99 Seadoo GSX won't start - locked up engine?

[Noahhuotari]

Hello all,

The story:
I bought it used for $800 with a trailer. It has 90 hrs on it. They mentioned the only problem was that it blinks 12v low then dies. So I took it home, got a new battery and replaced the plugs. Started right up! So I took it to the lake, paddle on hand and took it for a test drive. Sure enough, blinking red light "12v low" and then it died and wouldn't start. So, I ordered and replaced the rectifer, verified the voltage while running, all good! Took it back to the lake and it was going perfect, no light, running much longer! I decided to see how fast she went and held it full throttle for a little bit, she got up and went good, I let off and it died. It then wouldn't start, it was trying to turn over, but it just wouldn't start. I probably tried a few too many time to start it and drained the battery. Got back the boat back home and charged up the battery, and tried to start *click click click*. So I ordered and replaced the starter solenoid, still clicks. Figured I'd try a different battery, so I got a new one, and same thing. I also took out a 1/2 gallon of water, oil and gas out of the hull.

I gave up and took it to a local shop for them to look at it. Their diagnosis is that the engine is locked up...
They said the pistons looked fine and had no damage to them. They think it's the crankshaft.
They quoted me about $1,200 to replace the crank shaft and about $1,400 to just replace the engine...

My questions are:
What about the starter?
What could have caused this to happen?
Is it even worth fixing or should I dump it and spend the $1,400 on a different boat?

Thanks!

 

[racerxxx]

What model GSX? RFI or Limited?



Is your ski red? If so it's a 951. There is a starter bendix in the front of the magneto housing. It's possible it jammed. Downside, it's a royal pain to get to since it's kinda tight to work in there.

Also, have you rebuilt the carbs? Any ski that old you should just get it started to hear the engine run. Then rebuild the carbs, THEN take it for a ride.


Did the shop pull it apart?

 

[Noahhuotari]

What model GSX? RFI or Limited?



Is your ski red? If so it's a 951. There is a starter bendix in the front of the magneto housing. It's possible it jammed. Downside, it's a royal pain to get to since it's kinda tight to work in there.

Also, have you rebuilt the carbs? Any ski that old you should just get it started to hear the engine run. Then rebuild the carbs, THEN take it for a ride.


Did the shop pull it apart?

It is a red ski. The sticker under the seat only says 781.6cc. I did notice the starter was in a tight space lol. And no, I have no rebuilt the carbs.... And I don't think they actually pulled it apart since the used a scope to look at the pistons.

 

[SigEp368]

Noah, I can't offer much advice, but you have my sympathy. I think your answer depends on the condition of the rest of the boat. From what I have seen on craigslist, $2000 seems about right for a 99 in good shape, with a new motor; however there are newer ones (with more hours) for just a bit more.

Unless you need the boat right away, I would watch the ads and balancer the decision based upon the availability of other options in your area.

Sorry.

 

[racerxxx]

Sitting on the ski, what side is the starter on?


So if it's a 787 then the starter will be on the right side of the engine while sitting on it. If so you can scratch the above post, but.....it still could be the starter bendix that jammed. Much easier to pull a 787 starter. If you can pull it you could then try and rotate the engine.



Which ski is it?

 

[Noahhuotari]

My bad, it is the bottom pic. White with red accents. And yes, the starter is on the right side, if you were sitting on it. Do you have a guide somewhere on how to do this? The boat is still at the shop, should I ask them to try this first?

 

[racerxxx]

I could possibly take pics tomorrow, trying to pack up to head away for the holiday week.

If you don't want to tackle it I'd ask them to try it. Especially if for some reason someone replaced the starter with a Chinese one. They're known for snapping the shaft or wedging the bendix out. As far as telling the diff on the starters, we'd have to have it out on a bench.

 

[mikidymac]

Most shops these days are a joke to be honest. If it were mine the first thing I would do if I suspected it to be locked up would be to......
1. Remove the spark plugs and the rear PTO cover and try to turn the engine over by hand.
2. IF it won't turn over then pull the pump as they are known to lock up if the oil has never been changed in them.
3. If the pump is fine then pull the starter.
4. If it still won't turn only then do you point a finger at the crank or pistons.

BTW, your ski is a 1999 GSX RFI. That is a 787cc 110 HP engine with Rotax Fuel Injection.

