hello
I don't even know where to begin but i will try. I recently purchased a 1998 speedster (my first ever watercraft of any kind) from a guy who got it from the original owner. I knew from the beginning that the boat would need some work and since i'm pretty mechanically inclined, i thought i could get the boat working on my own. sadly this is not the case, i've already spent >30 hrs on this forum doing research, 3.5 weeks working on the boat and a shameful amount of money $$ but this boat has so many problems that now Im begging for any assistance!
when i first looked at the boat, the previous owner started both engines one at a time. both engines started and stalled within a few seconds. (he said it was cold) because i didn't know any better, i believed him. i asked if we could take it out on the water but it was already 8:30pm and he said that the wear rings were so badly worn out that we wouldn't really go anywhere. I ended up buying the boat thinking that the only thing wrong with it was the "wear rings".
I brought the boat home and i couldn't sleep because of the excitement. i read through the original owners manual front to back. with the intention of taking it out on the river the next day.even though i was told that it needed wear rings, i wanted to test the engines on the water......... and so the journey begins.........
when i placed the key on the dess port, i heard NO BEEPS! pulled the choke and pushed the start button on starbord engine and it started right away! did the same thing for the port engine and it cranked but did not start! we tried starting it for a good 30 minutes and eventually gave up and hauled it back home.
*things i learned about my boat after the first launch*
1. something was wrong with the beeper
2. fuel guage does not work
3. speedometer does not work
4. tach on running engine does not work
5. i did not have a stern light
6. storage locker under the deck was disgustingly dirty
the next day, i remember spending at least 4 hours on here trying to figure out why the engine would not start. after reading a bunch of threads, i rented a compression tester at autozone and bought a set of 4 BR8ES NGK plugs. i pulled the old plugs and ran a compression test for the engine that wouldnt start. mag 138=psi pto=140psi. I gapped the plugs and installed them right away. i took the rave valves apart and cleaned them (they weren't too dirty) when i tried to start it, the engine started but stall right away. i got it to run by pushing the trottle a bit. It sounded terrible. like it wanted to stall. i stopped the engine and quickly came back here to see what was next.
after more research i decided to try and rebuild the carbs on the troubled engine. I LOOKED EVERYWHERE but could not find a carb kit specifically for my boat (devorced fuel pump) i found a kit on amazon for about $85 bucks with a description that said "genuine mikuni". I also bought 2 OEM wear rings and neoprene seals. i also bought a buzzer assembly from floyd bell
while waiting for my parts to arrive i decided to clean my boat. it had been sitting under a tree and there were leaves everywhere. I bought a new microfiber sponge and washed the entire boat (inside and out) with dawn dish soap and water. the dawn dish soap really did a good job in removing tough stains that i thought would never come off. cleaning the seats were a bitch because the foam was dirty so every time it got wet and compressed, it would ooze dirty water where i had already cleaned.
*things i learned about my boat after washing it*
1. the storage locker under the deck DOES NOT DRAIN!
i had to manually remove the dirty water via cup and bucket.
i tried spraying a "jet" stream from my hose into the hole towards the back of the storage locker but
that didnt work
2. my boat has red "bottom paint" below the water line.
3. automotive polish does not remove oxidation
4. my boat was surprisingly clean (no cracks in gel coat) for being a 98.
when the parts arrived, i decided to tackle the carb rebuild first. although the description on amazon said "genuine mikuni", it did not come in mikuni packaging. i bought a couple cans of carb cleaner, got some clean rags and went to work. removed the carbs from the engine and cleaned them to the best of my ability using the carb cleaner, hard plastic brush and soft metal brush. every screw was a fight to remove. i removed the ls adjustment, hs adjustment ls jet, hs jet, needle and seat assembly and cleaned them thoroughly on both carbs. the carb kit i bought came with a bunch of other parts that i did not see a use for. i did not change the needle and seat assembly i only replaced rubber o-rings, the internal fuel filter and all the gaskets. after about 4-5 hours, i got both carbs assembled, adjusted the LS to 1 1/4 turns out and the HS to 0 turns. with the carbs back on the boat, i was anxious to see if my hard work had paid off.
