1988 SeaDoo Bombardier Loses power on the water

[Joseph Ivan Hayhoe]

I have a 1988 SeaDoo Bombarier (Yellow Motor) that has random issues when on the water. The ski will start and run without issue and is a smooth ride, when running, on the water. The issue I am experiencing is randomly the ski will lose power on the water. I will be running along at full speed when all of a sudden the engine revs down, if I keep the trigger pulled down the ski will rev up and down and repeat. If I hold the trigger at around the half way mark the engine will continue to run however the ski appears to have very low speed on the water. If i let off the trigger the engine will stall out. Once the engine has stalled I generally have to choke the engine to get it to start again. Once it has re-started the ski will then tend to run without issue for a period of time and then have all of the same issues again.

I checked the electrical box above the battery and cleaned up wiring that was corroded or frayed and tightened down the starter solenoid and the relay that is located in that box (They were originally not bolted down in the electrical box. Could this be a issue with the rev-limiter or the coil that generates spark for the engine? Could it also be the relay that is located in the electrical box that is having issues?

Today I took the ski out on the water after cleaning up the wiring problems above and had no issues for a good 15-20 minutes with the ski running at full speed. Any tips or items I should test, I have not yet checked the engine cover that houses the rev-limiter and the coils for the plugs.

 

[Joseph Ivan Hayhoe]

I pulled the carb apart after reading some suggestions from this forum. I pulled the inner fuel filter which was gunked up and after cleaning it and re-assembling the carb the jetski appears to be running much better. I took it out for a few hours on the lake at a lower speed and had no stalling issues. I will put it through further testing tomorrow to see if this issue is resolved at full speed.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Was it green gunk? If so I am guessing you have Grey Tempo fuel lines. And if you do, you MUST replace them all as it creates a lean condition and you will lose your engine. You will also need to clean or replace the fuel selector and a major cleaning of the carbs. I also suggest you install an inline fuel filter.


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[Joseph Ivan Hayhoe]

It was a darker color, could have been dark green. All of the fuel lines are the newer black lines in the ski. There is a older grey line that goes to the breather valve off the gas tank that remains so my guess is the lines were replaced by the previous owner and the carb may not have been cleaned out after the replacement.

 

[Coastiejoe]

And maybe the fuel selector? Very common issue due to the ethanol. .


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