96 GSX just purchased ran fine for about 30 seconds in the water....

[89SEAPOO]

At first I thought WOW this thing is going to be great, its FAST on my first run off the trailer to the beach. Then I let me wife take it for a spin, it seemed to run fine, until she came back at only 4000 rpms and barely moving, lots of smoke too. If I left it sit for an hour or two it would kind of run ok but was still way slower than out 94 gts with the 580, and within 1-2 mins it was back to just bogging down and smoking and barely moving itself around. What gives? It ram great when I bought it and revved quickly out of the water, now even out of the water it doesnt seem to rev quite as fast or as high and its kind of jerky at high rpms out of the water too now. Needless to say we are NOT happy. The guy I bought it from told me he used it all last week and when he bought it this summer he had a guy go through the carbs etc and it should be good to go. It does still have the gray fuel lines and no fuel selector, it has been bypassed by previous owner... Any help in the right direction is appreciated, fuel filter up in front looks fine also.

THANKS!

 

[Seadoobuddy]

As you know.....change the fuel lines to black, clean/rebuild the carbs and their filters, replace/install inline gas filter. The green goo gets everywhere.

Is the gas tubes sucking gas/junk from the bottom of the tank?

repost your findings after the changeover.

 

[89SEAPOO]

If I get some time tonight I am going to replace all the fuel lines, I wish they would have at least left me the knob from the fuel selector, I don't have any part of it at all! They just left me with an empty hole in my hull...

 

[bigJake]

If I get some time tonight I am going to replace all the fuel lines, I wish they would have at least left me the knob from the fuel selector, I don't have any part of it at all! They just left me with an empty hole in my hull...

wow, if i get some tonight i'm setting off fireworks.

 

[Jeffspx]

wow, if i get some tonight i'm setting off fireworks.

Haha thats great.
Anyhow, that bites they just left the hole in the hull. Isnt water splashing in thru it?
But like seadoobuddy said. Replace those gray lines and clean your filters and make sure the pick up in the tank is clear. Majority of these problems are fuel related and nothing more so doing this should likely clear up your issues. Have fun, Ive wanted a gsx but i cant justify getting a another ski and I dont want to leave the x4 hull design.
Good luck
Jeff

 

[Dr Honda]

The guy I bought it from told me he used it all last week and when he bought it this summer he had a guy go through the carbs etc and it should be good to go. It does still have the gray fuel lines and no fuel selector, it has been bypassed by previous owner...
THANKS!

Not to add insult to injury... and not to sound like a total jack off... but you never trust what the PO says about it. Also... no select valve? That's a half-ass'ed way of taking care of a problem... and that should have raised a red flag. Also... Anyone who knows Seadoo, would know that it's absolutly usless to clean the carbs, if you aren't going to replace the Gray Tempo hoses. Doing so is a waste of time, since the hoses will send more goo into the carbs and plug them up.

OK... but let's move forward. You need to replace all the hoses, rebuild the carbs, and put a select valve back into the ski. (it's there for your safety)

Also... since the PO obviously isn't trustworthy... you should get a compression reading, and let us know what it is.

As far as the bogging down, and smoking... is the cable hooked up to the oil injection pump? AND... does the buzzer work?

Sorry for the issues.

 

[Jeffspx]

I agree with the doc. Hes always right, but I would prefer to have a selector valve as I feel its half-assed too without it, and the owner probably cleaned the carbs before sale and the old lines probably re-gummed everything up again. But If you like the ski then thats all matters to get it fixed right. Good luck
Jeff

 

[89SEAPOO]

Lol, thanks for the fireworks comments! I do like the ski, it looks like a pos currently but hey, it was 900 bucks with a nice galvanized 2 place trailer. I do believe the guy, he just took it to a regular independent person who works on these things, probably not a sea doo expert or guru. I plan to replace the fuel lines and am working out a bargain on some parts including the fuel selector with minnekota4me or whatever his name is. Yeah, the hole makes the ski look even worse, very half-assed I agree. I wanted a GSX though and found one 20 mins from my house, and the price was right. I couldnt find one undel 1500 within 200 miles so I jumped on it, plus it ran great in his yard. I will also do a compression test, probably should have dont this before I purchased it but hey, I was in a hurry!

I will update once I find time to work on it.

-Jeremy

 

[Seadoobuddy]

bigjake - I didn't see any fireworks last night so I guess we know the outcome of that.

89seapoo - Good luck and post some finished pics. There are lots of people here that can help with any question that might arise (except for - pun for jake).

 

[94greenXP]

Sorry so late with a reply. But if u didn't fix the ski yet change the plugs. 2 strokes eat plugs and makes a bike run like sh##.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

I once had an incident where my ski started running really slow and smoking a bit, the cluprit: Hydrilla! This long tangly water weed got sucked onto my intake grate because the drought lowered the water level. Once it plugged up my intake, the engine started to overheat because it wasn't getting enough water to push thorough the cooling system. I was lucky I caught it in time before I fried my rings. In any case, whenever you get any sort of problem on the water, ALWAYS make sure you have water coming out of the "pee" holes in the back. I can't stress that enough!

