2001 Seadoo Sportster LE. Just got it!

[Bonmotwang]

And it's obvious those plugs from your photo have not been run for very long, so the film is still growing in the insulator and has not yet stabilized.

Do you still have the previous plugs available? If they still work, I think you should install them for the next trip.

I remember the old one is black.

Edit: found 4 from the storage in the boat. Yet, the insulator is similar to the ones on the engine but oilier and darker. I will take some pictures later. They look OK to me, not sure why the PO switched them out.

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[Bonmotwang]

A normal plug should look like this:

More info can be found at this link, the last photo is the unfortunate end result AFTER the damage has already occurred. He should add one more photo of a grey(not brown) plug. The brown film layer is fluffy and easy to scratch some off.
http://www.seadoosource.com/sparkpluginfo.html

The thingy in the attached picture looks very dry on the insulator. Should it be a little shiny because the oil?

 

[Bonmotwang]

A normal plug should look like this:

More info can be found at this link, the last photo is the unfortunate end result AFTER the damage has already occurred. He should add one more photo of a grey(not brown) plug. The brown film layer is fluffy and easy to scratch some off.
http://www.seadoosource.com/sparkpluginfo.html

The second picture looks close to mine except mines are cleaner.


And the "first 3 thread ..." seems to be my case

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

The thingy in the attached picture looks very dry on the insulator. Should it be a little shiny because the oil?

http://tapatalk.com/tapatalk_image....vZC8xNC8wNi8yMS9vcmlnaW5hbC9yYXp5OGFoYS5qcGc=

I can see this image well, maybe your plug looks oily b/c you fogged the engine running?

I'm concerned about this subject b/c you reported the engine is missing occasionally at speed.

Assuming the fuel mixture is correct the color of the insulator is actually caused by the oil film. I would say the first (brown) plug from seadoosource was definitely running XPS-2, it looks just like mine do. Your plugs look like black soot wet with oil, I think if you fogged your engine the plugs would look wet with oil but still brown (brown from using XPS-2).

Black color is carbon soot, which can come from the oil type, or a too cold of plug heat range (proper heat range is hot enough to make the plug self-cleaning) or excess fuel (too rich). A grey porcelain insulator (I think this color contains aluminum) is always warning sign of too lean fuel mixture and often I see this and suspect there was damage from running too lean.

I think I see wet (from oil) and black carbon soot (from incorrect oil type and/or excess fuel) in the photo, so really we shouldn't judge the color of your center porcelain insulators accurately until you begin using the xps-2, we can say it's maybe okay if the color isn't grey and the throttle response is crisp without hesitation(too lean). The missing concerns me though, so I want to know more about the throttle response.

If the soot is just from incorrect oil or maybe too much fuel it's not unusual in a 2-stroke, the oil/fuel soot fouled 2-stroke spark plug is normally considered expendable to save the engine from running too lean, which causes damage. Grey is an early sign there is damage occurring, black is simply soot (carbon soot fouling from cheap oil is avoidable by using XPS-2).

If the black soot continues to deposit it will eventually short the plug with carbon, the brown film is not so electrically conductive as fuel soot(carbon) or soot from cheap oil.

Anyway, remember the plug is expendable, it's better to soot foul than aluminum foul.

I'll be interested to see the color again after you switch to XPS-2.

For torquing the plugs, the purpose is to avoid loss of compression(leaking) and should be done as NGK recommends, more than hand tight is necessary:

http://www.ngk-sparkplugs.jp/english/techinfo/qa/q18/index.html

If you cannot navigate your boat safely, the steering cable is the most likely problem IMO.

Enjoy your weekend, it's all about having a great experience so take it easy!

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

The thingy in the attached picture looks very dry on the insulator. Should it be a little shiny because the oil?

The answer is not really, depending on if the motor was fogged. This brown plug shown has several hours of run time at least and was removed before fogging. If the motor had just been fogged, it would still be brown and also wet (oily) looking.

I cannot run my boat this weekend but now I have two items on my to-do list; measure compression and carefully photograph the plugs!

 

[Bonmotwang]

The answer is not really, depending on if the motor was fogged. This brown plug shown has several hours of run time at least and was removed before fogging. If the motor had just been fogged, it would still be brown and also wet (oily) looking.

I cannot run my boat this weekend but now I have two items on my to-do list; measure compression and carefully photograph the plugs!

Yes. I directly put in 20ml of oil into the cylinder after every trip. So the oil must be everywhere where engine starts next time :-D




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[Bonmotwang]

PS: I have started XPS-2 in the last trip yesterday. :-D


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[Bonmotwang]

Found a tiny pin hole in the tube when I was cleaning it. Was looking for holes too using soapy water.
Patched it to be ready for the long weekend. :-D

Clamping with soft material (I used foam) is necessary because the area is not totally flat.
Removed the clamp after 6 hours, the result is very good.

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[Bonmotwang]

Took off the retractable tow bar because it is bent and stuck. Just curious to see if I can make it retractable again.

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[Bonmotwang]

It is a solid alum bar. Very hard to straighten it. Better to put it back as is. LoL

Edit: just did a search. Looks like there is no used or replacement available.

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[Bonmotwang]

Is my boat 2001 sportster le able to tow this baby?
Say two adults (total of 320lbs) on the boat, one adult and two kids (total of 260lbs) on the tube.

