98 GSXL Still not right

[Kuzma823]

I had my skis out this weekend and my 98 GSXL still isnt running right.

Problem #1 is that it surges at full thottle. It runs great up to full throttle but once its pegged at full throttle it decides what speed it wants to go :rofl: It will go from about 50 mph (about 4500 rpm) to 65mph (never get to see rpms because I am too busy holding on) and then back down to 50mph. Sometimes this happens within a few seconds and other times I can sustain top speed for upto 15 seconds. When it does decide to go toward 65mph the power really kicks in so I am sure its capable of staying there. Only thing to note is that the intake grate is currently off cause the front bolts broke and I am having issues getting them out (even with silicone and inside nuts removed they would not budge and the bolts in there currently are incredibly hard to drill through even with titanium coated bits) and I am currently running pre-mix AND injection because I put the injection system back and want to be extra careful until I know its running 100%, extra oil is cheaper than a new engine . What I have done so far for this problem:
Had shop replace grey lines last year
they also cleaned the carbs and said the fuel selector was clean
I have replaced the impellar, wear ring, and pump support before the season (because they were needed anyway)
Driveshaft(new) and pto coupler(used) were repladed less than a year ago and carbon ring is good
Plugs are BR8ES, gapped correctly and look good (rear one has a little hint of too much oil :rofl: but overall color shows good ignition)
I pulled the carbs Sunday, started to take them apart to check inside fiilters but the filters were clean. Only thing I found was a milky white fluid but that is problem #2
Also, ran new hose from engine pulse to Rave check valve, then new hose from solenoid to RAVES (didnt replace hose from check valve to solenoid because I didnt think I had enough)
Raves were cleaned late in the season last year and both got new seals/belows. Took them out on Sunday and they have a little carbon but nothing that should be causing the issue. I also ran the ski with the springs off of the RAVEs, lost a little low end power but didn not gain any top end.
Checked Rave solenoid and I am getting ~30ohms as suggested in the manual, so that SHOULD be ok
Finally, I dumped a pint of Seafoam in the tank on Sat and basically 12gal of gas through the ski.
I want to emphasize the ski runs just not predictably at full throttle.

Problem #2 - Milky white fluid in fuel system
Long story short, we rarely ride in straight lines and occasionally get some water in the hull. From what I saw in the carbs on Sun I am getting a little water in the carbs (some came out of air box when I removed it). I have the rubber gasket around the exhaust pipe to manifold connection so the water should just be from whats sloshing around in the hull. Is it possible to mount a 99 or newer airbox with the ducts and 'mud flaps' on a 98 engine? Would I need to replace anything else to do this?

Your help is greatly appreciated! As you can see I have spent a good amount of time and effort trying to get this to run correctly and I just want to finish.

Thank you

 

[Dr Honda]

First... Seafoam is death to a 2-stroke engine. It's a solvent to clean the system... but that solvent also breaks down the oil that is lubing the engine. Never put anything in your fuel other than stabilizer. (or extra oil)

Problem #1 sounds fuel related. I know a shop replaced the hoses... and the carbs are clear... but where's the pop-off set? If it's high, you will have a hard time keeping a steady fuel supply.

When you took the carbs off... did you inspect the reeds? You could have one cracked.

Also... you could have an air leak in one of the feed hoses going to the carbs. So... check all the hoses, and make sure they are tight. AND... you may want to bypass the fuel select valve for a test. (the seal could be bad inside) And finally... make sure the O-ring is good in the fuel filter unit.

Prob#2: I'm not sure what air box you are thinking of... but I think the one you are talking about is for the Di/RFI engines. If that's it... then no... it won't fit. Regardless.. a little water getting in wont hurt it, since it will clear out as soon as it starts again.

 

[Kuzma823]

Thanks for the help. The carbs definitely could be set up incorrectly, a previous owner had the engine rebuilt and I have found other issues were things werent quite right. For instance, the carbs themselves came with a MAG side single bracket for the throttle cable but did not have original dual bracket for the throttle cable and oil injection cable, so who know if these are even the factory carbs... guess Ill have to finally rebuild them just to be safe.

The air box I am thinking of goes on the carbs and has two 'trumpets' on each side of the box that other posts seem to suggest allow water to get to the carbs (this was causing the ski to run rough near the end of the day because there was a few inches of water in the hull). The '99 air box was a similar main box but the side 'trumpets' were removed and there were 2 ports, one on each side of the holes for the carbs. These two ports then attach to tubes that cary the intake to directly above the exhaust manifold and then the ends of the tubes are futher covered with 'mud flaps'

example of what I have: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-Seadoo-GSX-L-951-947-Carb-Air-Box-Assembly-GTX-XP-/230627030700
example of the improved version: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seadoo-02-X...=520735811869729844&pid=100011&prg=1016&rk=1&

If I have to redo the carbs anyway then I might just rejet them and put on an R&D intake but I would like to know my options.

Thank you

 

[Kuzma823]

Rebuilt the carbs tonight and I hopefully found my issue! I decided to do a full rebuild and even ordered all new needles, seats, high and low jets and two rebuild kits. The carbs were pretty clean and so were the filters but when I pulled the jets the highs were 162.5 but the manual calls for 165, so I replaced them with 165s and hope that helps. I also sync'd the carbs as they were a little off and replaced the fuel selector for good measure.

Question about the rebuild though, I did a pop-off test on each ski and the manual calls for between 19-23psi per carb. The pto side carb popped at 22psi and the mag side popped at 24psi. Is 24 still ok? If not, how do I adjust the pressure (kit only came with a singe spring)? Can the carbs have a slight difference without it effecting performance?

 

[bmocken]

also check your settings on your waterbox and rave valves.

 

[Kuzma823]

Thanks for the ideas but waterbox valve was replaced last year and set correctly. Rave valves have also been cleaned, rebuilt and most of the tubing has been replaced. Honestly, ifs its not the jets then I am going to be very confused...lol

P.S. Nice looking profile pic. Exterior will be worked on next and I hope to make mine look that good

 

[bmocken]

I have a thread on here showing what mine looked like before I started the task of brining it back to life. Check it out http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?44726-Dont-be-afraid-of-a-little-oxidation-on-your-paint!!