What was your Most Miserable Bastid ?

[etemplet]

I have to say my most miserable Bastid award goes to my current project 1996 Seadoo Speedster boat. It is at the top of my list because I don't like working on boats so it is an enigma why I even bought it. You can't get to parts without hanging over the side, and this SOB had too many idiots working on it before I ever touched it. Most skis need everything and that's what I do straight away. Being a twin engine boat this bastid needed everything TWICE. I wish it could tell me its story.

My most miserable Jet ski was a 2004 GTI RFI that I installed an engine I rebuilt 2 years earlier. Maybe 20 hours on the ski. This project was a bad start from the beginning but it snuck up on me. I replaced a starter for the gentleman and after I got the ski started it sounded terrible but ran good. I thought briefly about how long the engine would last. When the owner came to pick up the ski I started the ski, it ran fine then quit and wouldn't start. I told him I'd take a look. After a week and about 10 hours labor (free labor) I offered to buy the ski from him for almost what he paid for it 2 years prior. I figured, can't be much wrong with it, I just built the engine. Ha ha. If it had been day time my initial troubleshooting might have been successful. When I removed the Rotary Valve cover, the valve came off the shaft. I was trying to verify the position (maybe gear damage??) So I just retimed the engine in the dark fighting mosquitos. Every now and then it would start for a second. I spent another 20 hours easy checking everything, replacing parts (I have spare everything) "No Joy" I decided to pull the engine and.... there ya go... rotary valve, which I checked the shaft during inspection "The gear shaft was a little worn cuz there was a tad more play than I like to see." The engine likely stopped at the only spot on the gear that was left. I am now a freakin guru on the RFI. Then after I repair the engine everything should be great right? I notice the charging plug is getting hot during my test ride and break-in. So back to troubleshooting. Don't you know the dang MPEM is bad now?? I had a spare and all was well. Gotta love the adventure.

What happened to the engine to cause that? Somebody put gasoline in the oil tank and didn't drain and flush that tank or rotary valve oil reservoir. I think they guy needed the money so I'm not displeased about it all. This is a hobby for me anyway. I enjoy it.

The Menace

 

[AKnarrowback]

My daily ride, my 94 xp.

Both pistons were severely water damaged.

One piston had impact damage to the crown, as well as damage to the head, from a washer getting dropped into the cylinder then cranked over.

The cylinders were scored, gouged, rusted.

The crank had three bad bearings and a ton of rust.

The carbs were full of gunk, rust like residue, striped screw heads and damaged parts inside.

The mag cover was full of water, stator was a ball of rust.

The jet pump was dry. I pulled the cone off and had a rust/sand mix fall out. The impeller and liner were mangled.

The rv cover was way out of soec and water damaged.

The starter was shot.

But I saw potential.........

In the end I saw big bills as well........

 

[burtshaver2021]

A free to me 2005 ski Doo MXZ 600 SDI, it was my brother in laws snowmobile, he had been complaining of an intermittent sudden hard stop when pulling it over, then the last time he took it out, he said it didn’t have much power, like it was running on one cylinder. He gave it to me, I felt guilty with him giving it to me, so I have him a 2 year old small snowblower in return, I ended up putting 1500.00 into that snowmobile, magnet had came loose from the magneto flywheel causing them intermittent clunking when pulling it over, turns out those magneto flywheels are known to do that which makes it like finding a unicorn when searching for a good used replacement, broken magnet had damaged the stator, bad fuel injector had caused no fuel to one piston, causing the wear and low compression, I didn’t know that, so once I had it all back together with new pistons and rings, flywheel, stator it would intermittently run on one cylinder, after much searching and diagnosing, tried cleanjng the injectors myself to not avail, sent them off to be professionally cleaned, and it ran great for the rest of that winter, went to start it last fall and the fuel pump is not priming.

 

[DaddyLoafin]

not a 2 stroke but a 2004 rxp 215. Bought it with just over 100 hours with a freshly rebuilt supercharger. Within an hour of use, the exhaust came undone where it exits the hull and sank, both bearings and the clutch washer came apart on the super charger and wiped out both oil pumps. Thing was a true basket case.

