1998 gsx limited with 88.1 hours and trailer $650.00

[ocod]

found a 1998 gsx limited with 88 hours and a nice trailer for sale for
$650 , does not run and has been in storage since 2004, wondering if sitting for that long in a garage will cause to many issues , ski looks very clean. even has a title. says it will turn over but wont start. what do you guys think?

Congratulations, I think you got a great deal. I'm going to warn you about something, I noticed that the ski has an Ohio registration, unless you live in Ohio (I have no idea where Lake Norman is), it's a bitch to get it transferred out of state. I just transferred one from OH to KY and had a hard time, and I have friends in the motor vehicle department. You'll need the signed, notarized title, and also a bill of sale. Good luck.

Lou

That's is a great deal.
Now you have some things to go over before a water test.
Dont go running it yet until something's are checked first.

Have you gotten to start it.
Check condition of gas/oil. Probably good idea to clean tanks if possible.
Pour some oil down the jugs before cranking so it has lubrication. It's been sitting so long.
Change plugs out.
Go over fuel system and replace grey hoses.
Removes carbs and send them out to be cleaned or save and do it yourself.
If not, Dr Honda is a member here that owns a shop and can do them for you.

Check compression if you can. Like others have said.

 

[andrew224]

its got a notorized title and bill of sale , hope it goes ok , already drained gas it was super nasty. how much would a rebuild cost from someone like dr honda or a shop run, i could do it but carbs are a tricky animal to mess with.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

The parts alone are about $160 for genuine parts and another $100 for labor (at my shop)

you def want to replace the fuel lines, clean out the selector valve...etc

The thing is super clean though!! I paid $600 for one with the crank thru the cases sitting on a sweet aluminum trailer a few years back and parted it out so if you run into anything you need let me know.

 

[LouDoo]

its got a notorized title and bill of sale , hope it goes ok , already drained gas it was super nasty. how much would a rebuild cost from someone like dr honda or a shop run, i could do it but carbs are a tricky animal to mess with.

You should be O.K., I didn't have a bill of sale and the guy I bought if from wouldn't, or was to lazy send me one. I had to pull a few strings to get it transferred.

The reason for the bill of sale is the state wants to know how much you paid for the ski, fortunately in KY it doesn't matter because there is no sales tax on used boats. The boat lobby must have been in attendance when they passed the sales tax law.

Lou

 

[djredman99]

LOL, this is funny.

When I purchased my ski, I got the exact same one you just got...with the exact same trailer I see in your pics...from Ohio.

Assuming it runs, you got an awesome deal.

 

[andrew224]

it hasnt run in 6 years, turns over though. gas was varnished pretty bad, pistons have a little surface rust on them , hopefully it will burn off, already drained it all and going to try to see if it will fire today, then im going to do the rest of the work like fuel lines, pump oil, cb oil, injector oil, and carb rebuild,

 

[ocod]

it hasnt run in 6 years, turns over though. gas was varnished pretty bad, pistons have a little surface rust on them , hopefully it will burn off, already drained it all and going to try to see if it will fire today, then im going to do the rest of the work like fuel lines, pump oil, cb oil, injector oil, and carb rebuild,

The lines go in/out of carb will be the same.
I wouldn't risk engine until entire fuel system has be cleaned and gone over.
You effort in trying to start may not be productive.

Do the lines and carbs before trying to start it. At least it will start easier if you do
BTW Dr Honda charge 65/hr plus parts and shipping.

 

[andrew224]

hopefully the rust/brown color on pistons will burn off , because the 951 sucks to do a top end. i figure the ski cost me $100 so worth a try.

 

[ocod]

hopefully the rust/brown color on pistons will burn off , because the 951 sucks to do a top end. i figure the ski cost me $100 so worth a try.

Well before that I would check compression.
If its good. I wouldn't risk cooking motor b/c I didn't clean carbs out first.
Its happened before to other people. They get ski. Don't change anything and wonder what piston has hole in it.

edit: good diy top end procedure with pics. open first link

http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?45956-2001-951-di-top-end-rebuild

 

[djredman99]

Before any more "cranking" of the engine, make sure you put some lubricant in the cylinder holes. If you have a seadoo shop near you, get some XPS Lube and spray in the cylinders for about 15 seconds each plug hole. If you don't have XPS Lube, you can use a similar lubricant or even your 2 stroke oil. Once you get the lubricant in there, crank it a few times to disperse.

