1996 XP-Won't go past 45mph

[jlsd]

Hi.
I am having trouble with my 1996 XP sea-doo. Just recently it became very sluggist when I ride it hard, or when going past 45mph-ish. Its seems like it gets stuck and won't produce more power, and sometimes it feels like it will stall; but it hasn't yet.

Some history....
Its in great shape, always starts right up, and no rust. Looks like new under the seat. I rode it 1x per week in the summers in Michigan for 5 years starting in 1997. Always winterized it. Rarely rode it from 2002-2008

Now I am in California and just started riding it again last march. It rode like a champ until a week ago. I took it out maybe 15 times.

About two months ago I began riding in salt water, but I would flush the engine and wash it inside and out immediately afterwards before leaving the marina.


I first noticed the problem two weeks ago and thought that maybe my oil was too low. I don't remember the brand of oil as it was in there for many years; but it was a brand compatible with sea doo and I used it for as long as I had the ski (i bought it at meijers). It always ran strong. So not having a meijers in california, I went and bought the XPS synthetic that is recommended. I drained the oil tank (maybe 20oz left) and filled it with the XPS.

More detail....
Upon going out last weekend. It started and idled fine. When I got out of the no wake zone, it zips out of the hole fine with good accelerations. But after getting up to 45mph or so, it just won't give me more power. I also notice it when I'm trashing around in circles, it seems to want to quit. So I let up on the throttle, stop, and begin to accelerate again. Again, it does fine from the start. It just gives up after a few seconds.

I would never notice this problem unless I rode hard and fast.

Please help!! I miss the power and its very frustrating and stressful!

Thanks.

 

[seadooya]

tune-up

Sounds as if your ski needs some carbs and RAVES attention.:cheers:

 

[b15philly]

If you have not changed out the stock gray fuel lines this needs to be done. Do a search on gray fuel lines using the search engine on this site. At the same time you will want to have your carbs cleaned or better yet rebuild. One more thing you might want to check is to see if you have carbon build up on your R.A.V.E. valves and if so give them a good cleaning. A compression test is also a good idea compression should be around 120 to 150 with no more than a 10% difference between each cylinder, to complete this procedure, again look it up in the search section. Good luck hope this helps you out :cheers:​

 

[jlsd]

progressing....

Thanks for your help!

So I am going after these three things first.
1) Clean Raves
2) Change Fuel lines
3) Carberator

1) I have taken the rave valves apart and clean them. I've never done this before. They were quite sludgy. I'm about to put them back together and have a question. Do you need to lube the valve stem shafts and inside the red rubber boots? If so, what kind of lube is recommended?

2) There are like 4 green hoses coming out of the fuel tank. To replace all the gray fuel lines, how many feet of hose do I need? I am reading on other forums that I need 25ft. That seems like too much.

3) I took off the black plastic airflow cover over the carberators. I also removed the rectangular flame arrester. It doesn't look bad at all, but I cleaned it. Is there easy way to just clean the carbs without rebuilding or changing any of the factory settings?


Thanks again for all your help!!

 

[seadoosnipe]

Yes, .... 25 feet

Thanks for your help!

So I am going after these three things first.
1) Clean Raves
2) Change Fuel lines
3) Carberator

1) I have taken the rave valves apart and clean them. I've never done this before. They were quite sludgy. I'm about to put them back together and have a question. Do you need to lube the valve stem shafts and inside the red rubber boots? If so, what kind of lube is recommended?

2) There are like 4 green hoses coming out of the fuel tank. To replace all the gray fuel lines, how many feet of hose do I need? I am reading on other forums that I need 25ft. That seems like too much.

3) I took off the black plastic airflow cover over the carberators. I also removed the rectangular flame arrester. It doesn't look bad at all, but I cleaned it. Is there easy way to just clean the carbs without rebuilding or changing any of the factory settings?


Thanks again for all your help!!

Yes, you'll need about 25 feet if you do the entire fuel system. Yes, you can open and clean the carbs out without messing with the factory settings. Though, if the carbs have been running or have been adjusted to compensate for poor performance due to the grey fuel lines, you'll be doing some adjusting. The sync bar between the two carbs, if you just pop it off, rather than changing the locking nut, you won't have to re-sync them. You will want to check your oil injection pump to make sure you have it set right.

At the bottom of this post, in my signature, you'll see a link to "a look inside the 787". Click on it and scroll through it. There is plenty of useful info in there on your rave valves. How to clean them, set them and the tricky part of removing and installing the one on the MAG cylinder.

If the Tempo lines had started to dissolve, the white micro mesh filters could be clogged. You may not even be able to tell by looking. So, with them clean, put them to your lips and blow through to make sure they are in fact, clean.

Sounds like your on your way. Don't forget to clean out your fuel selector switch. And don't worry about the 4 lines on the fuel baffle, it's marked so you'll know where to put your fuel lines back on........:cheers:

 

[RX951]

Ditto on the above:agree:

 

[jlsd]

shooting for the weekend!

Thanks for your help!

