RESTO Winter Project!

[Girkyman]

Another update on the project.... Finally got a nice day on the weekend and got the second engine pulled today and found some interesting stuff. One of the Pistons seem to have broken a rod and there was a whole lot of debris floating around.

I was wondering why the starter wouldn't turn it over....haha.

Most exciting.

 

[Girkyman]

Just an observation if you want to get on the water faster....but I'd say if you want to be on the water sometime this Summer, you should break it up and do the majority of it yourself. Avoid sending out for a full engine rebuild, it's a slow walk getting it back. Quicker option, the cylinders can be sent out and that's usually a quicker turn around than waiting on an entire engine build. There's people on here and on the FB that have waited over a year to get an engine back from SES or Fullbore.

You can purchase the gasket set, get a new crank or core swap, that leaves you awaiting the cylinders to return. The cylinders would be bored/honed and ready for assembly with the new pistons.

Not hard work, you follow along in the SM and ask questions on here.

I may go this route for the second engine to get them both up and running in the next month or so.

Thanks

 

[mikidymac]

Classic 951 failure.

 

[Girkyman]

Sending the second engine out this week... should be getting the first one back very soon... Started removing the deck mat and doing some cleaning. once you drill out the rivets how do you typically block the holes because I know the new hydro mat that I had in mind is an adhesive version I'm pretty sure. Rtv? Something similar?

Progress!

 

[mikidymac]

Get some Bondo glass from Walmart for the holes. Do one side at a time and just enough to fill each hole. Once it starts to gel and set immediately shave it flush with the hull with a razor blade to remove any excess and you don’t need to mess with any sanding. Easiest and fastest way.
Don’t try to do both sides at once or it will harden too fast and the razor blade trick won’t work and you’ll be sanding.

 

[Girkyman]

Get some Bondo glass from Walmart for the holes. Do one side at a time and just enough to fill each hole. Once it starts to gel and set immediately shave it flush with the hull with a razor blade to remove any excess and you don’t need to mess with any sanding. Easiest and fastest way.
Don’t try to do both sides at once or it will harden too fast and the razor blade trick won’t work and you’ll be sanding.

I'll do this, thank you!

 

[Girkyman]

I was getting the second engine prepped to send to SES today and I have had a hell of a time with these longer exhaust manifold bolts....are these things just terrible on every single engine?

They are warping and resisting all attempts to remove them.... Same story with the first engine I'm curious if there was a trick or trade secret I'm missing or do people just grind them off and retap the holes??

I managed to get one of them out this time but on the previous engine both of them were stripped from the former owner so I let SES handle it.

Thanks

 

[mikidymac]

It's from the corrosion. Looks like it might have been a saltwater ski?

 

[Girkyman]

I only know the states it was registered in previously which based on the old stickers was missouri and maryland and massachusetts... I'm guessing there was a good amount of saltwater riding going on.

Tom said he will deal with the bolt so I guess I lucked out there.

 

[mikidymac]

Hopefully you get your engines back soon.

 

[Girkyman]

Just got the first engine back yesterday.

It was delivered to SES on January 28th. I was quoted eight weeks and it took almost exactly double that at 16 weeks, 1 day.

Clearly he has a little bit of an issue meeting deadlines but I think I went into it knowing he would not meet his deadline so no issues from me.

Second engine will be going out this week and I don't plan on getting the second ski up and running this year so even if I do at the end of the summer it will be a bonus.

The rest of the ski is coming along good I bought a new starter I bought all new gas lines I stripped off all of the stickers and filled all the drill holes from the rivets.

I rebuilt the carbs while I was waiting and they are ready to bolt on.

Next step will be engine reassembly and re-wrapping the seat and installing new deck rubber.

More to come! Hopefully the next post has a video of the engine running.

 

[mikidymac]

Looking great!

 

[Girkyman]

Pulled off all the factory stickers... engine is reassembled and should be dropping it in and firing it up in the next week or two. Getting close!

 

[Girkyman]

Life got in the way a little bit but I finally got around to getting the rebuilt motor installed.... Dropped it in today and got everything hooked up and went to crank the motor over and all I heard was clicking from the relay down near the electrical box. The one mounted on the outside.

When you click the start stop button you hear the first click and the fuel gauge needle move slightly with the red LED illuminated and the VTS gauge moves a little bit. When you press the start/stop button a second time you hear the second click and everything shuts off.

I basically swapped out everything I could to include the starter solenoid from the other ski with no difference.

I used an OHM meter to measure across the two terminals of the starter solenoid and I wasn't getting any change so I'm suspecting that's what's going on.

Got a new one on the way should have it in a few days.

I did jump the terminals with a screwdriver and the engine sounds really good turning over with no plugs.