 

[andrew224]

got a battery in it and it says "12 volt low" and wont turn over, makes a clicking noise , not a fast click like a low battery but a slower more solid click/tap, and its not trying to engage or try to turn crank , dont know if its starter or relay tapped starter while trying to start and it didnt help , checked part numbers on starter relays on the gsx and my 02 gtx rfi and part #s are different, so dont know what to do now besides change a bunch of parts.

 

[djredman99]

got a battery in it and it says "12 volt low" and wont turn over

Make sure the battery is charged up, even if it is brand new. Disconnect, remove, and charge. Try this first before worrying about changing a bunch of parts.

 

[djredman99]

As I mentioned before, I bought the same ski sitting on an identical trailer as you. Here is a pic of my ski.

 

[andrew224]

motor is locked up tight , took pump off and pump is in amazing shape. wont turn over by hand at all . its locked up pretty bad, sprayed wd40 in rave slots to try to unfreeze, is there any way to safely unlock an engine and have it last any or is that a rebuild.?

 

[LouDoo]

Try removing the spark plugs and pour about an ounce of marvel mystery oil in each cylinder, let sit over night and try to turn over by hand in the morning, with the spark plugs removed. If you can't turn it over by hand try a chain lock vice grip around the pto. At this point you don't have a lot to loose. Even if it needs a top end rebuild, about 400-500 dollars you still got a great deal.

I'm guessing sitting that long the pistons are frozen in the cylinders. You might get lucky and break them free.

Lou

 

[andrew224]

ok after 2 nights of oiling the cylinders and trying to break them free i gave up and took the cylinder head off to find the cylinders pretty rusty. so i tore the engine down and am planning on doing a top end . got everything tore down and cant free the cylinders from the case , guess its pretty well locked up , tryed prying , pulling , everything and cant seem to get it to break free. and do not want to pull engine out if at all possible.

 

[LouDoo]

I usually don't endorse services but these guys are good, and it's easy. You might want to consider this.

http://fullboreonline.com/

Lou

 

[andrew224]

So im screwed ? Any ideas to split the cylinder from the base ?

 

[Minnetonka4me]

You need to just pull the motor....if the cylinders are that bad I can guarantee some of the bearings are shot, and most likely the rods too. Its going to take a complete top to bottom rebuild.

Once out I would find a way to hold the cylinders, but let the bottom end hang free...then take a block of wood and put it on a piston and start hitting it with a huge mallet.

I had a 787 motor I let sit with oil for a month and it still took the BFH (big fawkin hammer) and a ton of hits to break it loose.


OR....heres the time to get yourself into a grey motor...although buying a used motor is always a crap shoot. Maybe worth finding a nice grey core motor and rebuilding that. I have everything except for a good crank...cylinders are standard bore and have been honed and are ready to go. I also have the carbs, cables and everything else to update this prototype to a 2002 vintage 951. Add your white pipe and you got a killer setup.

 

[LouDoo]

Are the pistons frozen in the cylinders? Or are the pistons loose and you can't break the cylinders free of the upper crankcase?

Lou

 

[andrew224]

Pistons are frozen I believe . Tryed hammering pistons down to break free and it didn't work . How much for your 951 core ? Would rebuilding white engine with a better crank and rejetting carb be the same as a grey engine ?

 

[LouDoo]

Andrew,

The motor you have still might be re-buildable or at least a re-buildable core. If it were me I would contact an engine rebuilder, and explain your situation. These guys have equipment that might be able to free the pistons. I agree with Nick, if the top end has the rings frozen to the cylinder walls, the bottom end is probably also in bad shape. I think your best option is a "new" crate engine.

The other option is to just put it back together and send it to them, but if it's not rebuildable you're going to be out the freight.

Lou

 

[andrew224]

True . But with it being a white 951 would it better to get a grey engine or can the white 951 be rebuilt to grey engine reliability

 

[LouDoo]

I'm no expert Nick would probably know more, but I don't see any reason why the white engine couldn't be rebuilt to the grey one, or at least used as a core for a grey one, you can ask the re-builder.

Lou

 

[Minnetonka4me]

I dont know specifically what was so bad about the internals of the white motor; all I know is it is completely different than the grey. If I remember correctly the only thing transferable is the crank...but dont quote me on that.

The problem is that they are different and no one wants parts that dont work with grey motors. If you send one to SBT, you will get back 97.5 motor (prob painted grey)

The carbs are a lost cause....its not the jetting, but the diaphrams are turned in the wrong direction and are affected by gforces. On the 98 and up they turned them around 180 degrees.

So...as I explained before you got into this machine, there are alot of nightmares. Fortunately the rest of it is in sweet shape and you basically paid $100 for the machine. It can only get better from here...lol

I'll PM you about parts pricing.