Hello I am the proud owner of a 1996 SPI, new to this hobby and I have some questions

[ss1984]

Hi, This past weekend I purchased a 1996 Seadoo SPI from the original owner.

They said it had little use but could not give me an estimate of hours on it.

All fuel lines and wiring etc is in it's proper hold downs and routed properly, so I think it has not had any major work.

My questions are:

It does run and perform great, nut the UV has really taken its toll on anything plastic or rubber.
Is there a process to get the plastic and padded parts to a condition to be painted with vinyl paint?
It is very gummy and sticky.

The compression in front cylinder is 145 cold and the rear is 142 cold. Does this mean I am in good shape? I could not get a clear spec. poking around on the internet.

Is there a good site to get parts? I am looking for a mirror and new hand grips. These are not avalable new.

What oil should I use? Is there a less expensive option other than OE Seadoo oil?

I have a gas station near me that has ethanol free fuel and that is all I plan to use in this. Should I still replace all the fuel lines etc or will the OE parts be fine? I am all about maintenance and is there anything I need to look for other than basic maint?
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From poking around I have read that the SPI with the 580cc like mine lack performance and power. I have nothing to compare it to so it feels like a great performer to me. Will it pull a tube, etc. without any issue or is this too much for it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[nammer]

hey there, welcome to the forums and congrats on your purchase.

the 96 spi was my first ski too, very reliable and lots of fun, slower than most though

with the grab handle and handle bar cover, it gets pretty nasty, i'm sure other will recommend different things, but the only thing I have seen to help it is spray tons and tons of wd40 and get a rag and scrap it off, then you can clear coat it or something.


compression looks good, ideally it should be 150 but i think people say if it is within 10% of each other and over 120-130ish you'll be fine

as far as parts go, there is minnetonka4me on this forum

for oil, make sure to use api-tc rated, some walmarts have the quicksilve pwc oil, at about $28 per gallon

when you ask about fuel lines, if you have the original gray tempo fuel lines, it is highly recommended to replace

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Carb and fuel line are the critical spots...being I have a 4 month season up here I just recommend rebuilding the carb with all new parts to assure it run when you want it to.

I have plenty of grips in stock as long as they are black. The colored ones all melted at this point. I have a couple of mirrors too.

 

[ss1984]

hey there, welcome to the forums and congrats on your purchase.

the 96 spi was my first ski too, very reliable and lots of fun, slower than most though

with the grab handle and handle bar cover, it gets pretty nasty, i'm sure other will recommend different things, but the only thing I have seen to help it is spray tons and tons of wd40 and get a rag and scrap it off, then you can clear coat it or something.


compression looks good, ideally it should be 150 but i think people say if it is within 10% of each other and over 120-130ish you'll be fine

as far as parts go, there is minnetonka4me on this forum

for oil, make sure to use api-tc rated, some walmarts have the quicksilve pwc oil, at about $28 per gallon

when you ask about fuel lines, if you have the original gray tempo fuel lines, it is highly recommended to replace

Thanks for the responce, I would not have thought of Walmart.

 

[ss1984]

Carb and fuel line are the critical spots...being I have a 4 month season up here I just recommend rebuilding the carb with all new parts to assure it run when you want it to.

I have plenty of grips in stock as long as they are black. The colored ones all melted at this point. I have a couple of mirrors too.

Could you please give me a quote for a pair of good black grips and a mirror? This one only has one mirror on the left front. Shipped to 14623. Thank you, Scott