Is it worth it to put a new engine in a 96 XP?

[scooper77515]

The freebie XP I have has an unknown number of hours on it, but it has sat for MANY years, floating around under a house on stilts on a barrier island through several hurricanes, etc. I doubt the engine will last much longer.

I have about $600 invested in it with new parts, wear ring, trailer repairs, and LOTS of labor to get it running and keep it running. But it has been in salt water all of it's life and I seriously doubt it will last much longer. And currently, it is used 95% of the time off the beach jumping waves (which has to be the most abusive way to ride a seadoo!)

When it blows, is it worth it to put another rebuilt 787 into it?

Part out the electronics?

Put a blown 302 Ford into it :reddevil:?

Make a paddle boat out of it or a bouy?

Slap a 110 Mercury on the back?

 

[robin savell lloyd]

I am not sure if I would buy a new engine. I would think that it is possible if you look all the time on craigslist and other places mostly in the winter months,[before your engine gives up] you may find another ski for less than $500.00 with good compression that does not run. Then you will have a engine that may last a season or more and have most all the parts to do any type of repair at a very low cost. Then if you are in love with your ski buy that new engine. :cheers:

 

[scooper77515]

Good idea on the craig's list search. I can keep whichever ski I like more, and part out the other one, keeping the engine for myself.:cheers:

I actually know where two are sitting on a trailer near work, and haven't moved in at least 5 years.

 

[timmyboy76]

why..

Scoop, if aint broke, y fix it. Still money ahead ($600), ski was free, dumped a couple buks to it, and she still runs. If compression was all screwed up, but runs, then yeah, drop crank assy in, or if you dont want it anymore, you'll make a few buks on it, before hav'n to invest into it...

 

[scooper77515]

Timmy, actually, I am just worrying about it. I had that failure on a "new to me" Challenger that I bought from Kustom Karl last summer. 6th trip out, it throws a rod. So I tear it down and the insides look a lot like the insides of my XP. So I am just worrying that my XP will crater soon as well. About the same age, actually a year older...:ack:

I get a kick out of the XP. Fun for jumping waves off the beach, but I was just wondering if it is valuable enough to put a new rebuilt in if it craters in the next year or so.

The Challenger was DEFINITELY worth the new motor. With that and the new impeller, we are having a total kick in the head with it. Runs like a new boat!

But the XP...not so sure if it is worth a new engine.

Dad uses it more than I do, since he is too out of shape to surf anymore. So I guess if he wants to go halfsies on the new motor, I will drop one in for him to continue playing around on it. He lives at the beach, so he gets more opportunity to ride it.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Inspection?....

I think, before you decide to do any real work on this thing, you should do an inspection to see how well the engine has faired.

Do a compression test on it. You know all the small stuff, no sense explaining that. Then, when you have the time, pop off the cylinder head. Do an inspection of the water jacket, cylinder walls and piston.

Your focus will mostly be on the condition of the water jacket. If you find a lot of calcium build up, then insulation has been occuring causing a lack of heat transfer from the temps of the cylinder walls outward into the water jacket. This is stressful to the engine.

If the sub systems like electronics, carbs, magneto, exhaust and other parts that are available for you to put a socket wrench on, don't show terrible signs of the aluminum oxide that causes us to loss our religion, then a new engine might make you happy.

The last tell tale is condition. If the ski still catches your eye, no badly ripped seats or faded out colors, you might just find the ski in good enough shape to get you another 10 years out of it.

Just go over it with a fine tooth comb. With your gained experience over the last few years, you'll know if it's worth it............:cheers:

 

[scooper77515]

Actually, snipe, that water jacket condition is my main concern.

I have popped the heads off a couple times and they are pretty corroded. I am pretty sure the previous owners would use it off the beach and just put it back in the garage when it quit working. Where it would sit until their dad paid to have it fixed again, maybe next spring. My Challenger motor looked as bad and it cratered, so I got to worrying this season about the XP.

Compression was good when I did it last year. Almost perfect.

Good thing is it has been garage kept all these years, so it still looks pretty nice. Even though I have removed all the splashy stickers.

All electronics work well except for the trim, which had a hole in the rubber boot and filled with salt water and froze solid. I now have a sump pump hooked to the trim buttons since this thing takes on a pretty good bit of water from a crack somewhere in the hull, I think under the black strip along the left rear side.

 

[timmyboy76]

not sure if I did any harm, but when I had motors' apart, I used 'muriatic acid", like I said, nuth'n visual to the aluminum I saw, went bad, but that crap sure ate the crud out, giv'n it a perfect clean passages. (for-warning, when acid starts to work, it starts bubbling/foaming black, and sticks like heck)

 

[needforspeed]

I am kinda new here but here is my two cents

To me, I would rather put in a new / rebuilt engine to the craft that you are allready familiar with. If you were to buy another used one you will be starting from scratch with somebody else's problems. When You drop in a reconditioned engine you will know it was broken in correctly, then you will know it was maintained propperly so it will last you. As far as ripped seats and what not. I am of the belief that if you fix things as they break, then you will never have a huge list of repairs that wind up costing too much to fix. I do that with everything I own. If I can't afford to fix it and maintain it I just can't afford to own it. But That is just me. Also if you turn in your core to get a rebuilt enginr you shouldn't have to worry about the salt in the cooling water jakets.

 

[EvilVtec]

Its an X-4 hull. Of course its worth it!!!!!!

 

[fireball451]

If its in decent shap, save it and don't scrap it.
No sense in parting a salvagable ski.