98 gtx knock and vibration

[aliasmax]

Hi all, had the ski out saturday and went to anchor it by the beach. threw the anchor and line out, a wave caught the ski and it sucked up the line and wrapped around the shaft. i pulled the ski up onto the sand, rolled it onto its side and turned the shaft backwards from inside while someone pulled the line out from the bottom. put the plugs back in and shaft cover back on. put the ski back into the water and fired it back up. now the problem, at idle it sound like a knock. not like a rod but like a round shaft in an oval hole. and there is a slight vibration at speed. could the rope bend the shaft? or could it be something else? if it is the shaft how hard is it to replace?
1998 gtx limited 951. 158 hours on machine 32 hours on the motor. tia.

 

[Dr Honda]

Hard to say. All you can do is to put an indicator on the drivesahft, and check if it's straight.

 

[aliasmax]

Hard to say. All you can do is to put an indicator on the drivesahft, and check if it's straight.

Hi and thanks for the reply, would you check from the bottom or top? do you know what the acceptable tolerance is?

 

[Dr Honda]

The easy way is to check it right at the hull, from the tunnel. (under the ski) That will get you close to center. Honestly... if you can't visually see the defection... it's probably OK.

 

[aliasmax]

The easy way is to check it right at the hull, from the tunnel. (under the ski) That will get you close to center. Honestly... if you can't visually see the defection... it's probably OK.

is it possible that winding the rope on the shaft tight enough to kill the engine could of compressed a bearing causing the thumping / knocking noise? this is my first ski so not really very knowledgeable on the workings of the parts. I am a backyard mechanic though. thanks

 

[Dr Honda]

Probably not... but if you pull the pump off (only a few bolts and a hose) you can get a better feel about it's health.

 

[aliasmax]

Okay, checked the shaft and its straight. the machine idles at 1150rpm and you can hear the rapping sound. Used the throttle to bring it up to 1450 and the noise goes away. now i just have to figure out how to raise the idle speed. thank you Dr Honda for your responses

 

[Dr Honda]

OK... that's just normal pump knock becasuse of low idle speed.

Look on the front carb. There is a screw in line with the throttle cable. Turn it, and it will push the throttle open. Make the adjustment in the water.

 

[aliasmax]

thank you again, not going to be easy with the exhaust covering it.