that hood hit my head. Snapped my neck back. Its modded, top vents are filled, only 2 vents open at rear of hood.

 

[sharkcus]

Ouch man I'm more bummed about the guys leaving you rather than the condition of the ski. I'm completely mind boggled about how this happened though. I may stop by later tonight to check it out and drop off tap kit

Yeah come check it out. Like I said, it's not their fault. They were in my jetboat, it's not like I was with other standups. They were just as freaked out... I wasn't in danger, it was just kind of a long swim and getting dark. I wouldn't have made it to whiskey before sundown.

 

[txsuperjetfreak96]

Yes they still use the stock head bolts to


Jeremy

 

[motozachl]

Yeah come check it out. Like I said, it's not their fault. They were in my jetboat, it's not like I was with other standups. They were just as freaked out... I wasn't in danger, it was just kind of a long swim and getting dark. I wouldn't have made it to whiskey before sundown.

Ohhhh was going to say us standups never leave each other...hence NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER ride alone.

Just thought of something. My head isn't girdled, it bolts to the cyl. I might just buy a girdled head that bolts to the base. Makes sense, right? Instead of effing with this thing. The girdled heads don't use any of the stock headbolt locations, right?
.

Yes girdled heads use the stock cylinder bolts as well

 

[DAG]

It sounds like the head came unseated from cylinders deck allowing both fuel to enter the engine bay (to blow the hood off) as well as water to enter the jug (blow the head off/strip threads). Head came unseated due to already compromised threads in the jug. Cross threaded, heli-coiled, corrosion, could be a number of things.

 

[sharkcus]

ugh. But it torqued down okay. Who knows. So you think heli coils are bad for head bolts? I might go time-serts.

I am looking forward to tracking down that oring and bolts tonight lol

 

[SuperDrifter]

"Checking your head for flatness".....yea, good thing you had your helmet on

 

[JetManiac]

Holy explosion batman! Good you werent hurt or lost at sea.

Doesnt sound like a hydrolock, more like fuel igniting somehow. Girdled head will take a load off of the head bolts, which hopefully can be helicoiled. Timecert will make problem for oring sealing unless perfect.

Possibly (Probably) need crank, pin bearings, etc.

 

[sharkcus]

Just got my meat hooks on a 62t/61x in a CLEAN raider for $900. I can swap in a 650 or something into the raider so I can sell it. Finally moving to the "dual carb darkside".

I'm going to helicoil it. I don't want to give up my fancy blue cylinder. God, I guess that means I really do need to get a girdled head. I can see heli coiling a bolt or two, but not all of them.

 

[ProSouth]

Jetmaniac just posted a used girdled head for sale. Hit him up ASAP. I've had my battery come loose and the positive side stuck to the engine and grounded itself, then ignited the fumes in the engine bay. I thought something was trying to attack me. Lol.

 

[sharkcus]

Jetmaniac just posted a used girdled head for sale. Hit him up ASAP. I've had my battery come loose and the positive side stuck to the engine and grounded itself, then ignited the fumes in the engine bay. I thought something was trying to attack me. Lol.

Already did, thanks!
Jesus! There were that many fumes? I would have never thought engine bay explosions on these things were a "thing". The sound it made was awful. Like PFOOOMP! would be a good descriptive word. I'm kinda glad the hood flew off, who knows what else could have happened if the strap held.