 

[Noahhuotari]

Most shops these days are a joke to be honest. If it were mine the first thing I would do if I suspected it to be locked up would be to......
1. Remove the spark plugs and the rear PTO cover and try to turn the engine over by hand.
2. IF it won't turn over then pull the pump as they are known to lock up if the oil has never been changed in them.
3. If the pump is fine then pull the starter.
4. If it still won't turn only then do you point a finger at the crank or pistons.

BTW, your ski is a 1999 GSX RFI. That is a 787cc 110 HP engine with Rotax Fuel Injection.

So tried all that and nothing. Working on getting the engine out. Either to rebuild myself, bring somewhere or use as a core for a rebuilt one. What is suggested?

 

[mikidymac]

I like to rebuild them myself because I enjoy it an have been doing it for over 20 years and I like to know what is going into my engine. If cost is an issue just know it will cost you about the same to do it yourself as it does to send your out. You can cut some corners but if you use OEM parts it is still going to be about $1,000.

To do it correctly you will need a reman crank, rebuilt balancer shaft, I like to rebuild the rotary shaft, have the cylinders bored (I use Group K), new pistons, rings, pin and pin bearings, gasket and seal kit.

SBT is your fastest turn around and a no fault 1 or 2 year warranty but their rebuilds are questionable in my opinion. Full Bore is good and SES has mixed reviews to say the least and are probably months behind at this point.

Get it torn down and post pics so we can point you in the correct direction.

 

[Noahhuotari]

I like to rebuild them myself because I enjoy it an have been doing it for over 20 years and I like to know what is going into my engine. If cost is an issue just know it will cost you about the same to do it yourself as it does to send your out. You can cut some corners but if you use OEM parts it is still going to be about $1,000.

To do it correctly you will need a reman crank, rebuilt balancer shaft, I like to rebuild the rotary shaft, have the cylinders bored (I use Group K), new pistons, rings, pin and pin bearings, gasket and seal kit.

SBT is your fastest turn around and a no fault 1 or 2 year warranty but their rebuilds are questionable in my opinion. Full Bore is good and SES has mixed reviews to say the least and are probably months behind at this point.

Get it torn down and post pics so we can point you in the correct direction.

Well if that's the case, I might as well bring it to the shop and have it done. An extra $400 to have it done by actual Seadoo techs and then I don't have to mess around.

 

[mikidymac]

I wish you the best of luck as most of the "Seadoo Techs" now days only know how to plug in a computer and charge money.

If you take it to a shop make sure you get everything in writing with some form of warranty and be sure of exactly what you are getting. If you pay for a genuine Seadoo reman make sure you aren't getting a SBT or something else.

 

[Noahhuotari]

I wish you the best of luck as most of the "Seadoo Techs" now days only know how to plug in a computer and charge money.

If you take it to a shop make sure you get everything in writing with some form of warranty and be sure of exactly what you are getting. If you pay for a genuine Seadoo reman make sure you aren't getting a SBT or something else.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do yet... I'm going to talk to a couple people and see what they have to say.

My big question is what probably caused this to happen? I'm thinking because it didn't get oil since there is a lot of oil in the hull that wasn't there before the engine went.

 

[mikidymac]

Check your oil lines especially the little 3/32" ones from the pump to the intake manifold.

 

[Rabid]

If you are already pulling the engine, you are half way there. The thing about doing it yourself is you know exactly what is in it. Also you will have piece of mind...like some one said in another post at least you will know who to blame...lol

I just enjoy working on my own stuff. It is very rewarding to learn something new.

If the boat is in good shape and the electronics seem good...I would go for it!

Mike

 

[mobilefleet]

why not just look for a used ski in your area on craigs or facebook sales ads? That's where I found a 96 xp for 500 with a good engine but bad mpem to stick in my 97 challenger. I could sell the rest of the parts and pay basically nothing for the engine swap......SBT by the time you pay shipping on a reman engine you are already 3/4 the cost of what your ski's book value is. I met the guy selling it on craigs in a local parking lot, removed the seat and asked to spin the driveshaft by hand and remove plugs, then put a jump pack on the starter pos connection and grounded the other cable to make it spin over for a compression test. With a trailer included. You'd be surprised the number of 787s in skis that people don't want to deal with, that the motor is good and they just want to unload. I'm getting another one tomorrow so I'll have a spare xp just for fun- or if my challenger twin engine ever needs another donor. I'd also consider going premix to avoid oil pump failure ruining your engine swap