96 speedster port engine trouble

[paz123]

Hi


I just bought a 96 speedster with twin 717 engines. I have never owned a jet boat or any boat for that matter. That being said ,i have a few questions. I bought the boat from a older couple that I work with who have owned it since 2001 and have only had it out a hand full of times. They took it in to have the once over when they sold it to me. He changed plugs and pump oil and i then bought it.


They had a friend of theirs that has maintained the boat before take me out for a demo in the river. It took off and seemed to run well at first, we got a faint alarm code (possible over heat from debri sea weed and such at launch site).

Alarm went out and we tried third pasenger (total weight about 600lb). Had issue with getting on plain, moved third to front and seemed a little sluggish.

He told me we probably picked up debri and to flush it out when I got it home.

I downloaded the operator guide and the shop manual and i'm having a couple issues.

I found the(Tuned pipe bleed
hose injects water
into muffler to
cool exhaust
components)had a hole in it. I changed hose,I wonder if that could have been causing semi warning beep?


The question finally.

Flushing...

The flushing connector under the hood and the one at the rear seem to meet at a T and go the same place. It appears that they both flush the engine and you have to . 1 start engine . 2turn on water 3 run a couple minutes 4 turn off water 5 turn off engine 6 repeat for other side.

How do i flush the pump? I was told bottom connector flushes pump, but it seems they both go to same T connector. Can the impeller be flushed to see if it has a clog? I dont want to drive 100 miles to lake and find i have a problem. Do people use these on rivers and is there a after market part to screen impeller? I'm itching to get this out on the water but I want to be prudent and not cost myself a ton of $!!!

Thanks and any other info would be much apreciated...




I took boat out yesterday and port engine overheated. Waited for it to cool and found another hose to exhaust blew. made repair on boat and it seemed to fix problem until i slowed down and warning beep came on. Let cool again and started while my son kept an eye on engine for water leaks. As engine reached higher rpm water could be seen leaking from were engine meets exhaust. Shut off and limped home on 1 engine. Is this a blown seal or gasket or something worse?

 

[Dr Honda]

Wecome,

Where in PA are you? I'm in Irwin, and my shop is in Latrobe.


Anyway.... yes... your flushing procedure is correct. As far as the 2 connectors... on that boat, they are just T-ed together. But, the connector out the transom has a small fitting in it to control the output of water. (restricts the flow) So... since you are having a cooling issue, you do want to make sure it's clear.

The pump doesn't flush separately. Basically, when you are back flushing... the water will exit out the "Feed" hose that come out the pump.


When you have an over heating issue... you have to be very careful. You can quickly destroy the engine.

If it was my boat, I would start by pulling all the hoses, and blowing thought them with compressed air. Also, blow though all the fittings, and the engine. If you don't find a plug... then you need to take the head off, and look into the cyl's. If the previous owners were running it onto a beach, while the engines were running... they could have filled the engine full of sand. AND... when that sits... it normally won't flush out. (it will turn to soft concrete in the engine, and has to be physically removed)

 

[paz123]

Thanks for the info, I'm in the south hills just outside Canonsburg. I have a compressor and a attachment for pumping up tires, can I just disconnect the two hoses to the head and blow it threw? if I need to remove head will that require a gasket kit? I'm handy but I'm not a mechanic. Can you also blow thru the fittings on the tuned pipe? The tuned pipe bleed hose was blown nd it seems that it may be clogged.

Thanks again...

 

[Dr Honda]

Go over to Harbor Freight (there's one in the pleasant hills off 51) and get a blow gun attachment. Like this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/rubber-tip-air-blow-gun-68263.html


Yes... you can blow though all the fittings. The one elbow fitting in the pipe has a very small orifice in it. Make sure it's clear. It's a thread in fitting, and there is a number stamped on the side of it.


The 720 engine uses and O-ring head. So... as long as the O-rings are still pliable... then you don't need a new gasket to remove the heads.

 

[paz123]

Geat info thanks..
My engine is the 717, does that also use the same type O ring?

 

[Guest_User]

Flushing:
For whatever ryhme or reason, the past owner of this/our boat used the upper flushing ports. he also had Brass caps to screw into the pumps flushing ports so the flushing water wouldn`t just flow out thru the pump and dump on the ground. I`m guessing his thoughts were that the flushing water would escape and not go thru the engines cooling passages.
You can just use the rear flush ports and have a flow control valve on your garden hose to expedite turning the water on and off.

for me: since then I have replaced all the cooling hoses and omitted those upper flush ports and use the rear just like the ski`s...