Hey everyone,
Looking for some insight or shared experiences from anyone who's dealt with something similar.
I’ve got a Sea-Doo with the 1503 4-TEC engine. my 2002 GTX died on me while cruising a few weekends ago. I recently ran a compression test and found that two adjacent cylinders are about at about 40 PSI, the third is fine. The readings were consistent across multiple tests with a good tester and warm engine.
A bit of context:
Before I start tearing into it, I’d appreciate any ideas or suggestions:
Any specific tests, visual inspections, or next steps you'd recommend before pulling the head? Also, if anyone has seen this exact issue on a 1503, I’d love to hear how it turned out.
Thanks in advance — all input is appreciated!
Looking for some insight or shared experiences from anyone who's dealt with something similar.
I’ve got a Sea-Doo with the 1503 4-TEC engine. my 2002 GTX died on me while cruising a few weekends ago. I recently ran a compression test and found that two adjacent cylinders are about at about 40 PSI, the third is fine. The readings were consistent across multiple tests with a good tester and warm engine.
A bit of context:
- The engine still cranks and runs, but you can tell something’s off.
- No major signs of oil contamination or external damage.
- It hasn’t been sunk or overheated (as far as I know), and maintenance has been decent.
- It's a 4-stroke, N/A 1503 (not SCIC).
Before I start tearing into it, I’d appreciate any ideas or suggestions:
- Could this point to a blown head gasket between cylinders?
- Burnt valves or valve seat issues? (but doesn't make sense to me to be two cylinders)
- Possible piston ring damage or cylinder scoring? (you'd think it would be only in one cylinder)
- Is this something common in these engines at higher hours?
Any specific tests, visual inspections, or next steps you'd recommend before pulling the head? Also, if anyone has seen this exact issue on a 1503, I’d love to hear how it turned out.
Thanks in advance — all input is appreciated!
