96 XP Backfiring Through Carbs Still running rich

[claysimo]

So my 96 XP problem child is trying to not get going before winter. I initially was having some trouble starting the ski that led to it not turning over at all. After going through literally everything electrical before i popped open the mag housing and discovered the trigger/igniton coil had broken off. Got that fixed and cleaned up everything in the mag housing. Also took the opportunity to put one of the top screws back into the oil pump while it was off. Now the ski was starting perfectly but I wanted to be sure it didn't run without oil since I had taken the oil pump off, so I started the engine and held the oil lever full open until I saw that both small lines had been filled with oil. Thinking all was good I went to the lake with a new set of plugs. Well It would idle fine but if you tried giving it gas it was like it was gargling on oil and backfiring.. after 5 mins of riding around like this I got back to the dock and discovered that when I had held the oil lever open on the oil pump it had caused slack to that line and it had come completely unhooked from the carb side.. that caused oil to pump into my engine for those 5 mins or so while I was doing my initial test.
Now I can't seem to get that oil gone.. its driving me crazy. I thought I could have burned it all off by now but I don't think the engine will get going enough to actually burn enough off. I took the carbs off and with sparks out I turned the engine and noticed the RV pulling up some oil as it went around. I got all that out and also noticed the fuel pump line was spitting very little amounts of oil when I was staring it with the carbs off. It doesnr seem to do that anymore im just pointing it out (I'm optimistic still I might be nearing the end of all this oil)
Now when I tested it out again it appears that its still backfiring out oil. It idles like a champ but won't go over 7 mph. Its like when it gets going it pushes more oil out than it does when idling causing it to not be able to get up rpms to speed. I checked compression and that was good. I guess I could get another tester to double check too. Just for reference after 10 mins of riding around at half throttle the plastic intake housing and the arrestor is covered with oil. Spark plugs black all the way down..
Crazy that just a month ago I was flying 55mph in this bad boy with no issues before the start issue occured..
Now I've read that maybe the RV gear might have gone bad or maybe a seal has gone bad? Maybe I just need to keep burning up spark plugs and spitting oil till its all gone? I thought about tipping it on its side to drain out potentially but not im just stretching for ideas lol. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[etemplet]

If you started the engine the oil you say was in there..... was gone in a couple minutes of running. You may have fould a spark plug but that's about it.

 

[claysimo]

Fouled now 6 plugs. Taken it out 3 times now and run it around 20-30 mins. Been unable to get over 7mph due to back firing oil. Its like it can't get enough rpms in the water to get going enough to burn off the oil..

 

[etemplet]

I'd pull the rotary valve and have a look.

 

[claysimo]

Welp I had a few beers and decided to just pull the engine. Wouldn't recommend doing that without one friend at least lol my neck still hurts.. anyways it looks like my pistons have seen better days.. one in particular looks bad. Ive ordered a top end kit but im wondering if I need to replace the whole engine in this case? This is my first time messing with an engine but I'm wondering if it would be less costly to get a rebuilt sbt.. any help would be appreciated

 

[etemplet]

That's it?? Just do the top end but I'm not sure that is your problem unless you had low compression. If your crank and rod bearings all feel smooth and no excessive clearance you should be good to go. The engine these parts came out of was running so... what you have there isn't all that bad. Yes do it yourself. Should cost under $400. Just make sure you clean it up real good. Good Luck !!!

 

[claysimo]

Oh man thats definitely seen better days! So I'm thinking the reason I was having those perpetual oil issues might have been because of the type of oil in it. I bought it 6 months ago from some back woods folks that claimed they used the quicksilver synthetic blend oil in the engine and that it worked fine with that and not the full synthetic non tcw3 oil. My engine compression is still good over 145 in both heads. I'm thinking I'll just clean everything up really good and put in the top end rebuild kit and drain the oil tank and swap it for full synthetic oil.
My question is what should I use to clean up the gunk in the engine? It's caked with a black film and I'm not sure the best way to clean it all up. How to clean the cylinders without damaging? I was thinking I could take a wife brush to it with some degreaser but I don't want to damage anything. I've heard of people getting parts sand blasted but I'm not sure where to get that done