1999 xp limited won't go passed 5k RPMS

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Nesto

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First of all i would like to say hello to all. I bought my first jet ski 3 months ago in Denver. Its a 1999 XP Limited. I was glad to see such a web site with so many experinced people involed.

Ok to the problem Memorial Weekend was the first time out. So i got her out on the water warmed her up and took off. Got through the no wake area i opened it up full throttle it sputtered( bogged down) then it took off like a bat out of hell. after a minute or two i let off the gas and the ski died. i hit the start button and turned on right away. after this i would go full throttle and it wouldnt go passed 5000 rpms. If i would feather the trottle it would sometimes revup to 7000 rpms for about 3 seconds. then go back to 5000 rpms or less. did this for two days. i cleaned the spark plugs but did not replace.but didnt seem to help or hurt. to my experince it seems to be running to rich and flooding when i open it up. my 2 cents


ok some facts

bought the ski in denver 6000 ft
Where i am at we are 4500 ft

The previous owner used it last summer no problems

i used the same gas ( even though my stupid ass knows better)

i used the same oil ( again i know better)

i opened the what looked like a filter hanging right under the hood but it was empty full of gas but nothing in there. shouldnt this house a filter of some sort.

Any help would be greatly appreicated. I thank you guy in advance.
and look forward to more times in this great web site.


Thanks Nesto
 
Read your shop manual, get one if you don't have one.
Probly the rectifier has gone south.
 
Could the high speed need to be adjusted. IO';m reading through every post i can find about the carbs.
 
Common ignition problems are having to replace the rectifier/regulator to get it to run good at higher rpm, even though the rectifier/regulator is not a part of the ignition, per se, but if bad it emits electrical noise that will distrub the ignition at higher rpm causing it to spark erratically. It sits inside the front electrical box right on to the CDI MPEM.
The ignition in that model is digital, not analog, it gets power directly from the 12Vdc battery, not the magneto stator. The ignition is triggered by an ignition pickup next to the mag flywheel in the magneto housing. It could be broken or covered with bits of old worn off metal particles from gear teeth off of the starter ring gear on the flywheel. Lot's of things can cause erratic running engines. Some are very simple mistakes like installing non-resistor sparkplugs. This motor needs NGK BR8ES sparkplugs. Not B8ES. Notice the "R" ? That means resistor type sparkplug. Bills86e
 
Since this is your first ski I'll assume you don't have a manual, so definitely get one. It is rich with information and has good pictures to help.

The plugs likely need to be replaced. Black, oily plugs are fouled and indicate too rich a mixture. Brownish is normal. Gray means they are running hot, i.e. lean. The plugs change is necessary, but you need to address the cause of the problem or it will keep happening.

Mine fouled last summer on my 99 XP so I checked the carb screws. My idle screw was running too rich so I adjusted it and took care of it. The manual says: "Turn screw so that engine idles at 1500 RPM in water or 3000 RPM out of water."

That might not be your problem, but check it anyway. If the RPMs are within range when idling then you don't need to adjust anything.

The high speed screw should be checked also since you are having trouble maintaining high RPMs. The manual says: "High Speed Screw is sealed with a plastic cap that allows an adjustment of 1/4 turn.
NOTE: Turning screw 1/4 turn counterclockwise
enriches mixture and turning screw clockwise
leans mixture.
- CAUTION
Do not attempt to adjust high speed screw by removing the plastic cap."

The high speed screw is on the PTO side carb. It is easily noticeable because of the plastic cap over it. The low speed and idle screws have a small rod through them and the idle screw has a spring on it.

If there is no filter in the filter housing then you definitely need to get one in there. I hope the other guy didn't run it without a filter for long. They run about 20 bucks and your local seadoo dealer should have one in stock. Lack of filter plus gray fuel lines may be leading to a lot of green muck entering the carbs and causing the RPM problems. Check this site for more info on the gray lines. If they are black fuel lines to and from your carb then they have been replaced. If they are gray you should replace them, you will see why after you read about it. Loosen one of the gray line connections on your carb and look at it. You will undoubtedly see some green scum in there. That is inner lining of the fuel line breaking down due to the ethanol in the gas we buy. You can do the replacement yourself for under $50 worth of hose and new clamps.
 
hey i appreicate all your help. im replacing the grey lines and puting the filter in today. i really think that the high spped needs to be adjusted. im gonna clean raves also cant hurt. the spark plugs were completly black and wet so from my expreince it was screaming to rich and flooding.
agian thanks for your help.
 
Was there really no filter in there? I can't believe someone would remove it and not put a new one in.

