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Sticky retractable pylon?


DRAGON88

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I vaguely remember there being a problem with the 05 LSV retractable pylon where the pylon would get stuck. Mine worked great most of summer, but towards the end of the summer it got very reluctant to move at all. If I really pull it it it will move a little bit, but it is definitely not working like it's designed.

I think I remember there being a problem with the plastic (urethane?) bushing around the pylon? Anyone else have this problem, it's possible that out VLX is an early build '06, so is it possible it got the old bushing? Any other comments? It's a great invention when it works well, but when it isn't it makes you wonder why Malibu couldn't just keep the pylon simple.

I am about 8 hours away from the purchasing dealership and about 2 from the nearest dealership. (Admittedly I'd be afraid to have it serviced at Bridgecity after buying it in CA, and this is such a minuscule problem it would not be worth the trouble. Aside from catastrophic failure under warranty I doubt the VLX will actually see a dealership.) I have a good friend at the dealership in CA so getting whatever parts I need will be no problem, I just need to know which parts I will need to fix the problem.

Thanks in advance crew, unfortunately my searching yielded no results.

-Richard

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I vaguely remember there being a problem with the 05 LSV retractable pylon where the pylon would get stuck. Mine worked great most of summer, but towards the end of the summer it got very reluctant to move at all. If I really pull it it it will move a little bit, but it is definitely not working like it's designed.

I think I remember there being a problem with the plastic (urethane?) bushing around the pylon? Anyone else have this problem, it's possible that out VLX is an early build '06, so is it possible it got the old bushing? Any other comments? It's a great invention when it works well, but when it isn't it makes you wonder why Malibu couldn't just keep the pylon simple.

I am about 8 hours away from the purchasing dealership and about 2 from the nearest dealership. (Admittedly I'd be afraid to have it serviced at Bridgecity after buying it in CA, and this is such a minuscule problem it would not be worth the trouble. Aside from catastrophic failure under warranty I doubt the VLX will actually see a dealership.) I have a good friend at the dealership in CA so getting whatever parts I need will be no problem, I just need to know which parts I will need to fix the problem.

Thanks in advance crew, unfortunately my searching yielded no results.

-Richard

I was having the same problem with my 06 VLX. I took it to the dealer. I assume that they did something with the bushing as it works great now. I noticed that it would become sticker when the engine was running. I am assuming that the heat from the engine has something to do with expanding the bushing and making it difficult to move up and down.

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I think the dealer hones out that bushing. I have heard stories of them becoming so stuck that they can lift the boat off the trailer by trying to pull the pylon up with a hoist. It's been an on & off issue since '04 when that pylon was introduced.

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I think the dealer hones out that bushing. I have heard stories of them becoming so stuck that they can lift the boat off the trailer by trying to pull the pylon up with a hoist. It's been an on & off issue since '04 when that pylon was introduced.

that does show that they are strong. :)

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I vaguely remember there being a problem with the 05 LSV retractable pylon where the pylon would get stuck. Mine worked great most of summer, but towards the end of the summer it got very reluctant to move at all. If I really pull it it it will move a little bit, but it is definitely not working like it's designed.

I think I remember there being a problem with the plastic (urethane?) bushing around the pylon? Anyone else have this problem, it's possible that out VLX is an early build '06, so is it possible it got the old bushing? Any other comments? It's a great invention when it works well, but when it isn't it makes you wonder why Malibu couldn't just keep the pylon simple.

I am about 8 hours away from the purchasing dealership and about 2 from the nearest dealership. (Admittedly I'd be afraid to have it serviced at Bridgecity after buying it in CA, and this is such a minuscule problem it would not be worth the trouble. Aside from catastrophic failure under warranty I doubt the VLX will actually see a dealership.) I have a good friend at the dealership in CA so getting whatever parts I need will be no problem, I just need to know which parts I will need to fix the problem.

Thanks in advance crew, unfortunately my searching yielded no results.

-Richard

I had the same problem in my 04 LSV. The dealer honed it out under warranty

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I know this is NOT the same problem..... but..... when I first got my used 1998 RLX, the swivel pylon would hardly swivel at all. I considered trying to disassemble and lubricate.... but called Malibu directly for some instruction. They suggested an "externally applied" lube first.

The best lube on the planet is a product made by Boeing Aircraft called "Boeshield T9". Comes in a spray can, and can be found at marine supply stores. This stuff is used by the aircraft maintenance folks to lubricate AND protect critical components. I use it where most folks use WD40.

All that to say.... I sprayed T9 down into my pylon, wiggled it a bit...... and a day later it would spin around like a top. Incredible stuff. I also use it on my engine prior to storage on all the expose metal linkages.

Might be worth a try before a long haul to the dealer.

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Thanks for the replies, I ended up sanding out the bushing a little bit and now it works great.

I thought about using some lubricant, but I figured it would be best to fix the problem rather than cover it up. She's pretty much all ready to go now save some new speakers to replace the kickers in the boat. :)

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  • 5 years later...

I know this is a really old post, but I'm just now getting around to doing something about my sticky pylon. I tried sanding with 100 grit sandpaper, but it didn't really do any good.

Is there something else I need to be using to hone this thing out? What did the dealers do in the past to fix the problem?

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I know this is a really old post, but I'm just now getting around to doing something about my sticky pylon. I tried sanding with 100 grit sandpaper, but it didn't really do any good.

Is there something else I need to be using to hone this thing out? What did the dealers do in the past to fix the problem?

All I needed to do is sand both the pylon and the bushing a bit. If you put a sanding wheel on the bushing, that would remove more material to loosen it up.

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I used a sanding drum on my die grinder to smooth up the inside of the bushing. Just tape a garbage sack around the metal part to keep sanding crap off of the engine.

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