1996 Seadoo GSX blown engine? ..... HELP

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android7777

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I was out testing my 1996 Seadoo XP to make sure my carb rebuild was successful on it, and my 1996 Seadoo GTX cut out. I never go out on the lake with one ski because tows are expensive. Luckily I have two skis, so that is usually not a problem. I was not riding my GSX, so I am not sure of the exact symptoms of its demise. This is what my buddy said it did. The ski just started to bog down, and then turned off. He tried to start for a second, but it would not start. The 12 Volt battery low light had came on, so I just figured the battery was dead. I hooked a tow rope from the front of the GSX to the back of the XP. He stayed on the GSX while we were towing, and I ended up towing us all back in. It was about a 2 mile tow.

Once back at the docks, I blew all the water out of my XP. I was not able to blow the water out of the GSX due to it not starting, but it drained for about 2 minutes. I took it home, and swapped batteries to start it up. It still would not start, and it was spitting water. I then charged the batteries for about 2 hours, and tried again. I drained one battery, and then the other, but the ski still would not start. Puzzled by this, I did a compression check. The first cylinder (Cylinder closest to the front of the PWC) was reading about 90psi, and the other 150psi. It seems a cylinder has blown, but I am puzzled as to how. Could the tow in have gotten water into the cylinder, and then me trying to fire it up at home have blown it? Anyways, not sure what to try next... :banghead: Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance....
 
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Sorry for your trouble on a test ride.....But..... does either ski have the gray tempo fuel lines? If the GSX does then it could have had a lean run problem and burnt a piston. Get rid of them and rebuild the carbs too, esp the little filter inside.

Sounds like rebuild time, since it's 16 yrs old, you will be better off with a complete rebuild instead of just top end or just a piston otherwise the crank make let go because of the new "found" power on the top.

Water in motor.....how fast was the tow being done? did you pinch off any water lines?
 
Replaced the Grey lines last year, and cleaned out the internal fuel filters when I purchased the skis last year. The guy I bought them off of said the GSX had an engine rebuild the previous year. Off course he could have just said that, so who knows.

I could not go to fast, as I did not have a proper towing line. Hard to say how fast I was towing because my XP's tachometer does not work. I would guess about 5 MPH, and my buddy weighs about 200lbs. We did not pinch the lines. What lines need to be pinched when towing?

I pulled the plugs and did not notice any water coming out of the cylinders while I pressed the start button.

How much more difficult is an engine rebuild than a carb rebuild on these things? Know any good guides, and good places to buy the parts needed?
 
Alright, Finally got some time to take a look at the engine. Here is what I found:

MAG Cylinder
2012-10-15 17.56.58.JPG
It looks like there is a lot of pitting on the Piston, and it will not get to TOC. Guessing that is not good...
Guessing I will need a new piston, and there seems to be a lot of play in the connecting rod.

PTO Cylinder
PTO_Piston.JPG

This looks a little better than the MAG side. Looks to go all the way to TOC, and no pitting. I am guessing this one is fine.

Head:
Head.JPG

I see pitting on the MAG side of the head as well.

So, what all will need replaced here. Looks like some extensive damage. Would it be cheaper to fix it myself, or buy a new engine?
 
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If the piston does not go to the top you deff have some serious rod bearing or wrist pin bearing issues and complete engine replacement is due...sorry for the bad news:(
 
Ouch, you might check with any local reputable shops for a rebuild first, worst case you could get an sbt motor. Get the premium engine with the 2 yr warranty though. I don't think they are extremely careful with their rebuilds and are more focused on quantities, but I hear their warranty coverage is good and not extremely costly.
 
Man I was hoping it was not that bad. I will dig a little deeper this weekend and post what I find. At least I have the winter to work on it lol. How much should I expect to pay for a rebuild rotax 787, and is it worth trying to rebuild it myself?
 
rotaxrule1 said:
Ouch, you might check with any local reputable shops for a rebuild first, worst case you could get an sbt motor. Get the premium engine with the 2 yr warranty though. I don't think they are extremely careful with their rebuilds and are more focused on quantities, but I hear their warranty coverage is good and not extremely costly.
Click to expand...

i was cruising their forums a while back and ran across a post from an SBT employee talking about their new property on a canal or something. they were setting the place up basically as a durability lab, to test their reman engines against OEM motors from the various manufacturers. basically running constantly until failure, then analyzing the cause. they said that they had not had any OEM engine outlast one of their rebuilds. YMMV
 
Strizzo said:
i was cruising their forums a while back and ran across a post from an SBT employee talking about their new property on a canal or something. they were setting the place up basically as a durability lab, to test their reman engines against OEM motors from the various manufacturers. basically running constantly until failure, then analyzing the cause. they said that they had not had any OEM engine outlast one of their rebuilds. YMMV
Click to expand...

