95 Sea-Doo XP

[neonnanz]

Hey guys, I am new to this forum. I recently picked up a 95 Sea-Doo XP with a trailer for $200 and I honestly have no clue what I am doing. So far, I know it has good compression (145 in each cylinder), it turns over, and that's all I got. I believe the previous owner let it sit for about 3 years, so I'm not sure where to start. I have checked out the oil tank to see what was in there and I found 4 stroke oil instead of 2, so that can't be good. I also have found that the previous owner instead of replacing the start-stop button, has rewired the VTS down button to start-stop and completely disconnected the VTS motor. Also, I found a wire with 2 terminals crimped on to it not connected to the battery and I am sure that is not stock. I am unsure where to start so any tips or help is greatly appreciated.

Edit: The starter turns over the motor one solid time then keeps engaging and disengaging unable to turn it again. I'm unsure what that means.

 

[neonnanz]

Hey guys, I am new to this forum. I am here for help with my 95 XP that I recently picked up with a trailer. I do not know where to start as this is my first jetski project so I am hoping someone can guide me a bit. The known issues are, there is 4 stroke oil in the tank, the VTS system is completely disconnected, the start-stop button stopped working so the previous owner wired the VTS down button to the start-stop, the starter cranks the engine about once before it gives up, I found a random wire with 2 terminals on it and connected to nothing, and lastly it has been sitting a few years I'm not sure how many. I am unsure where to start to be honest and I am hoping someone can help. I would love to get this thing running and any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[mikidymac]

First how do you know there is 4-stroke oil in it? The correct Seadoo mineral oil is gold just like automotive engine oil.
It is going to be much easier and go back to a stock wiring harness that you can get from Westside powersports Seadoo than messing with one that has been butchered. Chasing electrical issues isn't fun.

You will need a full fuel system refurbish including rebuilding the carbs with ONLY GENUINE MIKUNI parts.

 

[neonnanz]

First how do you know there is 4-stroke oil in it? The correct Seadoo mineral oil is gold just like automotive engine oil.
It is going to be much easier and go back to a stock wiring harness that you can get from Westside powersports Seadoo than messing with one that has been butchered. Chasing electrical issues isn't fun.

You will need a full fuel system refurbish including rebuilding the carbs with ONLY GENUINE MIKUNI parts.

I was unaware that the seadoo mineral oil is gold. I just assumed that the yellow oil was 4 stroke. Anyway, the carbs are very bad im leaning towards going with a brand new pair I’ll assess that after removing them. Thank you for helping out with the wiring harness im going to go ahead and order that. Also though, what else is included in a fuel system refurbish other than carbs. New fuel lines?

 

[mikidymac]

Fuel selector, fuel lines and fuel strainer.

 

[NickCawks]

When you say the carbs are very bad, how do you mean?

They would have to be pretty corroded to be non-rebuildable. While the rebuild kits are cheap they are considerably cheaper than buying carbs.

Only use genuine mikuni rebuild kits

 

[mikidymac]

Not only that, I am not sure the dual 720 carbs are available anymore, I only see the 787 and 720 single carbs listed.

 

[neonnanz]

I haven't gotten into them yet, but just by inspecting them with the airbox off, they look very gummed up. I am hoping there isn't any major corrosion inside of them and I can get away with a rebuild kit.

 

[NickCawks]

There should be no problem getting them rebuilt. Carb cleaner will take the green sludge away with ease.

Take a look at the carb rebuild sticky. I consider it a very easy job because it can be done on a table top instead of in the ski. If your worried about remembering how it goes back together just snap some pics

 

[neonnanz]

There should be no problem getting them rebuilt. Carb cleaner will take the green sludge away with ease.

Take a look at the carb rebuild sticky. I consider it a very easy job because it can be done on a table top instead of in the ski. If your worried about remembering how it goes back together just snap some pics

Thanks very much for the tips. Im definitely going to rebuild them. I just did in fact receive good news about the ski as well. As dirty as it looks turns out it was on the water about 5 months ago and running. As for the starter, I believe there is oil in the cylinders thats hydro locking it and the starter is not actually bad.