before staring the engine, i installed the new beeper assembly, siphoned all the old gas from the tank and cleaned out the inline fuel filters. i replaced the wear rings (which were totally destroyed) and changed the pump oil (which was black! like REAL black and smelled just terrible) i reinstalled the jet pumps after a fresh coat of paint and put in about 20 gallons of 87 octain gas. i hooked up the hose to the troubled engine and tried to start it. IT STARTS RIGHT AWAY and idles at 1000 rpm. still sounded rough. after reading that it should be idling at 3k rpm on land, i adjusted the idle screw.
now both engines are running and idling so i went back to the river. once i got on the water, put the lanyard on (2 beeps) and i started the engines. rpm on the troubled engine was around 1000-1500. i slowly idled away from the dock. everything was looking good. as soon as i got out of the no wake zone i opened the throttle and BOTH ENGINES DIED!! i quickly tried to start the engines. both engines cranked but did not start right away. after about 3-4 minutes i got both engines to start by pulling the choke and slightly pushing the throttle (less than 1/8 of WOP). by this time, the tach that WAS working wasn't working anymore. and we had drifted far away from the dock (strong current). I tried to open the throttle above idle speed but everytime i did, both engines wanted to stall. my brother suggested that i try opening the throttle while pulling the choke so i did that and the engines reved up and stayed running. it felt really smooth. all of a sudden, the tach that stopped working earlier started working again and it read 3500rpm.
i noticed that i was able to start the engines while in forward gear, i found out that that was a sign of a bad neutral switch. i tore the lever assembly apart and found the switch to be heavily gummed up i sprayed it down with electrical parts cleaner and lubed it with di-electric grease and now it does what its supposed to. if i try to start any engine in F or reverse, it will BEEP and wont crank.
i took the boat out again after cleaning the neutral switch and its making a little progress. I still have to pull the choke while opening the throttle in order to keep the engines from stalling. now the troubled engine (port side) will rev between 3500-4500 rpm. good running (starbord side) engine tach does not work still. i switched the wires on both tachs and the good engine will rev up to 6800 rpm.
i have more details but i have to go. any suggestions or assistance is greatly appreciated i know it was a long read but thanks in advance!!!!
I don't even know where to begin but i will try. I recently purchased a 1998 speedster (my first ever watercraft of any kind) from a guy who got it from the original owner. I knew from the beginning that the boat would need some work and since i'm pretty mechanically inclined, i thought i could get the boat working on my own. sadly this is not the case, i've already spent >30 hrs on this forum doing research, 3.5 weeks working on the boat and a shameful amount of money $$ but this boat has so many problems that now Im begging for any assistance!
when i first looked at the boat, the previous owner started both engines one at a time. both engines started and stalled within a few seconds. (he said it was cold) because i didn't know any better, i believed him. i asked if we could take it out on the water but it was already 8:30pm and he said that the wear rings were so badly worn out that we wouldn't really go anywhere. I ended up buying the boat thinking that the only thing wrong with it was the "wear rings".
I brought the boat home and i couldn't sleep because of the excitement. i read through the original owners manual front to back. with the intention of taking it out on the river the next day.even though i was told that it needed wear rings, i wanted to test the engines on the water......... and so the journey begins.........
when i placed the key on the dess port, i heard NO BEEPS! pulled the choke and pushed the start button on starbord engine and it started right away! did the same thing for the port engine and it cranked but did not start! we tried starting it for a good 30 minutes and eventually gave up and hauled it back home.
*things i learned about my boat after the first launch*
1. something was wrong with the beeper
2. fuel guage does not work
3. speedometer does not work
4. tach on running engine does not work
5. i did not have a stern light
6. storage locker under the deck was disgustingly dirty
the next day, i remember spending at least 4 hours on here trying to figure out why the engine would not start. after reading a bunch of threads, i rented a compression tester at autozone and bought a set of 4 BR8ES NGK plugs. i pulled the old plugs and ran a compression test for the engine that wouldnt start. mag 138=psi pto=140psi. I gapped the plugs and installed them right away. i took the rave valves apart and cleaned them (they weren't too dirty) when i tried to start it, the engine started but stall right away. i got it to run by pushing the trottle a bit. It sounded terrible. like it wanted to stall. i stopped the engine and quickly came back here to see what was next.