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[shuka]

I love this thread

I have learned alot from this thread. Thanks for all the detail. I love this boat

 

[Bonmotwang]

I have learned alot from this thread. Thanks for all the detail. I love this boat

Thanks. Hey. Those bars are cool. Your girls are hot


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[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Yes, I think your boat can pull that raft quite well. I think I would use the rear toe eye if your bar is damaged. For the bar, once you repair it just raise it a small amount to clear the hatch and avoid damage, you'll have to be more careful not to snag the rope and make sure it's not snagged on the rear hatch before taking off and making sharp turns.

Maybe someone tried to tow too much weight and the ski tow was bent. I was wondering if those are solid aluminum rod, thanks for the info. I've read it's common for them to bend and I use mine and my boat has to work hard to lift me but I don't extend the bar very much, just enough to safely clear the rear hatch.

Agree, vinyl adhesive works quite well for the patch.

Yep, if you fog your motor the plugs will show the oil (they will be wet) until they reach normal operating temp, if you foul your plugs by fogging that's normal and maybe a little too much fogging oil. This happens to me sometimes (oil fouling of plugs from fogging too much oil, during the next engine warm up) and I just throw my spare set in and keep going, then clean the fouled ones later using carb cleaner solvent(acetone) or brake cleaner and put them back in.

I don't use a wire brush or sand blaster to clean used plugs, it's too risky some abrasive might get into the cylinders, spark plugs are cheap enough it's not worth taking this kind of risk.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I have learned alot from this thread. Thanks for all the detail. I love this boat

These are cool little boats, huh????

 

[Never Satisfied]

Guys, I created a post looking to see where the lower coolant hose located below the cylinders is routed to. I bought the boat and the dealer who winterized it is over 2 hours away. It's a small 5/16" or 3/8" line that according to the fiche goes from the barb below the exhaust to the rear of the transom. All the bulkhead fittings on the transom are used. I have pics in my thread a few down.

 

[Bonmotwang]

Took off the retractable tow bar because it is bent and stuck. Just curious to see if I can make it retractable again.

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My 3 years old asked me when I brought the ski tow to my friend's shop: what is this daddy? Is it a lightsaber?

So funny


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[Bonmotwang]

Straighten the bent ski tow bar

The SOLID aluminum bar is much stronger than I thought. I made me thinking what did the PO do to bent it.

With a lot of bending, clamping, filing and sanding, now it is almost straight.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Sounds good, or maybe you can locate a used one that's straight.

Edit: Hmm, I don't see any "light sabers" of that variety on fleabay today...

 

[Bonmotwang]

Sounds good, or maybe you can locate a used one that's straight.

Edit: Hmm, I don't see any "light sabers" of that variety on fleabay today...

After I couldn't find anything in my shop to hold the solid bar and straighten it up, I did the search too. Nothing came up.

That is why I went to my friend's shop and bent his 2" steel tube to get mine straight:-D


Edit: I think the reason nobody is selling a used one is that this is so strong you have to do something really really wrong to bent it.

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[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

After I couldn't find anything in my shop to hold the solid bar and straighten it up, I did the search too. Nothing came up.

That is why I went to my friend's shop and bent his 2" steel tube to get mine straight:-D


Edit: I think the reason nobody is selling a used one is that this is so strong you have to do something really really wrong to bent it.

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You have to innovate man, b/c necessity is the mother of invention. Some wooden blocks bolted into a frame and some holes in those blocks made with a hole saw along with your hydraulic bottle jack and you can straighten any aluminum dowel rod. Sometimes a BFH can do the trick, too.

 

[Bonmotwang]

You have to innovate man, b/c necessity is the mother of invention. Some wooden blocks bolted into a frame and some holes in those blocks made with a hole saw along with your hydraulic bottle jack and you can straighten any aluminum dowel rod. Sometimes a BFH can do the trick, too.

Right. Thought about the wooden structure, but forgot about the hydraulic cylinder on my hoist.

Put the ski post back. Very nice and going up and down. I can play with it all day.:willy_nilly:

 

[Bonmotwang]

Right. Thought about the wooden structure, but forgot about the hydraulic cylinder on my hoist.

Put the ski post back. Very nice and going up and down. I can play with it all day.:willy_nilly:

The seal was aged and broken. Cut another one from my jeep part. Fits perfectly.

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[Bonmotwang]

Think about making use of the extra gauge space below the steering wheel.
Is it useful to monitor the temperature on the cylinder head by putting thermocouple or NTC there?
I thought it could be an indicator of engine going bad, but before it fails in the field.

Or your ears are best monitor?



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[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Think about making use of the extra gauge space below the steering wheel.
Is it useful to monitor the temperature on the cylinder head by putting thermocouple or NTC there?
I thought it could be an indicator of engine going bad, but before it fails in the field.

Or your ears are best monitor?



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Or maybe a compass, possibly a lake water temp gauge? I've removed the blank plate and placed a voltmeter in that space but haven't wired it in yet. Actually was torn between using either an ammeter or voltmeter, I think an ammeter can tell me if my battery is still in need of charge, voltmeter is easier to wire. Found the perfect ammeter for this purpose, while still trying to decide which one to install. LOL:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ammeter-by-...Parts_Accessories&hash=item25906ec927&vxp=mtr