1996 Sea Doo Xp struggling to get on plane.

[John Helldiver]

Hello, I recently purchased my first jet ski, a 1996 sea doo xp. After taking it out on the water for the first time, it ran great, and rode even better. After maybe 20-30 minutes of riding, however, it struggled to get up on the water. The engine revs fine, it didn't bog, but I would have to use all the throttle I had in order to get up on plane. It would run ok once it got going, but it took maybe 5-6 seconds of full throttle to even get up onto the water. It also felt like I lost some top speed, almost like the throttle wasn't fully opened. I am currently in the process of rebuilding the jet pump (new bearings, wear ring, jet pump cone, etc). Furthermore, when I took off the old jet pump cone, it was full of water. The o-ring on the cone looked very mangled and worn out, and there was a large strand of metal inside the cone. Also, on the engine side of the drive shaft, one of the rubber bumpers was missing entirely. Would any of these lead to the kind of issues that I am experiencing? Is there something else that I am missing that should be replaced or inspected? I apologize if I overlooked anything or am asking a question that has already been asked, but I have gotten mixed answers and am currently very stumped and confused.

Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[James96xp]

Haven’t really run into that issue yet without it being something sucked up into the impeller or a wear ring problem. I think you are on the right track, rebuild the jet pump and see how she responds.

 

[Legacy37]

Sounds like the pump to me, be sure to check wear ring to impeller clearance

 

[DaddyLoafin]

wear ring or carbon seal

 

[Venturian1]

Hello, I recently purchased my first jet ski, a 1996 sea doo xp. After taking it out on the water for the first time, it ran great, and rode even better. After maybe 20-30 minutes of riding, however, it struggled to get up on the water. The engine revs fine, it didn't bog, but I would have to use all the throttle I had in order to get up on plane. It would run ok once it got going, but it took maybe 5-6 seconds of full throttle to even get up onto the water. It also felt like I lost some top speed, almost like the throttle wasn't fully opened. I am currently in the process of rebuilding the jet pump (new bearings, wear ring, jet pump cone, etc). Furthermore, when I took off the old jet pump cone, it was full of water. The o-ring on the cone looked very mangled and worn out, and there was a large strand of metal inside the cone. Also, on the engine side of the drive shaft, one of the rubber bumpers was missing entirely. Would any of these lead to the kind of issues that I am experiencing? Is there something else that I am missing that should be replaced or inspected? I apologize if I overlooked anything or am asking a question that has already been asked, but I have gotten mixed answers and am currently very stumped and confused.

Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Put new needle bearings and impeller shaft in for sure. and O-ring and seal. And Like Legacy87 suggests, check the clearance between impeller and
wear ring. I'd replace the wear ring anyway, (and re-check clearance with the new one. .010" or less is very good, .030 is about max) but just to know the clearance Vs performance for future reference. Follow the book installing the new bearings, and be sure the impeller shaft end play is correct. Tip* do not use the blue $20 wear ring sold on ebay, and make damn sure those two little O-rings for the bilge siphon between the pump housing and the venturi stay put while bolting the thing back together. I use silicone grease (dielectric compound) to keep them in place.
Check impeller for cavitation too. And buy a new rubber bumper for the driveshaft. I use a tiny red plastic hose off a can of brake parts cleaner to let the air out so the plug will stay put.
About loosening the impeller from shaft... book says a special holder plate is needed, so i made one from a 10mm thick bar of aluminum, and clamp this in the vise for breaking the impeller loose, some are quite tight. I cut the splines end off an old driveline, and welded a few beads on for my 24" pipewrench to get a bite.
Getting the new bearings and seal installed correctly.... without the OEM install tool, you can measure their depth before removal, and hope whoever installed them did it right.