New to the Forum and the boat, and already have a question about my boat.

[Jeepdude2]

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 1999 Epic 22dd.
It's great, and am sad it is fall.

question though. I thoroughly checked out the boat along with two other very mechanically inclined guys.

i took it out today and as we were idling down the canal, we noticed that it sounded like my old Malibu and my buddy's v-drive do in reverse, but this was in forward. (we did not hear it during the test drive, however the test drive did not include a lot of idle time)

Does anyone else get that low howl in these boats at slow speed in forward?

there is no vibration and all of the fluids are in great shape. I also checked the prop, and it seems to be fine.

Glad to be here and learning about my new boat!

[Echelon73]

I have a 1999 Epic 22 that I bought this summer as well.  Mine also makes a howling noise at very low (idle and just a little above) speeds.  I wa thinking mine is either coming from the impeller/water pump, transmission, or shaft.  I just replaced the shaft seal and the noise did not change, so I am really thinking something to do with the water pump at this point.  I do not hear it anymore as soon as I give it more throttle. 

[Jeepdude2]

Echelon73,
that is the exact same thing that my boat makes.
sounds like its in reverse when it is in fwd is the only way i could explain it, and mine also goes away as soon as you get above no-wake.

I guess we shouldn't worry, but it is just odd.

[Echelon73]

The more I think about it I only hear the sound when it is in gear, so I doubt it is the water pump.  I am getting ready to winterize, but next spring I will probably pull out the floor panels while I have it at the lake and listen closely to the transmission and the shaft to see if I can better pinpoint where it is coming from.  It is a bit annoying around the dock at low speeds. 

[curtis]

Fellow E-22 Owners,
I purchased my Epic in March of 2000. The Hurth Transmission is making the noise that you hear.
Nature of the beast. Sounds great when going above idle. Check it out, I think you may agree.
We have 689 Fantastic hours on the boat. Ive had two issues. One, my nut holding the transmission linkage
came off, summer of 2000, (Found it in the bilge) and the plugs fouled and were replaced due to fogging the cylinders during winterization prior to the  spring of 2005.
Having an Epic means you don't have to join a Fitness Club.
Just add water.
Regards,
Curtis

[Jeepdude2]

that's good news.

I like it when the news is "that's normal"

[Echelon73]

Thanks for the information Curtis.  I guess I will not worry about it.  I did just fog my engine yesterday though.  Now, I'm wondering if I will have fowled plugs next spring.  Guess I will have to wait till then to see.  I was suprised at how much work was involved to winterize though.  My 2006 Malibu with the Indmar 340 was a breeze to set up for winter. 

[skibeau]

Not sure if possible, but could someone have changed the prop from right to left (or vice versa) and had to change the transmission too?

[Jeepdude2]

I would guess everything is all original.
all the bolts still have paint on them.
Also 2 other people with the same year boat have the exact same sound. so maybe there was a rotation choice at the dealer level that year.

It does pull left in reverse where my other ski boats have all pulled right.
My buddy's Nautique pulls the to the left which means the prop is a definitely the opposite rotation of my Malibu's.
When you think about this, it was probably purposely done. Toyota being the reliability people they were most likely didn't want to change the rotation of the engine like Chevy did during marinizing to use a right hand rotation prop.

Just my two cents and i have been know to be completely wrong.

[ScarabEpic22]

Not sure if possible, but could someone have changed the prop from right to left (or vice versa) and had to change the transmission too?

No, mine is a '99 E22 and my dad had it converted to a LH rotation so it backs to the right.  Much more convenient and IMO safer than RH rotation because as the driver you can see the rider all the way to the rear of the boat, and then back right up to them.  From what it looks like to me, the dealership (Ski Masters Watersports, now Seattle Watersports) simply reversed the transmission cable and put a LH prop on it.  Think of it as Im always going in reverse, have 360hrs+ and not a single issue (except for a TPS alignment issue, need to tackle it one of these days).

My boat makes that low speed growl/whine, it's done it since day 1 when my parents bought the boat new in Jan '00.

[ScarabEpic22]

Forgot to add to my previous post, this boat has been hassle free for years.
We pull the boat out of storage, summerize it ourselves (the manual on this site is invaluable, had it laminated years ago and leave it in the boat), put the battery back in it (fully charged), and turn the key.  Every year it fires right up.

At the end of summer, we stick Stabil in the tank at our dock then drive it to the launch so its in entire fuel system and pull the boat.  Pop the engine cover, drain all the water/plugs/strainer/etc (winterization guide from the site), fill the tank all the way up, then cover it and put it in storage.  All the seats/cushions get 303'ed before storage, a quick wipe down and summerize is all it needs.

Next year it'll get the 2-3 year treatment with oil changes (dont hate me, we only put ~30-40hrs a year on it), fuel filter, trans fluid swap, etc.  Going to steam clean the carpets and finally install a tower and new stereo system with a sub in it.

[Echelon73]

Wow, this is all great information.  I guess I will not worry about the "whine" my boat makes based on what you guys are saying.  Mine does have an aftermarket 4 blade prop which was already on the boat when I bought it.  It has great hole shot and mid range acceleration, but I think top speed could be better.  Maybe I will switch to a right hand rotating blade one day and reverse the transmission as well.  I miss being able to pull the boat to the right in reverse. 

Now, if I can just get those daggum gauges to work.....

[curtis]

My wife nicked our factory three blade RH before a ski show in 2002. Earlier I had purchased a four blade LH. Change the prop before the show, ran it in reverse to get through the show then just switched the linkage on the console,  (Throttle) which goes both ways. The tranny doesn't know the difference between forward and reverse. We like the approach from the drivers side. Enjoy the rest of the fall.   Curtis

[toyotafreak]

Ours is an S22 with LH rotation. One note on the reverse whine...you can get a better sense of how smooth she's idling (think 'how are my plugs doing') in reverse since the tranny noise amplifies things. If it's steady in reverse with no jumparound, plugs are sweet.