Yeah, I sure like their parts! I have used 2 of their cranks do far and many misc parts also with good luck, and good prices. I would do a full engine from them if shipping was not so costly for me. It was actually cheaper to rebuild myself.

Android you will be in it about 800 to a grand for a full rebuild depending on whether your cb shaft is bad or other things.
 
I just bought a 787 from SES, my second from them. During slow times they offer some good deals which include free shipping and even discounts.
 
Thanks for all your input.

Yeah, I was starting to do the math, and it seems that I may be better buying a new engine. I like doing things myself to save some cash, but it seems it will be about the same cost whether I buy rebuilt or rebuild myself. The swaying factor may be the warranty though. Robj, what is SES?

I am still going to crack open the bottom half to see what is going on in there this weekend, and I will post what I find.

I purchased a second 1996 Seadoo with my GSX, but it is an XP. The 787 rotax engine in it is running fine, and the compression is about 150 in each cylinder. Is there any sort of preventative maintenance that I should do for it? My GSX's engine was running so good before this, and then seemingly out of nowhere, it is shot. Just wondering if I could have prevented it.
 
SES is Seadoo Engine Shop located in PA. I believe that they rebuild your engine, not swap out like SBT. It takes a little longer that way, but if it's your off season, that shouldn't be an issue for you. I use SBT since they are only an hour from me, but SES seems to have a good reputation as well.
 
Its irrevelant to your current issue but for what it's worth...I have been told never tow a doo without pinching off the main waterline from the pump. Towing it can force water through the lines and into the motor.
 
I've run 4 or 5 engines though SES by now (I do a lot of 951 restores) and have been more than satisfied w/their work.
There is also SBT and Full Bore I think

Make sure you get a no fault warranty wherever you go.
 
Strizzo said:
i was cruising their forums a while back and ran across a post from an SBT employee talking about their new property on a canal or something. they were setting the place up basically as a durability lab, to test their reman engines against OEM motors from the various manufacturers. basically running constantly until failure, then analyzing the cause. they said that they had not had any OEM engine outlast one of their rebuilds. YMMV
Click to expand...

What does YMMV mean?
 
android7777 said:
Thanks for all your input.

Yeah, I was starting to do the math, and it seems that I may be better buying a new engine. I like doing things myself to save some cash, but it seems it will be about the same cost whether I buy rebuilt or rebuild myself. The swaying factor may be the warranty though. Robj, what is SES?

I am still going to crack open the bottom half to see what is going on in there this weekend, and I will post what I find.

I purchased a second 1996 Seadoo with my GSX, but it is an XP. The 787 rotax engine in it is running fine, and the compression is about 150 in each cylinder. Is there any sort of preventative maintenance that I should do for it? My GSX's engine was running so good before this, and then seemingly out of nowhere, it is shot. Just wondering if I could have prevented it.
Click to expand...

Make sure you are running good, clean synthetic oil. Change out your oil filter. Change out your oil lines. Right there that should cost you maybe 10 bucks and is EXCELLENT insurance as oil system lack of maintenance seems to be the number one reason these engines quit. Also, if you have grey fuel lines change them out immediately as they clog up your carbs and make you run lean and toast an engine. Always good to clean your carbs out as well, NOT with seafoam or gas treatment, but take them apart, clean them and reinstall to factory settings. Clean your rave valves as well!
 
Update on this project...

OK,

I did send my engine to SES in to around February, and I did receive it back in about 3-4 weeks. They were very helpful. Thanks Robj and everybody who recommended them.

I now finally have the engine back in my ski, and have fired it up just this morning, and it does seem that there is something not quite right already...

There are some really loud rattling noises coming from the pump area.... I know these ski's are known for rattling, and that there is a anti-rattle kit for them, but I have never heard this ski be that loud. Should I start thinking about replacing the bearings... Does this sound right?

[video=youtube_share;Mnnb7H5Ds6k]http://youtu.be/Mnnb7H5Ds6k[/video]

Also, I am wondering about the engine alignment. I did not move the two rear motor mounts, but I had to take the front one out to get the engine out. I put it back in with the same shims in place. Theoretically, If I did not move the back two motor mounts, the engine would have to be in the same place if the bolts line up... right?
 
It's hard to tell, but sounds like the normal Seadoo rattle to me. Have you put it in the water yet?
 
I have not put it in the water yet. I wish we could get some decent jet skiing weather up here so I could get on the water....
 
See if the sound goes away at higher RPMs. If it does its probably just the normal seadoo rattle.
 
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