'97 GTX Build (Cutting corners, gambling on parts, etc.) Pitchforks and popcorn welcome.

[Chester]

Read my signature.

Chester

 

[etemplet]

Advice noted y'all. Update on the carbs; I ended up using the old mikuni diaphrams, here's why:

Inside the hull is utterly disgusting. I honestly don't understand how some of the debris got in here. An abnormal amount of pine needles was caked with oil and grime on the bottom. There's an oil leak I'll need to address at some point, there was a puddle of it in there.


There's mud and sand caked all the way to the top of the hull. The inside of the electrical box there was surprisingly clean though.

Ha ha. Dude you remind me of me. LOL What an adventure these things are. If you were my neighbor the shite we could do !! You ski seems to be just the type I end up with.

 

[travial]

Some tuners looking for that little extra on the throttle action will polish the seat with abrasive on a q-tip to make it operate smoother, not sure how well that works or makes a difference?

Good thought, going to try polishing up the seats when I redo the pop-off test. Others on PWCtoday and/or Greenhulk have talked about this "hiss" issue, and it makes me think it's not as dire of a deal, and maybe more like my WD-40 sucks. going to try thicker oil for it.

@Miki, you've got one told-you-so under your belt now, let's see how many more you can rack up

@GGuillot good tips, just got some new 3/32" oil lines in today, as well as some T&G zip ties (yes Miki, with the metal tips, 40lb strength, no told-you-so's here!); actually, I also got some Evenrude zip ties with a curved flange that's supposed to make full contact around the entire circumference, we'll see how they work:


Engine update question: The rotary valve cavity surface on the new case (name?) is kinda scuffed/scored; how big of a problem is this? The old engine case rotary surface looks way better than this, so I could swap cases, it'd just be more work.


More updates: I made a couple versions of a rotary valve shaft puller that I thought I'd show off:

I'll admit this one was pretty risky.


Updated version. Dent puller flipped upside down, with random spacers.

Any bets that I'll buy the official Sea-Doo rotary valve shaft pusher?:





Also cleaned the hull the other day for a couple hours until my hands got too cut up and my back ached enough to call it clean. Probably one of the worst, most awkward things I've ever cleaned. Debris kept clogging the drain screws, and I eventually sacrificed my wet/dry vac on it because the hull wasn't draining fast enough. I'll be surprised if the vac ever works again.

 

[GGuillot]

The old engine case rotary surface looks way better than this, so I could swap cases, it'd just be more work.

What's more work? You've got them out already, I'd use the better of the two. Pic of my RV puller, pipe cap and metric screw/nut, few bucks from Home Depot. New bearings run about $7 total if you sense they need to be replaced. I'd check the RV clearance while you're at it during reassembly, solder method is pretty accurate. Mine was way out of spec and needed attention.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Oooh, nice bilge! I use the Evinrude tubing tie-wraps often, there's nothing like OEM hardware.

 

[mikidymac]

I wouldn’t use the damaged cases either.

Forget all those different pullers that can damage the rotary surface.

The best tool for the job is a Harbor Freight slide hammer. It also works damn good for pulling the blind rotary bearing in the cases and pretty much any seal.

 

[travial]

*Sigh* alright, I guess I ought to swap the cases, dag-burn-it. I may need to rename this thread though, not enough corner-cutting going on lately. I probably shouldn’t admit this either, but I was recently watching YouTube videos of jet skis sinking, and next thing I know I’m buying a bulge pump.

 

[mikidymac]

Save your money on the bilge pump. The stock system works really well.
The only time I would consider an electric bilge pump is if I left my ski in the water overnight but even then it will only run until the battery is dead.

 

[emspjay]

Love this thread! I bet you get it running again but my only thought is how long will it stay running? Once you get it up and running please keep updating the thread to let us know how long it lasts!