1995 Speedster throttle lever loose

[haydenwarrior]

This is our first post. We just bought a 95 Speedster and took it out yesterday. First thing we found out is that the fuel gauge didn't work and after an hour or so, we found out that we didn't bring enough gas. We met some nice boaters who hooked us up with enough gas to get back and fill up.
One of the throttle levers is loose. When I push the two levers forward, one will remain at the stopping point and the other just falls back to the bottom. Does anyone know if I tighten something up to allow the lever to stay where I want it?
A large amount of water got into the hull. As we rode back to the dock, the front end didn't want to come down. I pulled the plugs as we left the ramp and water poured out. I didn't get to find out where the water was coming in at, or how bad it actually was under the back hatch. I have read others say that they had a leak around rivets. Do you have to pry up the hull gasket to look for these? Any suggestions of where or how I can find the leak?

Also, the previous owner gave us a printed copy of the service manual. Is there an operator's manual out there? I was hoping to find one that explained the starting system "Beeps", and things like that. We are not experienced at all. We just want a fun and safe boat to take the kids out on the lake.

Thanks for all of your help in advance. Maybe one day we can learn a little and make some contributions as well.

 

[Jimimad]

Those twin 650's do LOVE the gas dont they ? My gas gauge doesnt work either , and I figure Im using about 15 gallons an hour of half to full throttle boating around .
As for the throttle levers, I understand thats part of the safety features , in that if you somehow lose control the boat will just circle around instead of heading straight away from you .
Getting alot of water in ? Turn on the bilge ! Hopefully that will drain out some while youre on the lake again and you can identify where its coming in at. Check under the grey plastic covers to see if your driveshaft seals are leaking. A pump of waterproof marine grease in the zirc fitting will help. Dont overfill till the grease oozes out, that will be really hard on those seals. Just enough grease to make the seal move. Then on the PTO hub , grease up the end of that driveshaft while youre in there. That end wont make a huge difference if it gets a pump too many. It will ooze out the black rubber cap.
Good Luck !
atriot:

 

[haydenwarrior]

Thanks for the info. I haven't greased fittings since I was a teenager. I'll have to run and get me a grease gun. At this point I don't know how bad the leak is. When we ran out of gas, the boat sat for a good while. It might have taken on water then, I really don't know. I never thought about it using that much gas. We will have to prepare ourselves better next time. Do you buy your oil from Wal-Mart? I have read several posts and there seems to be an argument over whether it is good enough, and if it is, which type is best (silver or black jug).

Thanks again for offering your help.

 

[Jimimad]

Thanks for the info. I haven't greased fittings since I was a teenager. I'll have to run and get me a grease gun. At this point I don't know how bad the leak is. When we ran out of gas, the boat sat for a good while. It might have taken on water then, I really don't know. I never thought about it using that much gas. We will have to prepare ourselves better next time. Do you buy your oil from Wal-Mart? I have read several posts and there seems to be an argument over whether it is good enough, and if it is, which type is best (silver or black jug).

Thanks again for offering your help.

Similarly , I didnt have a grease gun that was small enough for the toolbox I keep with the boat , so i picked up a small 3oz gun from Harbor Freight. I put the marine grease I use all the time in the tube instead of the light stuff that came with the gun.
As for oil, my Wally World doesnt carry the PWC oil so I order it online from whichever Amazon seller has it. Lately I got it from Wholesale Marine. The argument is typically , which oil to use, and I'll just say as long as it meets spec , API-TC , and NOT NMMA TCW-3 , thats what to use. Choose for yourself how much you want to pay. There are other companies that make API-TC oil for 2 cycles, Mystik(Citgo), Amsoil , Redline , Royal Purple , and of course the BRP brand.
A gallon of water in the engine compartment doesnt seem to be a big issue with most owners here, as long as it isnt swamping the motors . Get a handle on how much is coming in , and from where , turn on the bilge to pump it out , and maybe you can mitigate it , with some grease or tightening a clamp. Regular ol' dish soap does a nice job cleaning up the engine compartment and the underfloor hatch areas , and doesnt leave that stinky degreaser smell , the bonus is that your local lake wont get a sheen on it if it rinses out while you run.
atriot:

 

[Jimimad]

OH ! One more thing ! If youre going to do any work under the hood , Remove the hood !!! Its just 8 10mm bolts and not hard to do. It will take alot of grief out of trying to work from the seat side.
atriot:

 

[haydenwarrior]

Thanks again. I just bought a new grease gun and some marine grease. I'm going to grease up the fittings as you described. I already pulled the covers off and found them. The advice on removing the engine cover/hatch is just what I needed. I was trying to work from a stepstool on the side of the boat. My leak was much more than a few gallons. We had a steady flow through both drain plugs when we got out. Maybe with the hatch off I can get a better understanding of what is going on in there.

Do you have any advice on the rubber gasket that connects the upper and lower parts of the boat. Can I remove the screws in the back and pull the gasket out to see if maybe there is a leak there? Is that a tougher job than it seems?

If we had a lake closer to the house, I would just drop the boat in and look for the leak. As it is now, it is an hour trip each way and I won't be able to go back until the weekend after next.

 

[Jimimad]

I bet ive read every " Speedster" thread on this forum over the last few months , looking at issues that others have had . The hull leaking at the seal where the top and bottom clamshell meet is pretty rare. There is one thread here that addresses it , but I cant seem to find it off hand. You'll just have to dig , BUT , my guess is , that if you have your head down in the engine compartment , and say your wife or one of the kids , floods the seal area with the garden hose , even with pressure spray , you might spot if it was leaking at that seal. Im leaning towards , you already had some water collected in the hull , AND you had some spray from the driveshaft seals that added to the amount. You may also want to look at the white plastic drain lines (rear driver side engine compartment)that go to the scupper (rubber flap )on the back of the boat , to make sure they are all attached and dont have holes. The scupper typically drains water from the hole near your feet while in the driver seat. If the hose is off, or busted ,and the flap is obstructed or gone , it could be letting water in.
Oh , and next trip out go pretty early , before most folks will be at the launch , and back the boat down into the water. Pull the removable hatch out , and have a look at the engine compartment while its on the trailer just sitting in the water. At that angle and still on the trailer it should be obvious where water is getting in.

 

[SDtwin85]

My 97 speedster had a lot of water when I pulled the plug last week after only an hour on the lake. The boat had just been unwinterized the week before.
It had only been in the water for an hour before, for our test run. I called the saleman and he told me to put it back in the water and check it while it was running.
I ran it for short trip at slow speeds and I didn't notice anything, so off to the races I went. I made two passes about 1 mile in length at full throttle 60 mph.
After I had stopped I lifted the hatch and found a leak in the side of a black hose. My two cents. Kermit

 

[SPEEDSTER_SCOTT]

I just picked up a 95 speedster and I had the rivots broken on the back trim. I pulled the trim back and used silicone in between the two hulls and re-rivoted them back together. My leaking problem is now solved but if your trim is holding tight against your hull I doubt it's the rivots. Mine was pulling away from the boat. As far as the lever my left one does the same thing but I did read a thread on how you can tighten them up so i'm going to try and see what happens.

 

[haydenwarrior]

Thanks for the info on the rivets. My trim is in pretty good. I will look for the info on tightening the throttle lever.