1997 Sea-Doo Speedster can’t start after cab rebuild.

andrej83106

Member
After 2 year finally got rebuild cabs and trying to set up my Speedster. Used carb rebuilt kit from Amazon. Adjusted lever as described at manual. Set pop up pressure as described in manual 38 PSI. Motor got rebuilt by STB. Could not get the motor to start. Lowered pop up pressure and no change. When bend lever for seat was able to start it , but had to give it more throttle. Can you guys give me some pointers to set my carb correctly? Appreciate any help.
 
Did you look at the Carb thread on the forum? It is very thorough. I NEVER bend the tab. The ski should start and run fine with the recommended settings so you need to determine if you have a carb issue or a fuel system issue. A fuel system leak or sucking air will cause problems. Did you replace the fuel valve? Check the gasket on the water separator? I pressure test the fuel system so I don't guess if the carbs are the problem. Good Luck.
 
Did you look at the Carb thread on the forum? It is very thorough. I NEVER bend the tab. The ski should start and run fine with the recommended settings so you need to determine if you have a carb issue or a fuel system issue. A fuel system leak or sucking air will cause problems. Did you replace the fuel valve? Check the gasket on the water separator? I pressure test the fuel system so I don't guess if the carbs are the problem. Good Luck.

Thanks for info. So you never bend lever so it is flush with carb body. When I took apart carb , old lever was not flush with carb body.
 
Thanks for info. So you never bend lever so it is flush with carb body. When I took apart carb , old lever was not flush with carb body.
I always replace the lever but it isn't flush or nearly so I would adjust it at that point. I don't not bend the lever to get a desired pop-off.
 
My 1997 Speedster has two 717 engines I was searching for carburetor settings for High and Low screw. Found they Low is 1 1/4 turn and High is 0. Is that correct? High screw is closed? Can somebody confirm please? Thank you
 
I have a 97 speedster. The single carb was 1st year on this and jetting was changed from this year. There are no parts for accelerator pump pop valve. I messed with mine for a season then replaced with new that were jetted with the newer setup and it was a different boat.
 
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So now I have both engines rebuilt from SBT. Before going on water both were running fine with garden hose attached. On the water right engine stopped and could not turn it over on the water . After bringing it home seemed like seized but was able to turn over without plugs. With bore camera checked bore and did not see any scratches. Checked spark and both plugs are firing, but can’t start. Tried spray little gas into cylinders but noting. Carburetor is getting gas. Any ideas guys would be greatly appreciated .
 
Did you check the impeller for debris? Can you turn the engine by hand easily with the spark plugs removed? Just recently and once before I had a bad starer lock engines up. Good Luck !!
 
So now I have both engines rebuilt from SBT. Before going on water both were running fine with garden hose attached. On the water right engine stopped and could not turn it over on the water . After bringing it home seemed like seized but was able to turn over without plugs. With bore camera checked bore and did not see any scratches. Checked spark and both plugs are firing, but can’t start. Tried spray little gas into cylinders but noting. Carburetor is getting gas. Any ideas guys would be greatly appreciated .
People will tell you not to but Starting fluid will let you know quickly if it is a fuel issue... providing it is a carb engine. If it doesn't at least pop withe starting fluid, you have other issues. Spray it right into the carb. Good Luck.
 
The engine could be flooded really bad with fuel or fuel and oil. How do the spark plugs look? I recommened the spark checker always. You can see clearly if the plugs are getting spark consistently.



Spark Testor.jpg
 
Did you paint the carbs? Did you tape over the hole on the diaphragm plate? :D I did that once. LOL wouldn't start for shit but started with starting fluid and died immediately a few times. I painted black over the tape and didn't peel the tape back off. Difficult to see. :) Started right up after that. :D

Thinking out loud... if you got spark and timing is correct it should fire unless the fuel going into the cylinder is overpowering the staring fluid. I had a guy double mix the 40:1 and that ski wouldn't fire at all. NADA. How's you fuel? Shut off the fuel, pinch the line, remove the spark plugs and clear the engine. Then try starting fluid. You may have bad gas.
 
On the beginning put in fresh gas and for breaking in engines put in 1:32 oil. Just talked with SBT tech support and he said I should check rotary valve.
 
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