 

[crisso]

Just something that may help with the fuel lines.Take photos before you do it.Take some more and then more.I didn't.And do the lines one at a time.

 

[89SEAPOO]

I replaced the lines and the fuel selector, as it turns out the old fuel selector was actually still in line it was just seized up and zip tied inside the hull. I did not take the carbs off or clean them or anything. It seems to run quite differently now, before it would idle at about 3000 rpm's (out of the water on the hose according to stock tach) and now it idles at about 2500 rpm's? Not sure how that changed but whatever. Anyway it still seems weird, it will rev all that way up now but it seems like it takes too long to get there and it seems a bit choppy yet. Another thing I was wondering is if the 87 octane with up to 10% ethanol could be causing my problems? I always run this gas in all of my other ski's and have never had any weird issues? Or am I probably just looking at a carb/clean/rebuild? Also attached are some pics of my ugly ski... Thanks.

 

[89SEAPOO]

By the way dr honda, how do I test the buzzer? I have no idea if it works or when it should be buzzing. I need to replace the polarized film on my lcd right now I have no idea what should even be displayed on it since this is my first ski with a gauge.

One more thing, I tried to pull the fuel pickup assembly out of the tank but could not figure out a way to get it fully out even with bending it from front to back etc, so I just put it back in...I hope this isn't causing my problem.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Wow she is beat...sorry for not getting back to you on the seat.

I would pull the graphics off and compound the crap out of it.

I would do the whole fuel system...its the only way to know for sure its not going to cause issues.

 

[bigJake]

By the way dr honda, how do I test the buzzer? I have no idea if it works or when it should be buzzing. I need to replace the polarized film on my lcd right now I have no idea what should even be displayed on it since this is my first ski with a gauge.

One more thing, I tried to pull the fuel pickup assembly out of the tank but could not figure out a way to get it fully out even with bending it from front to back etc, so I just put it back in...I hope this isn't causing my problem.

yea, cleaning the carbs would definitely be your next step, the little filters inside are likely pretty clogged up.

I have the same ski.You can download an owners manual from the seadoo site which will tell you what is listed in the digital display. From memory, RPM, Chrono, fuel bars, clock. Strange thing about this ski is it has a tach but no speedometer. Your tuned pipe look like it may have been replaced, I think original was blue not purple. also the GSX decal on the right side is not standard for a '96. Wonder if somone added it or you got some kind of '96/'97 hybrid. The blue and yellow duct tape on the seat is the right color though

 

[89SEAPOO]

Is it possible to pull that fuel pickup tube out of the tank without removing the engine and gas tank from the hull? As it turns out my ski is originally from florida which explains the fading and salt corrosion on everything...I think that is why the decal looks different on one side vs the other, one side is faded much worse. I would like to replace all the decals but don't want to spend 200 bucks on new ones. Not sure if I want custom or stock but I don't know even where to look, everyplace I did find was WAY expensive.

Glad someone likes my duct tape seat (bought it this way)!!

Will I need to buy any gaskets if I remove the carbs? Should I plan to purchase a rebuild kit right off the bat or is it possible to just clean them? Where would I purchase a rebuild kit from? Can I clean those filters with the carbs on the engine still?

Minnetonka4me, its fine, I am still trying to get this turd to run right anyway, then I will start to beautify it...(yeah right like its even possible)

 

[bigJake]

Is it possible to pull that fuel pickup tube out of the tank without removing the engine and gas tank from the hull? As it turns out my ski is originally from florida which explains the fading and salt corrosion on everything...I think that is why the decal looks different on one side vs the other, one side is faded much worse. I would like to replace all the decals but don't want to spend 200 bucks on new ones. Not sure if I want custom or stock but I don't know even where to look, everyplace I did find was WAY expensive.

Glad someone likes my duct tape seat (bought it this way)!!

Will I need to buy any gaskets if I remove the carbs? Should I plan to purchase a rebuild kit right off the bat or is it possible to just clean them? Where would I purchase a rebuild kit from? Can I clean those filters with the carbs on the engine still?

Minnetonka4me, its fine, I am still trying to get this turd to run right anyway, then I will start to beautify it...(yeah right like its even possible)

fuel pickup - not sure, there are lots of posts about it though

graphics - DR HONDA can make you custom graphics, click the link at the bottom of his post

gaskets - I would replace. I just cut my own from a sheet of gasket material, alot cheaper. no sense going through all the work to take the carbs off and have a leaky gasket.

