2001 Bombardier GS slipping/popping at higher RPM's

[GatorPunk]

Ever since I bought this ski, I have had issues with it. I have changed out the starter motor twice and been through a ton of batteries troubleshooting. Anyway...now that I got all that done, it only seems to run well at low RPM's, about half throttle. After that point, I can hear a popping, almost like compression is leaking out and the Ski stops accelerating. This is tough to troubleshoot out of the water as there is no load to really get the Ski to work hard. I am pretty good with my hands so I can fix it myself if possible. Any ideas or direction would be great. I am praying for the best, so be gentle!!!

 

[Dr Honda]

You can't do any testing out of the water. Sorry. The engine needs a load. You can't even set the idle properly out of the water.

Also... if you run it for any length of time out of the water... you will burn out your carbon seal. (Drive shaft seal)