after more research i decided to try and rebuild the carbs on the troubled engine. I LOOKED EVERYWHERE but could not find a carb kit specifically for my boat (devorced fuel pump) i found a kit on amazon for about $85 bucks with a description that said "genuine mikuni". I also bought 2 OEM wear rings and neoprene seals. i also bought a buzzer assembly from floyd bell
while waiting for my parts to arrive i decided to clean my boat. it had been sitting under a tree and there were leaves everywhere. I bought a new microfiber sponge and washed the entire boat (inside and out) with dawn dish soap and water. the dawn dish soap really did a good job in removing tough stains that i thought would never come off. cleaning the seats were a bitch because the foam was dirty so every time it got wet and compressed, it would ooze dirty water where i had already cleaned.
*things i learned about my boat after washing it*
1. the storage locker under the deck DOES NOT DRAIN!
i had to manually remove the dirty water via cup and bucket.
i tried spraying a "jet" stream from my hose into the hole towards the back of the storage locker but
that didnt work
2. my boat has red "bottom paint" below the water line.
3. automotive polish does not remove oxidation
4. my boat was surprisingly clean (no cracks in gel coat) for being a 98.
when the parts arrived, i decided to tackle the carb rebuild first. although the description on amazon said "genuine mikuni", it did not come in mikuni packaging. i bought a couple cans of carb cleaner, got some clean rags and went to work. removed the carbs from the engine and cleaned them to the best of my ability using the carb cleaner, hard plastic brush and soft metal brush. every screw was a fight to remove. i removed the ls adjustment, hs adjustment ls jet, hs jet, needle and seat assembly and cleaned them thoroughly on both carbs. the carb kit i bought came with a bunch of other parts that i did not see a use for. i did not change the needle and seat assembly i only replaced rubber o-rings, the internal fuel filter and all the gaskets. after about 4-5 hours, i got both carbs assembled, adjusted the LS to 1 1/4 turns out and the HS to 0 turns. with the carbs back on the boat, i was anxious to see if my hard work had paid off.
before staring the engine, i installed the new beeper assembly, siphoned all the old gas from the tank and cleaned out the inline fuel filters. i replaced the wear rings (which were totally destroyed) and changed the pump oil (which was black! like REAL black and smelled just terrible) i reinstalled the jet pumps after a fresh coat of paint and put in about 20 gallons of 87 octain gas. i hooked up the hose to the troubled engine and tried to start it. IT STARTS RIGHT AWAY and idles at 1000 rpm. still sounded rough. after reading that it should be idling at 3k rpm on land, i adjusted the idle screw.
now both engines are running and idling so i went back to the river. once i got on the water, put the lanyard on (2 beeps) and i started the engines. rpm on the troubled engine was around 1000-1500. i slowly idled away from the dock. everything was looking good. as soon as i got out of the no wake zone i opened the throttle and BOTH ENGINES DIED!! i quickly tried to start the engines. both engines cranked but did not start right away. after about 3-4 minutes i got both engines to start by pulling the choke and slightly pushing the throttle (less than 1/8 of WOP). by this time, the tach that WAS working wasn't working anymore. and we had drifted far away from the dock (strong current). I tried to open the throttle above idle speed but everytime i did, both engines wanted to stall. my brother suggested that i try opening the throttle while pulling the choke so i did that and the engines reved up and stayed running. it felt really smooth. all of a sudden, the tach that stopped working earlier started working again and it read 3500rpm.
i noticed that i was able to start the engines while in forward gear, i found out that that was a sign of a bad neutral switch. i tore the lever assembly apart and found the switch to be heavily gummed up i sprayed it down with electrical parts cleaner and lubed it with di-electric grease and now it does what its supposed to. if i try to start any engine in F or reverse, it will BEEP and wont crank.
i took the boat out again after cleaning the neutral switch and its making a little progress. I still have to pull the choke while opening the throttle in order to keep the engines from stalling. now the troubled engine (port side) will rev between 3500-4500 rpm. good running (starbord side) engine tach does not work still. i switched the wires on both tachs and the good engine will rev up to 6800 rpm.
i have more details but i have to go. any suggestions or assistance is greatly appreciated i know it was a long read but thanks in advance!!!!
