2002 Seadoo xp won't turn over

[H_smith119]

I'm planning on buying a 2002 Seadoo xp. the owners said that water leaked into the bilge so they pulled it out and now it won't turn over. I'm thinking that it could be hydrolocked, the starter could have gone bad from water, or the solenoid for the starter has gone bad. are there any other likely possibility that I should consider before purchasing? also I'm getting it for a good price and I'm planning on doing all of the work myself.

 

[JeremyD615]

Well if there was water inside the motor itself, the bearing surfaces are likely rusted. You’ll want to pull the plugs and try to rotate the engine by hand to see if it’s locked up. If it spins freely without the plugs in, and no water comes out of it, you might be okay, but negotiate based on the assumption that you’re going to be replacing the engine... The honest truth is that it’s less expensive to buy a good running ski than it is to buy a non-running one and bring it back to life most of the time...

 

[H_smith119]

Well if there was water inside the motor itself, the bearing surfaces are likely rusted. You’ll want to pull the plugs and try to rotate the engine by hand to see if it’s locked up. If it spins freely without the plugs in, and no water comes out of it, you might be okay, but negotiate based on the assumption that you’re going to be replacing the engine... The honest truth is that it’s less expensive to buy a good running ski than it is to buy a non-running one and bring it back to life most of the time...

okay, I will try that for sure. how likely is it that water in the bilge could kill the starter or mess with the starters ground connection? the ski was in use up until about 2 weeks ago. also what are the first things I should do if I end up getting it?

 

[H_smith119]

Well if there was water inside the motor itself, the bearing surfaces are likely rusted. You’ll want to pull the plugs and try to rotate the engine by hand to see if it’s locked up. If it spins freely without the plugs in, and no water comes out of it, you might be okay, but negotiate based on the assumption that you’re going to be replacing the engine... The honest truth is that it’s less expensive to buy a good running ski than it is to buy a non-running one and bring it back to life most of the time...

also they said water leaked in and the next day it would not turn over. how long would water have to sit to cause damage?

 

[mikidymac]

Unlikely water damaged the starter.

Make sure the engine will spin by hand first. Then check the front electrical box to see if it’s full of water. It’s actually pretty common on older flooded skis.

 

[H_smith119]

Unlikely water damaged the starter.

Make sure the engine will spin by hand first. Then check the front electrical box to see if it’s full of water. It’s actually pretty common on older flooded skis.

okay ill try that, I don't think they tried to fix it so I'm hoping its something simple. it was only partly filled with water and only for less than 10 hours. would that give me better odds of no internal parts being messed up?

 

[mikidymac]

If water got into the engine and wasn’t removed and run up to temperature the engine is done.

 

[GGuillot]

okay ill try that, I don't think they tried to fix it so I'm hoping its something simple. it was only partly filled with water and only for less than 10 hours. would that give me better odds of no internal parts being messed up?

I'd assume the worst case senario, set your purchase price accordinly. I bought two non running skis for about $200 each, before you know it you may be topping $2K by the time you pull the bad engine, rebuild, replace and whatever else you may need to be water ready and reliable. What you don't want is to sink it or trash the engine on the first outing. Otherwise you really start wasting money whether you buy one running or not. Never assume the PO took good care of it, go through everything....

Even if you get it running soon it may be on borrowed time and prematurely fail sooner than later. You're buying a flooded ski, keep that in mind, the kind of flooded ski that insurance companies write off everyday as a total loss.

 

[H_smith119]

Just posting an update. I ended up purchasing the ski and began work on it today. I pulled the carbs for a good cleaning along with the exhaust manifold. I added wd40 into the cylinders and drained the water from the engine as best as I could. I went to turn the engine over and it moved slightly. I hit the starter again and it started turning over and shooting water out of the plugs. I checked for spark and both plugs had very strong sparks. I checked the compression in each cylinder and was getting 60 psi in each one so now its time for a new top end.

 

[mikidymac]

If there was water in the engine you better do the crank and balancer as they will never survive a new top end.