I just cleaned my carbs, the filters were really plugged. you must remove the carbs to clean. But, rebuild would be the better way to go. Make sure you use an OEM rebuild kit, the diaphrams in aftermarket kits leak. I think you can order from this site, try the Parts tab at teh top of the page

 

[Comp]

Hopefully I didnt just post this twice. This is why you want to open your carbs, clean them out and replace the filters. They are suppose to be white. If one plugs and the other doesnt, your engine will still run, but one cylinder will go major lean and burn up.

http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww124/compchassi/?action=view&current=003.jpg

 

[89SEAPOO]

Thanks for all the info guys, looks like I will be puling my carbs and trying to clean them out. I don't think they would need a rebuild as it did run good right before this happened, and supposedly it ran good all summer for the previous owner. I will follow up with what happens after that. I am going to leave the fuel pickup tube alone for now and assume its fine.

 

[89SEAPOO]

Ok, so I got the carbs off, and semi-disassembled. Those two screens look pretty damn clean, only a few specs, certainly nothing to cause any issues. One carb had a gasket and one was only silicone between the carb and the side of the engine...Nice. On the fuel pump carb on that side there was a black gasket type of thing and on the other carb(non fuel pump one, rear of ski) there was nothing. The diaphrams also look fine. Everything actually looks new-ish perhaps that guy really did go through them, not sure if thats a good or bad thing... What the heck should I all look for?

 

[purple_people_eater]

clean everything up good, put everything back together, get a new set of plugs and get her in the water. out of water tests do not tell you diddly, it is going to run completly diffrent in the water than on land. and about 2500 idle on the hose is about right.

 

[bigJake]

Hopefully I didnt just post this twice. This is why you want to open your carbs, clean them out and replace the filters. They are suppose to be white. If one plugs and the other doesnt, your engine will still run, but one cylinder will go major lean and burn up.

http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww124/compchassi/?action=view&current=003.jpg

hmm, I'm sure there's a "good" explanation for that 2nd picture in your album. I'm just really afraid to ask....

 

[Minnetonka4me]

You want to clean out the fuel selector too along with the fuel/water separator, and replace the fuel lines. You really need to do everything to ensure there will be no issues with the fuel system.

The other thing most people overlook is testing the check valves on the vent system. I have found alot of broken or clogged valves. Same goes with with oil check valve on the tank...found 2 bad ones this summer.

There is no reason to check the fuel pickup its fine. Only reason to pull it out is to replace it to get the gauge working again. On the GSX its a major suck fest. You have to take the steering out, move the oil tank, then tilt the tank at an angle to slide the pickup out the steering hole.

 

[Pau1]

ski runs great for about a minute

My symptom is very similar. The machine (1997 GSX with 787 twin carb) almost jumps out of the lake as the R's quickly spool up to about 6200 for 30 seconds and then a sudden loss of power and change of engine speed to about 3800. Second attempt to "clear the engine" produces less peak power (5800) for a shorter time (15 seconds) before sagging to 3800. I can find a just right throttle position where the speed will surge up and down from 4200 to 3800 with sharp changes in power. I did not have any spare plugs with me and I am clinging to a hope that one plug has internal damage and is reacting to the heat, causing to cease function and after the fire is out it resumes normal operation for a short time. My theory is that the engine springs to life when both cylinders are producing power and bogs down when one cylinder becomes a lifeless drag on the other. I think my power changes are too quick and evenly spaced to be a fuel flow blockage, but I'll investigate that if new spark plugs doesn't solve the problem. I did drain all the old fuel and add some new. I cleaned the RAVE slide gates so they lift with just very slight force and drop back when released. I'll have more news after my next visit to the lake (150 miles away) in about 2 weeks. What constitutes a low hour machine? I bought this 1997 GSX as a new left-over in 1998 and it has 125 hours on the clock - mostly sedate cruise. How tricky is it remove the carbs? I can't wait to see the condition of the inlet filters. The bowl trap/filter was pretty clean when I dumped it and inspected the fine mesh screen. I found NO water at all in the fuel.

At first I thought WOW this thing is going to be great, its FAST on my first run off the trailer to the beach. Then I let me wife take it for a spin, it seemed to run fine, until she came back at only 4000 rpms and barely moving, lots of smoke too. If I left it sit for an hour or two it would kind of run ok but was still way slower than out 94 gts with the 580, and within 1-2 mins it was back to just bogging down and smoking and barely moving itself around. What gives? It ram great when I bought it and revved quickly out of the water, now even out of the water it doesnt seem to rev quite as fast or as high and its kind of jerky at high rpms out of the water too now. Needless to say we are NOT happy. The guy I bought it from told me he used it all last week and when he bought it this summer he had a guy go through the carbs etc and it should be good to go. It does still have the gray fuel lines and no fuel selector, it has been bypassed by previous owner... Any help in the right direction is appreciated, fuel filter up in front looks fine also.

THANKS!