 

[NickCawks]

That's definitely a possibility. I have had a starter do that when my bottom end had blown and it just couldn't turn anymore.

Have you tried to pull the spark plugs and then turn it over? If it's truly just locked on oil/water it should spray out the plug holes (place a towel over them to avoid getting sprayed)

 

[neonnanz]

that link is what happened today. The starter turns, grinds, then hisses. I pulled the plugs and the starter was able to turn it over slowly and by hand it turned fine just like before. The battery had about 11.5 volts and it is pretty old but I dont think that is the only issue. Anyone know?

 

[mikidymac]

That sound is a dead battery. I’m sure it’s dropping way under the 11.5V when you are cranking on it.

 

[neonnanz]

I have a brand new battery on order since the one I have now won't hold a charge, hopefully, that does the trick. I did also try starting it off a jump box charged to 12 volts and it did the same thing though.

 

[NickCawks]

Never connect a jump box or cables to the ski. This can lead to a blown mpem. In other words it can be a very expensive mistake.

Definitely need a new battery before you continue to crank on it. These skis can be very touchy about the needed voltage. Many members of this forum have argued that they just got a new battery or it's holding a perfect charge only to discover they have spent a bunch of time diagnosing problems that weren't there and they simply needed a new battery.

The good news here is that the motor is clearly free and spinning.

While waiting for the battery I suggest going ahead and pulling the top end off to inspect the cylinder walls and pistons. This is going to be the most likely failure point especially if there was water sitting in them for extended periods of time. If you take it a step further (8 bolts) you can remove the jugs and this will afford you the opportunity to inspect the inside of the crank case.

There is a good chance the gaskets are very dry and can be prone to falling apart upon disassembly. Due to this I would recommend going ahead and ordering a gasket kit for your motor.

 

[neonnanz]

ump box or cables to the ski. This can lead to a blown mpem. In other words it can be a very expensive mistake.

In just seeing this. Today the battery came in and it turns great now, the starter is completely fine luckily. About the gaskets, I actually found out that the ski was run this past summer and just was in need of a carb rebuild from the previous owner so I'm pretty confident in the cylinders being clean and the gaskets are ok. I also am sure that there was actually no water in them, the battery was just dead as a doorknob. Tomorrow I may attempt to start it. Any tips? I already have the yellow Seadoo 2 stroke oil in the tank as well as fuel mixed 40:1 to run in it in case the oil pump is not operational. The plugs are fouled so I may also replace those before trying to start it. I confirmed today that it is getting spark and fuel I'm unsure how to check for oil.

 

[NickCawks]

The oil is running to the pump via clear vinyl tubing and from the pump to the cylinders via two tiny clear vinyl lines (may be painted white).

The first thing you need to do is make sure those two tiny lines are intact. They get brittle and brake and can lead to an oil starved motor quickly.

If the oil lines are in good shape then your golden. To make sure they are feeding oil is as simple as looking to see if it's flowing through the lines. There will likely be some air bubbles at first and these are gonna be your best friend as they will be pushed into the motor. This can happen as soon as the starter is spinning and before the motor actually fires.

As far as covering your basis for a test start your doing good. If you wanna quickly fire it up and then shit it off almost immediately that's fine.

If you wanna run it for more then a couple seconds you need to put it on the hose. Even with the hose on you don't want to exceed around 5 minutes running. When hooking the hose up you need to do it in the order below.

Hose connected
Start motor
Quickly turn water on
Run for a few minutes
Turn off water
Rev motor slightly a couple times to clear water
Shut off motor

You never want the water flowing to the motor when the motor is off. Due to the lack of back pressure this can potentially lead to a hydrolock

 

[mikidymac]

Once you determine it actually runs then do the fuel system and carbs before you actually ride it.

There’s really no reason to run it on the hose since you’re just seeing if it will fire and run.

Follow the carb rebuild thread in the sticky section above.

 

[neonnanz]

So I went to start today and heres what happened. For starters, the cylinders are getting fuel and spark and the oils lines like you said have air bubbles in them and have no leaks. What happens now is with a brand new fully charged battery is it still cant turn over fast enough. It seems like there is too much compression like maybe something is clogged I am not sure. With the plugs removed it turns over plenty fast, but as soon as they’re back in its almost like the battery is dying because its so slow but the battery is at full charge.

