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'97 spx bogging

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sportsfreak90

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I bought a 1997 SPX a couple weeks ago and finally got the chance to take it out for a test drive today. Got rid of the old gas, put new gas in (highest octane obviously), put brand new spark plugs, lubed everything up so everything moved smoothly. Fuel filter isn't bad, cleaned it after the ride but it wasn't all plugged up or anything.

Started the jet ski on the trailer for about 10 minutes in the water, revving it up and everything seemed fine. Pushed it off the trailer and took it out and about two to three minutes later I was having bogging issues. It felt like it was being starved of fuel but it wouldn't die on me. I'd leave it at a low RPM for about five to ten seconds and it'd run fine again, over and over again. Brought it back in, ran it up on the trailer and let it idle a bit longer. Idled fine, revved it up and it did fine.

Any thoughts on what could be wrong? It ran fine for the first bit, idle on all the way up to full throttle, and then after a full throttle pass, it started bogging. Wondering if maybe the full throttle pass pushed something through the carbs and it is possibly choking on them?

I pulled the RAVE valves out and they are pretty oily and dirty. I'm going to start with cleaning them and putting a new gasket on and taking it back out again and seeing how it runs. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
I had the same on my 96 spx took carbs apart and cleaned everything. The filters in each carb was dirty. After i put them back on the ski ran very strong in the water. Hope this helps.

David
 
Awesome, I figured that is probably what it was but I wasn't sure how hard it would be to take the carbs apart. I'm not too engine pulling-apart savvy yet because I've always just watched people. I'm assuming I'd need a rebuild kit? I'm half tempted to just take it to the local dealership to have them done.
 
I thought the same 200. Per carb and the guy had it 5 weeks and did nothing. So i did it i didnt get the kits but i am, i didnt want to throw money away. Use good philps head screwdriver i rounded out some screws but home depot had them there.

David
 
Your carb filters are dirty. You won't need carb kits if you are careful, just take them apart and clean them and it will run like new. It's a 2 hour job, longer if you haven't done it before but it is not complicated.
 
I've never broken the carbs open on this thing and a carb rebuild kit is $50.. can I pull it apart and change/clean the filters without messing with any of the screws that adjust the idle/low end/high end? I wouldn't have a CLUE as to how to tune it..
 
i did just that pulled everything apart cleaned the filter pulled the low speed checked for wear. High speed u cant take out at least on my 96. I even pulled the jets and made sure no blockage. Pay attention to the linkage for the oil injector pump this confusing to me. Hope this helps

David
 
I recommend getting 2 OEM Mikuni kits, and 2 needles and seats. Take one completely apart, spray it super clean, and put it back together.
Reuse the lever and spring...otherwise use the rest of the parts in the kit. When you are done just set the low speed to the spec in the manual.

Just study the manual...its really not tough at all. Just pay attention to what you are doing. Make sure to have some nice sharp fresh phillips screwdrivers....I use an impact screw drill w/ the good impact bits. I just push down hard, and hit the trigger.

Its the year of the carb job for me...I've done 8 sets already this year and it isnt even may yet!

Dirt> you just pop that plastic cap off the high speed. Most (but not all) seadoos have the high speed needle closed.
 
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Surprised no one also added. You need to research on the forum re fuel line replacement. If you have original lines they are causing the problem. Clean the filters but fix the cause of the problem too. Clean out fuel tank, fuel filter, and fuel switch. Been there done that. I personally didn't bother rebuilding carbs... yet.
 
I did a compression check to. One was 120 and then other 140. Could this be the issue? I plan on rebuilding the carbs and replacing the fuel lines..
 
I had a bogging issue, my ski wouldn't even run when you try to open the throttle. The problem was MAGICALLY fixed when I changed plugs. If you pull your plugs after running and they're black and wet, get new ones. I'd go with NGK no. 8's (or 7's if your engine runs hotter, not sure what your application calls for). Rebuilding carbs is easy with a kit. Just pay close attention or write down the exact order of the layers of gasket on the side opposite of the needle/seat/diaphram. That's the trickiest part, but even if you lose track of it, you can still reverse-engineer it back together from the traces of the old gasket materials on the metal pieces. You can dload a free repair manual online. I think this forum has links to them :)
Good luck!
 
150 is ideal, 160 is great, but on the high side. 120 and 140 is a pretty significant difference (14%). I believe the manual says you should rebuild if the difference is more than 10%.

I would do this first: start the ski, run it for a bit, at least 5 min (if you can) with water hooked up. Then take a reading.

If still low, pour about half a tablespoon of 2-stroke oil into the cylinder, then measure compression. This seals the piston rings. If this makes your compressions match, you may need new rings. This would be a good indication that your engine overheated at some point and scorched your rings. Depending on the extent of the damage, you may need new pistons, even a new bore... If rings seem bad on only one cylinder, then that indicates that that particular cylinder was running lean, either from a clogged, or improperly tuned carburetor.

Good luck!
 
Despite having uneven compression, I don't think this is the source of your bogging problem. More likely the carb. issue.
 
Turns out there was a good dime size clump of old gas that had solidified or whatever and turned into almost a gum-like substance. Anyways, rebuilt the carbs got it all back together and took it out yesterday. The new issue - hesitant from and idle. I'm new to adjusting carbs and am not sure if the low-speed needle or the high-speed needle needs to be adjusted? My guess was that the low-speed is a little on the rich side? Thanks!
 
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