 

[Grim]

Its the beast that I have know, it was my dads and after he passed I took it. It had been sitting in a barn for about 9 years. Thankfully, the motor had been rebuilt and only had 30 hrs on her. I didn't know what I was getting into but when I opened the hood and took the seats off, it was nothing but acorns, debris, and rat poo, to start off. The rat, which I later named Godzilla, no kidding, the thing was the size of a small cat, and by the destruction it caused it earned every bit of its mass. I mistakenly carried Godzilla from Ok to Fl because I didn't know he was still in the ski. The rat met its demise soon after I got home. Once I cleaned everything out the damage was, lets say, extensive. The rat had chewed through all the different harnesses, he had dug tunnels through the foam and some if not all the hoses were just gone. I am still cleaning out bits of foam even today. Once I obtained the wiring harness, I then figured out the hoses and where they went. Replaced power cables, some vent valves that were eaten. You name it , it was damaged. Luckily the rat hadn't figured out how to eat the engine, it was my only saving grace. Once I got all that replaced I had to then replace the gauges, and tried to start her up. Well to my surprise she turned over. But.... the fun was just starting. I had a cranking issue where it would more or less lobe instead of a fast crank, it was repetitive but it made it really hard to crank it. I actually could get it cranked with a bit of effort, so I knew the engine was ok. It took several weeks/months and lot of info from the forum and we figured out it was an electrical issue at the back power box, solved that and then had to tweak the carbs and then the heating issues started. On the water the temp sensor would go off and she was hot. Brought her back and that too several weeks to diagnose. Seems like I had a bad head gasket, no water leaking that I could see but something was a miss, took it off , cleaned inspected everything and put new gasket on , boom she was cured. Last summer I finally got her on the water with no troubles. Godzilla was a blessing and a curse. I had to fixed a lot of damage but I know more about my ski and most of the parts are new.
Now I got to find something else to work on...for the wife of course. I am a gluten for punishment. Especially since I'm thinking RFI or DI!

 

[burtshaver2021]

Its the beast that I have know, it was my dads and after he passed I took it. It had been sitting in a barn for about 9 years. Thankfully, the motor had been rebuilt and only had 30 hrs on her. I didn't know what I was getting into but when I opened the hood and took the seats off, it was nothing but acorns, debris, and rat poo, to start off. The rat, which I later named Godzilla, no kidding, the thing was the size of a small cat, and by the destruction it caused it earned every bit of its mass. I mistakenly carried Godzilla from Ok to Fl because I didn't know he was still in the ski. The rat met its demise soon after I got home. Once I cleaned everything out the damage was, lets say, extensive. The rat had chewed through all the different harnesses, he had dug tunnels through the foam and some if not all the hoses were just gone. I am still cleaning out bits of foam even today. Once I obtained the wiring harness, I then figured out the hoses and where they went. Replaced power cables, some vent valves that were eaten. You name it , it was damaged. Luckily the rat hadn't figured out how to eat the engine, it was my only saving grace. Once I got all that replaced I had to then replace the gauges, and tried to start her up. Well to my surprise she turned over. But.... the fun was just starting. I had a cranking issue where it would more or less lobe instead of a fast crank, it was repetitive but it made it really hard to crank it. I actually could get it cranked with a bit of effort, so I knew the engine was ok. It took several weeks/months and lot of info from the forum and we figured out it was an electrical issue at the back power box, solved that and then had to tweak the carbs and then the heating issues started. On the water the temp sensor would go off and she was hot. Brought her back and that too several weeks to diagnose. Seems like I had a bad head gasket, no water leaking that I could see but something was a miss, took it off , cleaned inspected everything and put new gasket on , boom she was cured. Last summer I finally got her on the water with no troubles. Godzilla was a blessing and a curse. I had to fixed a lot of damage but I know more about my ski and most of the parts are new.
Now I got to find something else to work on...for the wife of course. I am a gluten for punishment. Especially since I'm thinking RFI or DI!

WOW, RFI I have 99GSX RFI amazing in fuel, about half what my 97 GSX takes

 

[etemplet]

not a 2 stroke but a 2004 rxp 215. Bought it with just over 100 hours with a freshly rebuilt supercharger. Within an hour of use, the exhaust came undone where it exits the hull and sank, both bearings and the clutch washer came apart on the super charger and wiped out both oil pumps. Thing was a true basket case.

WOW !!! total destruction. My experience pales in comparison though longer term pain and suffering. LOL What did you do with it?

 

[etemplet]

I dunno.... I think we are all retarded in this group. Gluttons for punishment and can't wait for the next one. LOL Cheers to everyone !!!

 

[DaddyLoafin]

WOW !!! total destruction. My experience pales in comparison though longer term pain and suffering. LOL What did you do with it?

I sold it as a parts ski and the guy who bought it took the engine apart and redid all the bearings and oil pumps and put all new valves in and I almost bought it back when he was done with it but water was getting into the oil and he was convinced it was the oil cooler but turned out the block was cracked. That thing was cursed lol