 

[neonnanz]

Once you determine it actually runs then do the fuel system and carbs before you actually ride it.

There’s really no reason to run it on the hose since you’re just seeing if it will fire and run.

Follow the carb rebuild thread in the sticky section above.

I definitely am. I just want to get it kicking before I work on that.

 

[NickCawks]

There's a chance the starter is worn out. They are super cheap and easy to rebuild but it's pretty low on the list of possibilities.

If you grab the pto flywheel and spin the crank what does it feel like? Do you feel any sort of interference? Is it easy to move from 12 to 9 and then more difficult from 9 to 12 (just an example).

The problem you described could be a lot of things but most importantly is to determine that the engines internals are intact and moving smoothly before you start looking into the other possibilities.

I hate to say it but you can't trust what the seller has told you. Every 2 stroke I've ever had to work on came with an explanation like "ran great when I parked it" "was tuned up last summer and ran like a top"

I guess the point being start big then move down the line to small potential issues. At the very least pull the exhaust manifold off and look at the little bit of the cylinders/pistons you can see. I haven't seen any proof that your motor is in good internal shape other than it can be spun a bit by the starter.

You just want to make sure you don't start throwing money and time at problems before you determine the motor (top and bottom end) are good. My 95 xp ran great for about 12 hours after I rebuilt the top end and then the crank which I crossed my fingers and took a bet on seized resulting shrapnel hitting my cylinders and destroying the freshly rebuilt top end

 

[mikidymac]

So it could be a few things.
1. Make 100% sure no fluids are coming out of the plug holes causing the engine to hydro lock.
2. Even new batteries can be bad and not uncommon here.
3. Battery cables clean and tight, they rot from the inside out.
4. Starter, only OEM do not buy aftermarket and it’s typically just the brushes that go bad. You can replace your brushes with a $20 eBay kit.

 

[neonnanz]

There's a chance the starter is worn out. They are super cheap and easy to rebuild but it's pretty low on the list of possibilities.

If you grab the pto flywheel and spin the crank what does it feel like? Do you feel any sort of interference? Is it easy to move from 12 to 9 and then more difficult from 9 to 12 (just an example).

The problem you described could be a lot of things but most importantly is to determine that the engines internals are intact and moving smoothly before you start looking into the other possibilities.

I hate to say it but you can't trust what the seller has told you. Every 2 stroke I've ever had to work on came with an explanation like "ran great when I parked it" "was tuned up last summer and ran like a top"

I guess the point being start big then move down the line to small potential issues. At the very least pull the exhaust manifold off and look at the little bit of the cylinders/pistons you can see. I haven't seen any proof that your motor is in good internal shape other than it can be spun a bit by the starter.

You just want to make sure you don't start throwing money and time at problems before you determine the motor (top and bottom end) are good. My 95 xp ran great for about 12 hours after I rebuilt the top end and then the crank which I crossed my fingers and took a bet on seized resulting shrapnel hitting my cylinders and destroying the freshly rebuilt top end

I just went through some things you said. I pulled the plugs and spun it over with the pto flywheel by hand with ease, no points of binding or resistance whatsoever. Sometime this week I am going to pull the exhausr manifold and I already have a brand new started I may just throw in. Before this, im going to look through the grounds to see if they’re all ok.

 

[neonnanz]

So it could be a few things.
1. Make 100% sure no fluids are coming out of the plug holes causing the engine to hydro lock.
2. Even new batteries can be bad and not uncommon here.
3. Battery cables clean and tight, they rot from the inside out.
4. Starter, only OEM do not buy aftermarket and it’s typically just the brushes that go bad. You can replace your brushes with a $20 eBay kit.

Theres no fluids coming out of the plug holes and I believe the battery is ok. It shows about 13.3 volts on the multimeter. The battery cables are a possibility I cleaned the terminals with a wire brush but im unsure about the wires themself. The starter I have in hand is oem and if it comes to that Ill install it.

 

[mikidymac]

Also check the battery voltage when cranking, it should not drop below 12 volts.