1997 GTX Rebuild Project

[bjg214]

I'm currently in the process of rebuilding a project 1997 seadoo GTX with the 787. I bought it from someone who ran it two summers ago and has sat ever since. Here's a list of everything I've done so far to the ski:
1. Replaced All Fuel lines
2. Replaced inline fuel filter
3. New Spark Plugs
4. New Starter Solenoid
5. Cleaned the carbs
6. Ran a new ground wire from engine block to battery

Yesterday, I drained and replaced the oil with the proper seadoo brand and put fresh gas in it. I went to start the motor and it seemed locked so we pulled both plugs and cranked the motor (never longer than 2 or 3 seconds) and there was greenish oil that immediately began shooting out of the rear cylinder. I know this could mean many different things, but I'm hoping that since the ski sat for two years, oil slowly leaked through the seal into the rear cylinder because the jet ski was tipped back at an angle when it was stored. Additionally, at one point the motor continued to crank even though we removed the lanyard and stopped pressing the starter button - we had to remove the ground wire from the battery to get it to turn off. We opened the rear black electrical box and tapped what I'm assuming was a capacitor and never had the issue again.

Any idea on what the greenish oil was and why it was only coming out of one cylinder? Any idea why we might have had that starter issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[MLars]

What color was the oil you drained from the tank?

 

[bjg214]

It also appeared to be slightly green as well. The oil coming out of the cylinder appeared to be a bit lighter than what I had collected when I drained the tank.

 

[MLars]

It's going to look darker in a jug versus just a little bit of it. It's most likely the seals leaking oil into the engine when it sits in storage. Not a big deal but a pain if it happens often. I would also replace the oil filter so the different oils don't mix together and gum it up. Sorry, but I can't help you on the starter issue. Also, while you're in there make sure to clean the rave valves too.

 

[soccerdad]

For it to keep cranking, the solenoid had to be stuck. I had a brand new ebay/ or amazon solenoid stick and ruin a nice ride day. The cheap POS actually came apart inside. Unless you used an OEM solenoid, I would be really cautious about that. The motor could not crank unless that solenoid was stuck. There are no capacitors in the rear box. Maybe you just tapped on a fuse holder and that rattled the solenoid enough to break loose.

 

[bjg214]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. My guess was that the seals were starting to go which is something I hope to replace this winter when I do a teardown. I guess it's possible that the new solenoid was bad - it was a brand new starter solenoid that was ordered off of amazon http://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sp...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00. Is there any way to check to make sure the solenoid is bad?

 

[soccerdad]

Well I pulled mine apart, but besides that not really. But honestly, there are only two things that could have kept it cranking. Either your start button was stuck, or your solenoid was stuck. I guess if it happens again, you could disconnect the plug to the solenoid and if it stops, you problem is the button. If it keeps running, then it is the solenoid. I would put money on the solenoid. I would send it back as defective and order another brand. Post a picture of your solenoid and I will look at my bad one and see if they are the same design.

 

[bjg214]

Sorry for going ghost there for a bit, had a lot of things come up with traveling and whatnot but finally got back into it. Since I last posted, everything was put back together and RAVE valves were thoroughly cleaned. Still having issues with the solenoid but I think I should just replace it at this point based off of what I've read so far. Where is the best place to get an OEM starter solenoid?

Also, I put the plugs back in and tried to get the motor to turn over. The good news is that it cranks and it sounds like it wants to turn over but can't quite get there. I plan on trimming the ignition wires a bit to see if that changes things. Any other suggestions or things I should consider as far as getting the motor going?

 

[Big Fish]

Bjd214. I just had a similar issue and solved it through the help of this thread. http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?t=83017

 

[bjg214]

Thanks for the heads up, I read through it last night. When I originally purchased the ski, this was one of the things I did and we did have A LOT of oil come out of the rear cylinder hole. After that, I transported it back to my place in MD from NJ (three hour ride) and didn't have any more oil coming out when I cranked it over upon returning.

I'll have to try to tilt the ski at 45 degrees to see if I can get any more oil out. I also plan on trimming the ignition wires to see if that makes a difference...I'm somewhat mechanically inclined but anything involving electrical always intimidates me a bit. I'll keep you posted on the results on the get - I have to get another starter solenoid first though - any idea where I can get a new OEM solenoid?

 

[Big Fish]

I didnt do the 45 degree angle thing since cranking it by hand and then hitting the starter when it was just past the midway point in rotation worked for me. As for a solenoid I just purchased one on Amazon for $16 or so a few years back. Also for a used OEM starter for $50. The new Chinese starter I purchased online broke in less than half a season. I would either buy a used OEM starter or get mine rebuilt if I had to do it again.

 

[bjg214]

Yeah, I don't think my issue is with the starter - it seems to crank strong when there's enough battery to support it. It's more of an issue with the continuous starting after I release the button. I was told the only reason it would continue to do that was if the solenoid was bad and I think Soccerdad had the same issue with the cheap solenoid as well.

 

[bjg214]

Just a quick update - I had the carbs cleaned and rebuilt over the weekend. I put them back on yesterday and when I went to start the ski, the motor didn't want to turn over. I was able to get the motor to crank but it never started. I had it going for maybe a second but I was getting a fair amount of grayish smoke coming out of the exhaust. Does anyone have any insight as to what to look to next? As a side note, I had to pull the plugs to empty my rear cylinder of oil again although it wasn't nearly as much as the first time I did it. This leads me to believe that the crank seal is toast but I don't think that would prevent me from getting the motor started unless there was a lot of oil in the cylinder.

Any help is always appreciated

 

[Mekanix]

Did you remove and replace the oil that was in the block?

You might have to run it it a bit and get all that oil out. And it will smoke for a bit before clearing up.

Some people have gotten lucky and just changing the oil in the block was enough to slow or stop the oil seepage.