1991 sp Stoped going fast with two people

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Me and my buddy were out riding today and it was going good but then all the sudden it stoped being as fast. The engine performs good still however with one person it goes so fast thx

 

[DJDaveOtt]

So it was fast with two people before and currently runs fine with one person, but a second person causes it do be slow.. I hope I'm understanding that correctly. Did you check to see if you sucked something up in the impeller? How do the plugs look? Is it making any unusual sounds?

 

[mikidymac]

Check the wear ring and impeller. Pretty common for old wear rings to go bad in a hurry. Like a clutch slipping on a car.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Check the wear ring and impeller. Pretty common for old wear rings to go bad in a hurry. Like a clutch slipping on a car.

Checked impeller lost a bade by hitting a rock

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Check the wear ring and impeller. Pretty common for old wear rings to go bad in a hurry. Like a clutch slipping on a car.

I have another question, it’s running lean. So do I turn the high speed needle right or left to riches it?

 

[mikidymac]

How do you know it’s running lean?

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

How do you know it’s running lean?

Plugs are extremely dry and there’s not much smoke

 

[mikidymac]

It’s almost always a dirty carb and fuel system. 99.9% of the time carb adjustment isn’t the fix and you will blow the engine.

 

[DJDaveOtt]

Let us know how it goes. Post pictures.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Let us know how it goes. Post pictures.

Ok I’ll do it but the impeller is trashed. I’m taking it out later and I’ll post some pics

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Ok I’ll do it but the impeller is trashed. I’m taking it out later and I’ll post some pics

ok so here it is there’s not even a wear ring. And the impeller is trashed!!!! I’ll update you guys once I get it replaced.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Holy crap! Did you try to run it on a gravel driveway? Can't believe it would plane even with 1 person. Looks like an easy fix though. Throw the new wear ring in the freezer, and it should drop right in.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Holy crap! Did you try to run it on a gravel driveway? Can't believe it would plane even with 1 person. Looks like an easy fix though. Throw the new wear ring in the freezer, and it should drop right in.

Lol it sucked up a big fat rock approximately the size of a quarter! At half throttle!!!

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

That's a pretty small rock. You either sucked up a bunch of these, or just got unlucky. I sucked up a rock big enough to get stuck on the vanes behind the impeller, and the damage was nowhere near this bad. There is an old road that dips into our lake and I ran right up on it. Lucky I was going slow. Anyway, I couldn't plane out either. Had to go idle speed all the way back.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

That's a pretty small rock. You either sucked up a bunch of these, or just got unlucky. I sucked up a rock big enough to get stuck on the vanes behind the impeller, and the damage was nowhere near this bad. There is an old road that dips into our lake and I ran right up on it. Lucky I was going slow. Anyway, I couldn't plane out either. Had to go idle speed all the way back.

Oh wow, that probably sucked what year is your ski?

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

That was on a 97 Seadoo Challenger with the single 787. But it's basically the same 140mm pump as you have there. They came with a swirl prop and plastic pump, but all those are 140mm setups are interchangeable (except the extended pumps).
It's amazing how little it takes to screw up a pump. This boat has a 155mm pump now. I had it down at the Outer Banks and sucked up piece of reed. It was about 5" long and less than half the diameter of a pencil. Again, it got stuck behind the impeller on the vanes and would not come out. The boat couldn't go above 3500 rpm or it would start cavitating and vibrating REALLY bad. Had to go just above idle to come back. Usually when I run over seaweed or a bunch of pine needles and it starts to cavitate bad, I shut off the motor. More times than not, the stuff just falls away and you can run full speed again. Other times, you have to pull the boat out of the water, and it'll flow out. But every now and then, it'll force you to pull the nozzle.
The dumbest thing I ever did was run over a dead catfish with my SPX. We used to try to suck them up as kids, but it never worked. Well, this time (10yr later) I got that sucker right in my pump, and the smell was atrocious! Worst part was the damn thing got all wrapped up around the shaft and wouldn't come off. That catfish skin is tough! When I got home, I had to use my pressure washer to blast it out of there. It was the grossest thing ever, and I ended up with rotten catfish all over my driveway.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

That's a pretty small rock. You either sucked up a bunch of these, or just got unlucky. I sucked up a rock big enough to get stuck on the vanes behind the impeller, and the damage was nowhere near this bad. There is an old road that dips into our lake and I ran right up on it. Lucky I was going slow. Anyway, I couldn't plane out either. Had to go idle speed all the way back.

That was on a 97 Seadoo Challenger with the single 787. But it's basically the same 140mm pump as you have there. They came with a swirl prop and plastic pump, but all those are 140mm setups are interchangeable (except the extended pumps).
It's amazing how little it takes to screw up a pump. This boat has a 155mm pump now. I had it down at the Outer Banks and sucked up piece of reed. It was about 5" long and less than half the diameter of a pencil. Again, it got stuck behind the impeller on the vanes and would not come out. The boat couldn't go above 3500 rpm or it would start cavitating and vibrating REALLY bad. Had to go just above idle to come back. Usually when I run over seaweed or a bunch of pine needles and it starts to cavitate bad, I shut off the motor. More times than not, the stuff just falls away and you can run full speed again. Other times, you have to pull the boat out of the water, and it'll flow out. But every now and then, it'll force you to pull the nozzle.
The dumbest thing I ever did was run over a dead catfish with my SPX. We used to try to suck them up as kids, but it never worked. Well, this time (10yr later) I got that sucker right in my pump, and the smell was atrocious! Worst part was the damn thing got all wrapped up around the shaft and wouldn't come off. That catfish skin is tough! When I got home, I had to use my pressure washer to blast it out of there. It was the grossest thing ever, and I ended up with rotten catfish all over my driveway.

hahahaha well that’s unfortunate I think my impeller took that damage do to its old age.

 

[Paul Bretz]

Ive seen quite a few wear rings come apart like that due to age

 

[DJDaveOtt]

That's about as bad of impeller as I've ever seen. The worst I have ever worked on myself, I was able to file down the small chips/dings. You're supposed to ride those in water, not on land! Lol
At least now you know what's wrong and it's fixable. I agree with the above mention of freezing the new one. It'll make it easier to knock in.

 

[mikidymac]

It also looks like it might be a cast aluminum impeller from the casting lines. That would explain why it broke chunks out instead of just bending.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Why

It also looks like it might be a cast aluminum impeller from the casting lines. That would explain why it broke chunks out instead of just bending.

the heck is it aluminum?

 

[mikidymac]

Some of the older skis used aluminum to cut costs.

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Some of the older skis used aluminum to cut costs.

Hmmm that’s annoying

 

[Lelandridesrotax587]

Some of the older skis used aluminum to cut costs.

Ok so I got a rebuilt impeller for $50!!!! I’m extremely excited! I’ll post pics when I get it on! Where can I send my impeller to be rebuilt?

 

[mikidymac]

The same place your new one came from. Skat-Trak does an excellent job refurbishing them.

Make sure your old one isn't aluminum, if it is throw it in the trash as there is no use for it.