Where do I start? Given 2 Sea Doos

[broncojeff]

Hi all, I'm new to owning a PWC but have been boating my entire life. I have ridden PWC's a few times but never turned a single wrench on one. Anyway I was given a 93 XP and a 96 GTS. They have sat for probably 5 years or more and came with a friends property he purchased last year. Absolutely no history known of them. I put a battery to both of them and they turn over well so thats a good start. I gave the GTS a little shot of ether and it did fire. I was going to clean out the fuel and oil systems and probably take the carbs off for a cleaning or rebuild. Is there anything else inside I should check or rebuild before starting? The jet drives are totally foreign to me. Is there anything I should do to that area before trying to fire them up? Can I run them on the hose for any length of time or will that damage the jet drive? Thanks in advance!

 

[broncojeff]

This is how I found them. Got lots of cleaning to do but 2 skis and a trailer for free was a good price!

 

[JeremyD615]

The fuel system is the area that will need the most attention. Don’t be intimidated by it. It’s really a pretty simple process if you follow the carb rebuild sticky and take your time with the fuel lines. Change one at a time and make sure Everything goes back exactly the way it came off.

The pumps are not really all that complicated either. I would definitely change the oil in the pump cone, and Take a really close look at the impeller and wear ring. If either are gouged up at all, go ahead and pull the pump to deal with them. It’s much easier to fill the cone with oil while the pump is out anyway, so check the condition of everything before you go through the trouble of changing the oil.

You can run them on the hose for a minute or two without causing any problems. I start mine up without the hose connected all the time just to make sure they’ll run before hauling them to the boat ramp. Just make sure you don’t run them for more than a minute without water, or five minutes on the hose. The pump is not being cooled while you are running this way, so try not to run them any longer than you have to outside of the water.

 

[JeremyD615]

This is how I found them. Got lots of cleaning to do but 2 skis and a trailer for free was a good price!

Just be prepared. The most expensive water toys I’ve ever owned have all been the “free” ones...

 

[broncojeff]

Just be prepared. The most expensive water toys I’ve ever owned have all been the “free” ones...

After restoring a few free or great deal boats I know there is no such thing as a free boat! LOL

 

[broncojeff]

I think once I get them to run I'll slide them in to my creek to let them run a little longer before I head to the lake.

 

[jts32]

I would do a compression test before sticking any money into them. Once you know the health of the motors, then you can decide if either of them are worth your time and money

 

[mikidymac]

Also don’t use starting fluid as it will remove all the lubrication. A little premix is much better.

If running on the hose it’s very important to have the engine running before you turn the water on and turn the hose off before the engine.

 

[Splodge]

Also don’t use starting fluid as it will remove all the lubrication. A little premix is much better.

If running on the hose it’s very important to have the engine running before you turn the water on and turn the hose off before the engine.

Hi i'm new to ski's too, i have a 97 gsx why is it important what you say about running it like that on the hose, Thanks...

 

[JeremyD615]

Hi i'm new to ski's too, i have a 97 gsx why is it important what you say about running it like that on the hose, Thanks...

If you turn on the hose before starting the ski, you can actually backfill the exhaust and flood the cylinders with water. You want to start the ski and let it idle long enough to be sure it isn’t going to die, then turn on the hose. When you’re ready to shut it down, turn off the hose and then kill the motor.

 

[Splodge]

Hi again I got your message at 5am in the UK, So i got up n went and looked and guess what I've done, I had the hose on a couple of days ago to try and fix the leak I have from the valve on top of the exhaust box, it was totally full of water the engine.. No wonder it wouldn't turn over after I had changed the valve it must of been hydro locked because when I tried to turn it over it just went clunk, clunk I thought my batt had died, i have just drained it out as best as I could n then cranked the motor to push it out of the cylinders till later today bearing in mind it was 5.30am, I'm so pissed with myself. What damage could I of potentially of done to it, where else could the water of got too...? Thanks.
ps: there was gallons of water in it..

 

[Splodge]

Sorry broncojeff for the hijack I will make a new post..

 

[JeremyD615]

Well there is potential for quite a bit of damage, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that damage is done. The first things to do are to pull the carbs and get as much water out of the engine as possible. You’ll then want to go through the carbs and make sure the fuel pump does not have water sitting behind the diaphragm. Clean the carbs as well as you can. I’m no expert on water flooded engines, but I would think you will want to use some fogging oil before trying to crank on it more, as the water will have carried the oil away from the bearing surfaces and cylinder walls. I’d put a compression gauge on it and see what your readings are now. If they are significantly lower now than they were before, it’s likely you’ve bent a rod trying to crank on a hydrolocked cylinder.

 

[mikidymac]

Typically on a water flooded engine you don't have to mess with the carbs. Just get all the water out by cranking it with the plugs out. Then put the plugs in with a little premix. Typically the water will still bridge the spark gap so you have to blow them off a few times. Once you finally get it started you have to go to the lake and run it hard for about 45 minutes to burn out all the water then fog the crap out of it when you are done.

If you leave the water in it it will rust the bearings and destroy the crank.

 

[JeremyD615]

Typically on a water flooded engine you don't have to mess with the carbs. Just get all the water out by cranking it with the plugs out. Then put the plugs in with a little premix. Typically the water will still bridge the spark gap so you have to blow them off a few times. Once you finally get it started you have to go to the lake and run it hard for about 45 minutes to burn out all the water then fog the crap out of it when you are done.

If you leave the water in it it will rust the bearings and destroy the crank.

You’re right. I guess the motor wasn’t running when he filled it up. I was thinking he was pulling water through the pulse line when it got flooded...