Post some updates if you get it running like it is supposed to run. I top out at 65mph on my XP. I love it. Sometimes people with a new 155 4-stroke ask to race and they are surprised when they are left in my wake. The best is when a waverunner 1100 thinks they have a fast boat and you hear them bragging it up. Get your beast running and you will beat them by a 1/4 mile in a one mile race.
 
thanks again for all the help. i"ll be taking off the carbs tonight. started last week but family emergecy. one thing i was running into any tips on taking off the exhaust to get to the carbs. i got allen wrench ones off but having a hard time with the nut on the bottom.
 
STOP RIGHT THERE!!

Don't take off the exhaust. It is too much work and you risk the possibility of a power loss if you don't re-install it perfectly. I don't think it is possible to get that nut off anyway.

You can remove the carbs without taking off that big exhaust pipe. It isn't easy getting to the lower bolts, so be patient. I use a combination of tools to get it off. One is the allen wrench set where they all fold together like a swiss army knife. It gives you leverage plus it is smaller and easier to fit in there. I also use a ratchet with a straight allen wrench extension for part of the job.
 
Thanks once again. I didnt think you could remove the carbs without removing it. but i will do it that way thanks.
 
I just got a 99 gsx and a xp limited, given to me. They have been sitting for 8 years and have 20 hours on them. Can't wait to see what I find. Thanks for the heads up on the exhaust, I was heading down the same path.

Also thanks for the fuel line info. This is my first PWC. I already drained the old gas and oil. Tried to start but it didn't fill the filter fuel, is there a electric fuel pump on these?
 
i got all my lines changed all 25 feet. my carbs were dirty as all heck. the internal filters were clogged. i also found on one of the carbs the jet that hangs in the carb was completely clogged i put the straw from the carb cleaner to it and it wouldnt go through. i had to hold it there before the pressure pushed some gunk out. i hope that was the root of my problem.

anyways any tips on how to get these carbs back in the easiest.

thanks guy.
 
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lkjr,

First, welcome to the forum. As a heads up, the moderators sometimes get mad when you "hijack" a thread by asking your own question in the middle of someone else's post, so next time just start a new thread and someone should get on your question right away.

Second, I'm jealous of you and everyone else who says you have a ski or two given to them. Where are all of these people giving away jetskis?!?!?! When do I get mine?

As far as your question, when you say that you tried to start it but it didn't filter fuel, so you mean that the fuel filter didn't fill? The fuel pump is part of the carburetor on the 951. The fuel system should pressurize on its own, but it may take several start attempts to achieve the necessary pressure. Start it for 5-10 seconds at a time and give a little rest between attempts to give the starter a chance to cool down so you don't burn it out.

Try to start it with the fuel selector switch on reserve, for some reason that worked better for me one time, although it may have just been a coincidence.

If those skis really only have 20 hours on them then changing the gray lines is probably not necessary at this point. Make it a winter project. Check them, though, and if there is green gunk in there then most likely there are a lot more than 20 hours.
 
Nesto,

It sounds like you found the source of your problem. Post an update after you get back on the lake and hit 60+ MPH.
 
anyways any tips on how to get these carbs back in the easiest.

thanks guy.

best bet, is to remove the linkage plate off the mag carb, and re-hook up your lines to it, then hook the cables to the throttle plate. Mountthe gas line on, its easy to mount the pulse anmd return lines, once carbs are on. Other than that, if yuor choke brass fittings, have the chrome nut on top, and not the side mounted allen set screws, you wanna "bury" the nuts first, if left threaded out, you run a risk of mounting the carbs and damages them/or the threads, that they thread into.

Then, with carbs mounted, install the throttle/oil cable plate to carb, got plenty of room for a phillips head to tighten them up.
 
ok now i got all my stuff back on the ski. a few scrapped fingers but nothing to bad. so once i got everything mounted, i decided to fire her up. but to my dissapointment the ski cranks fine but i have no gas. no gas going to the filter. i couldnt figure it out been working on it for 5 hours im giving up for the day. thanks guys for any info.
 
got your pulse line hooked up to carb?, gas lines, on the right fittings? Its possible, that you got the "reserve" line and pulse line, swithed at the mag carb? Fuel selector in the on/res setting?
 
alright just got home from a great weekend out on the lake. It was even better with my xpl running top notch she did 65 on the gps all weekend.

i would like to thanks all of you guys with all the help and support. I was really disappointed and wanted to sell the jet ski two weeks ago when they told me that it would cost 1k to get it running right at the dealership. But with such great support and help from all the great guys here at the site. There is nothing that we cant do in our own garage and save tons of money.

oh ya i did have one problem yesterday all of sudden the ski would idle fine but when you would give gas it would stall. good thing all it needed was GAS! lol


Thanks once again guys.
 
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