So I am going after these three things first.
1) Clean Raves
2) Change Fuel lines
3) Carberator

1) I have taken the rave valves apart and clean them. I've never done this before. They were quite sludgy. I'm about to put them back together and have a question. Do you need to lube the valve stem shafts and inside the red rubber boots? If so, what kind of lube is recommended?

2) There are like 4 green hoses coming out of the fuel tank. To replace all the gray fuel lines, how many feet of hose do I need? I am reading on other forums that I need 25ft. That seems like too much.

3) I took off the black plastic airflow cover over the carberators. I also removed the rectangular flame arrester. It doesn't look bad at all, but I cleaned it. Is there easy way to just clean the carbs without rebuilding or changing any of the factory settings?


Thanks again for all your help!!

OK.
1) Raves are cleaned, just need to know if they require any lube? I've had this thing for 13 years and never did anything to maintain it except winterize. I'll probably be doing this now at least once a season.

2) I got the hose and clamps and started taking the grey hoses apart last night. My fuel filter is fine and my hoses look fine. I'm not sure if I need to do this, but based on all of the discussion I might as well while I have it all apart. I even fixed my gas gauge! The little magnet that goes into the cork fell out, so I shimmed it with aluminum foil and put it back in. How about them apples! I will probably not do the air vent hose that goes out the side of the ski, that clamp looks like its hard to reach. Cost=$30 for the hose, $13 for the clamps.

3) So I took more of the carberator apart. I actually removed the 4 screws on the pulse pump, found the MAG filter and removed & cleaned it. It was not that bad, no gunk; just what I think is normal deposits from 13 years of use. Everything else looked clean. I'm going to look to see if I can do the PTO carb filter without taking it all apart and messing with the factor setting also. I think the screws for this one are in between the two carbs. Please confirm and let me know if there is a way to get to them?

So I pretty much think my problem was only due to the Raves being gummed up after 13 years of use. We will see soon. Good to finally get my hands dirty in all this, it is definately going to help me keep up the maintanance better on my ski.

So one more filter clean, change the fuel lines, but it all back together; and I'll probably spray some carb cleaner in there and be back in the water this weekend!

Thanks.

 

[jlsd]

ready

My ski is all back together now and ready to ride.

All fuel lines were changed except the vents, but I did change the section from the gas tank to the T fitting. I wasnt able to get a hose clamp around the primary gas line that goes into the primary/reserve selecter, it was too close to the fiberglass to fit. The tubes are pretty snug so I think it will be OK.

I didn't go for the PTO carb filter, since the MAG carb filter was not that bad, I just put it all back together.

I did put a small amount of synthetic grease on my rave valve stems inside the red boot, and put them all back together; they feel nice.

Late last night I fired it up really quick and it sounded good once the gas got flowing again. Today I'll hook up the water and run it for a few minutes and maybe burn some carb cleaner in it.

This weekend I'll take her out, hopefully all will be well again.

 

[RX951]

Rave Valve cleaning.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Link,...

Rave Valve cleaning.

The link was a good one, showing the pix but those same pix and information is in the forum. If the member needs to clean the rave valves, then you can ask someone how to clean them or do a search.

There is pix of the Raves and some info in my 787 thread, accessible by the link in my signature.

Cleaning the raves should be done at least once a year. All your looking to do is remove all the carbon deposits and make sure they slide well. Make sure your gaskets and seals are in good shape or you can purchase a rebuild kit.:cheers:

 

[jlsd]

Trouble with screw

I'm having a really hard time removing the regular block screws from my MAG carb. I don't want to strip them. Does anyone have any advice?

 

[seadooya]

I'm having a really hard time removing the regular block screws from my MAG carb. I don't want to strip them. Does anyone have any advice?

not sure what you mean about "regular" screws, but you can use a soldering gun, and heat up the bolts/screws, to break the corrosion on threads.

 

[jlsd]

Sorry, regulator.

I ended up taking it all apart except for the Mag regulator block. I just cleaned it all as best I could with carberator cleaner. Didn't mess with the HSA and LSA screws, nor the needle valve lever.

The PTO micro filter was a mess, glad I went back in for it. I'll know it it all worked next Saturday, unless I can sneak out for a 1/2 hour before work. But Id hate to get stranded in the ocean and be late for work.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Loctite...?

It's probably the Loctite. You really have got to have the right size tools, proper size screwdrivers to make sure you get a good bite when you try to break them lose, or like you said, you'll strip it.

Your comment about the micro filter,... that says a lot about how far you need to go with your cleaning. Without doing a 100% check on the internal porting, including the needle valves and low speed set screws, your chances of a complete smooth running carb is going to be hampered. I'll hope for the best though. I know what you mean when your working with something that gets stubborn on you. You don't want to break or damage it, so you do the best you can. That's understandable...........:cheers:

 

[jlsd]

Success

Just wanted to let you know that it worked! I got out a couple of weekends ago and my baby was breathing strong!

1) Changed fuel lines
2) Cleaned Raves
3) Dismantled carbs and cleaned filters and as much metal as I could

I didn't get the MAG regulator block off, nor did I mess with any pop off valves, needle valve levers, HSA, LSA.

Thank you everyone for your support and guidance!

cheers
:cheers: