I have a 03 VLX, and have noticed after being in it for a couple of hours, my oil pressure gets very low when in idle. I know it goes alot lower but it is between the first and second line to the red. I have also had to add oil to the boat twice. I'm not sure if the boat is using oil or the two times i've had the oil changed they haven't put enough in. The first time it was low, I had to put two quarts in. Is this normal if I wakeboard alot with weight? I had a 98 VLX before this and I never had to add oil to it at all. Thanks

I have never added even a quart to any of the 3 VLX's I have owned.

Have you had to add oil again after you added it the other times? What I'm saying is, if you continue to have to add oil (without letting someone service it in between) that oil has to go somewhere, whether it's leaking or burning. If you had to add oil each time after you had it serviced & then didn't have to again, then they probably didn't add enough. Keep an eye on it, & if it continues to get low without allowing someone else to service it, then you've got a problem - it shouldn't use or leak oil at this point.

I would ask the question on <a href="http://www.malibuboatowners.com" target="_blank">www.malibuboatowners.com</a> but in response to your question I am in the same boat(not literally) as WakeNup, I have never had to add oil to any of my 3 indmar motors. 310 Vortec, 325 Monsoon, and 375 Hammerhead. I would make sure there are no leaks, check for oil in the bottom. I would also be a little weary of the guy who changed your oil. May want to check it next time it gets changed about 5 min after you start it. Oil pressure shouldn't change after a while of riding. <BR> <BR>On a side note a motor head once told me that it is common for a new motor to burn oil durning the break in period due to the rings not being seated properly. How many hours are on the boat?

If tony was in the (literally) same boat as me, I wouldn't have had to bum rides for the last 6 weeks. and I would be posting pics of tony's huge raleys all over this website.......<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/lame.gif" border=0>

So are you going for the LSV... or sticking with the old faithful VLX??? I'm dying to get some real world review on the LSV!!! <BR> <BR>Huge raleys??? who's been spreading rumors again!

Tony, if that is directed at me I am sticking with old faithful. I am not interested in getting stuck with a boat I cannot or might have a hard time selling. You know you can't always believe the hype (I almost bought an Xti last year) cause for about 3 weeks my son was into slalom skiing. I hope this 23 footer is what they claim, but my money is staying with the tried and true for now. I do have a tow vehicle that can handle the larger boat, but I have had 15 people in my VLX before and really don't need any bigger of a bus......

yeah it was directed at you... I know what you are saying. I am kinda on the line, I really want a bigger boat and the 8.1 but I'm in no way ready to sacrafice the wake or extra money if it is not any better! At least the new VLX will have a few new features!

Yea, but the thing I am bumming about is that it still has the soft locker bag. I was really hoping for a bigger hard (non leaky) tank in the ski locker. Guess I'll wait for my 2005 boat! <BR>I am thinking that solid royal blue color on the next one. I have done blue/gray, yellow/blue, red/black, and this new one is black/graphite. <BR>

I just saw a 2004 LSV with four hard tanks - no soft locker sac. The hard tank under the play pen is over 500 lbs and takes up the whole front under the cushions! I've talked with someone last weekend who rode behind the 2004 LSV and he said the wake is "scary" huge. He also claimed the boat handles almost as good as a VLX direct drive and planes very fast. The Malibu dealer here in Portland told me that the VLX will be changed to a hard tank in the ski locker some time during the 2004 model year. Who knows when that means. <BR> <BR>I am planning to upgrade my 2003 LSV to a 2004 LSV this winter. If anyone is looking for a great deal on the 2003, let me know. We sell our demo boat every year with very few hours. Ours is totally loaded: <BR> <BR>Skylon tower &amp; bimini <BR>Perfect Pass <BR>Sony MD80 <BR>over 3,000 watts of Kicker amps <BR>Skylon Deafcon III speakers upgraded to Image Dynamics component speakers <BR>2 pairs of Image Dynamics 7" component in the boat <BR>Image Dynamic IDMAX subwoofer (1,800 watts) <BR>Show quality sound system installation <BR>Heater - three outlet <BR>Shower <BR>Extreme trailer w/low profile option <BR>All options <BR>White with Black trim under rub rail (best looking boat on the Willamette River near Portland, OR. - opinion mine) <BR>I can post a picture if anyone is interested. <BR> <BR>Mike <BR><a href="http://www.wakeside.com" target="_blank">http://www.wakeside.com</a>

post a pic

PJ, I will post a picture this weekend. We will do a photo shoot on Saturday and should post by Monday. We were planning a photo shoot anyway since we are going to feature our $7,000+ sound system on our website to show what Wakeside can design, sell, and even install in the Northwest. <BR> <BR>We are selling the boat with the sound system for under $50K! The boat is only three months old and the price at the Malibu dealership for new is roughly $57K with the factory sound system. Our deal will save someone over $15K on a basically new boat that currently has 47 hours on it. <BR> <BR>-Mike

Here is a preview: <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/78352.jpg" alt="Wakeside 2003 Malibu Wakesetter LSV"> <BR> <BR>Mike

Oh - I forgot to mention two chrome Wakeside Battle Racks that are included.

very nice boat

Pay attention to oil viscosity in boats, the motors experience a very different load than in cars. PCM recommends straight 40 weight SG oil for this reason, I am not sure what your Indmar needs. Some boat dealers are using 10-40 and I think it gets too thin. Mercury marine recommends 25-45 or something weird like that. Anyhow I would recommend keeping the minimum above 20 and the maximum below 50.

Indmar reccommends 10w-30 in normal climates and 10w-40 in hot climates.

Here are some pics that I promised. Below are a few notes regarding the 3,000 plus watt, $7K sound system (professional show level installation): <BR> <BR>The two sets of image dynamics component speakers in the boat are just under 7" and we used MBQuart grills. The image dynamics component speakers on the tower are 5.25" since the 7" would not fit into the Skylon Deafcon III cans. We kept the Kicker grills since they worked so well. If you look at the tweeters closely you will notice that they are about twice as big as the standard Kicker tweeters in the Deafcon III's. My brother Tom Hellweg who owns Skylon tells me that he is working on some bigger cans for next year that should be able to hold the 7" components. That will really help the low end vs the 5.25". <BR> <BR>The image dynamics IDMAX subwoofer is in a custom enclosure that fits into the corner of the passenger compartment. We had a custom battery stand fabricated so that we had room for all of the equipment with the two batteries. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79971.jpg" alt="Side view"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79972.jpg" alt="Rear corner view"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79973.jpg" alt="Rear view"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79974.jpg" alt="Wakeside Battle Racks on Skylon Swoop Tower"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79975.jpg" alt="Interior view"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79976.jpg" alt="Rear tower view"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79977.jpg" alt="3.000 watts of Kicker power"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79978.jpg" alt="Image Dynamics IDMAX sub in custom enclosure"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/79979.jpg" alt="Sony CDX-MP80 head"> <BR> <BR>Boat is located on the Willamette River south of Portland, Oregon. <BR> <BR>Wakeside.com does a project boat like this once per year so that we can demo many of our high end products. At the end of each season we will offer and sell our demo boat at a great value. <BR> <BR>Mike <BR><a href="http://www.wakeside.com" target="_blank">http://www.wakeside.com</a>