Hopefully she'll be running soon!

 

[Girkyman]

Got the starter solenoid in the mail today and popped it in and it works great I can now turn the motor over from the start button.

I turned it over for 10 to 15 seconds and nothing so I pulled the fuel line and threw a vacuum pump on it...the kind you use to bleed brakes, and pulled until I got fuel flowing I hooked the line back up to the carb and it will only turn over it won't start.

If I drop some fuel in the cylinder it will run for three to four seconds and then die it seems like my diaphragm pumps aren't pushing enough to get the gas out of the tank...

Thoughts?

I rebuilt these carbs over the winter and everything seemed to go together very nicely I did read that sometimes the diaphragm pumps don't work after they're sitting dry where is the best place to prime them so I get things moving again.

I should note that I also replaced all of the fuel lines from the tank to the fuel shut off to the fuel filter and down to the carb to include the pulse line as well... It's also a brand new fuel filter...

 

[Girkyman]

Spent the morning checking all of my pulse lines for leaks and double checking my fuel delivery and it all seemed to be good.

I eventually grabbed a little soap dispenser that pumps and I filled it with gas and I shot about four or five pumps into each carb and once it started up and ran for a few seconds I gave it some gas and everything just seemed to work after that.

Shut it down check for leaks then I ended up hooking up the hose and letting it idle for about 30 seconds with the hose on again checking for leaks.

Everything looks to be pretty good I'm going to do a little more assembly and hopefully be able to drop this thing in the water and see how it idles sitting in the water. My idol currently out of the water is around 2K.

Getting there!

One question I had is when I started it I took a video and there's a rattling sound when I'm facing the back near the jet pump any thoughts as to what might be going on there??

 

[mikidymac]

Seadoo pumps always rattle out of the water and at idle.

 

[Girkyman]

Seadoo pumps always rattle out of the water and at idle.

That's great, thanks! I plan on changing the oil in the jet pump anyway but didn't know if this sound was abnormal.

 

[nikdseadoo]

That's great, thanks! I plan on changing the oil in the jet pump anyway but didn't know if this sound was abnormal.

Oh please check those pumps. If you hadn't already you need to badly. I wouldn't take it out with out checking them. Especially knowing the condition of the skis when you got them.

The project 951 I just did pump was shot. Oil black as night and obviously never serviced. Wear ring and impeller were also both shot. All the work done to the motor on this ski may be wasted if the pump is not like new. Plus when you get to water tuning it you could be doing it wrong with the wrong load from impeller on the engine.

Did a full rebuild on my pump just for the peace of mind, shaft and all.

Hopefully your water hose test showed you all the water was traveling as it is intended through pump squirter holes etc.

I know the internet advice of spending more money gets tiring, but with this damn 951 project of mine it was all necessary. I paid for skimping on parts and cutting corners. Especially the carb rebuild kits. (facepalm)

 

[Girkyman]

Good point, I will disassemble the pump later today and see what it looks like in there. No reason to not do it after all this work.

Can you elaborate on your last comment? Where should i be seeing water? It was mainly coming out of the port under the hose hookup and the rest was coming out of the pump. You can see it towards the end of my video.

Thanks

 

[nikdseadoo]

Good point, I will disassemble the pump later today and see what it looks like in there. No reason to not do it after all this work.

Can you elaborate on your last comment? Where should i be seeing water? It was mainly coming out of the port under the hose hookup and the rest was coming out of the pump. You can see it towards the end of my video.

Thanks

I'm no expert on these skis, just here learning fast. Mine is a 99 GSX and it has 2 squirter holes on the back of the ski by the tow hook area. Not sure if your XP is the same way. I'm sure as I found you can find a water routing diagram for your ski some where here on the forum.

I just put mine in the water for the first time yesterday and the carb is already back off and on the bench.

I envy the XP's because you can make turning adjustments out on the water given the motor location. Beats having to go back to shore every dang time to make adjustments haha

You can also get new impellers and pump rebuild parts quick. be ready by this weekend. Bay area power sports ships fast I have learned. You dont need a press for the pumps either. Soft hammer blows with the right size socket will get you far.

 

[Mraw]

On the xpl the pisser is on the left side of the ski, near the front

 

[Girkyman]

On the xpl the pisser is on the left side of the ski, near the front

I definitely didn't get any water out of that port. I know the fuel tank vent runs over there as well I was wondering about the other line.

Should I get water out of it when running on a hose?

 

[Mraw]

Yes, it usually takes a little but though, maby 30 sec or so before I notice any comming out

 

[Girkyman]

Yes, it usually takes a little but though, maby 30 sec or so before I notice any comming out

Ok thanks,

Next time I run it I will let it go a little bit longer. I only let the hose run 10 seconds or so.