A few problems with my 1997 Speedster

[Slowmoe]

Of so I bought this boat from an out of town garage sale for $2000 cash.
The owner said it only had 65 hours on the engines but the seats and everything were garbage from sitting out.

Before I bought it I tried to crnk it but it wouldn't start. I am a pretty decent mechanic so I decided I had seen enough to pay $2000 for it.

Well I get it home and pull the spark plugs from all 4 cylinders, and they are saturated with oil. So I turmed the starboardengine over for a few seconds and the oil cleared out. Cleaned the plugs out popped them in and she fired up. Smoked bad for about a minute then cleared up. When I apply the throttle in neutral out of the water it just bogs. Not sure if it is supposed to do that?

Now the port engine is a different story. When I pulled the plugs and turned it over it shot LOTS of oil out of the plug hole. I had to crank for a total of about 30 seconds to clear the oil out. Got that engine started up ad it shot some nasty grey oil out of the exhaust for a good minute. Finally that side cleared up. It too bogs when I rev it up.

Also the oil light stays on when the resorvoir is halfway full, and the fuel guage does not work. Not sure how long the boat set up.

Soooo my questions are

1. Why are my engines bogging when applying throttle in neutral out of the water?
2. Since my oil light stays on could that mean the oil pump(s) are bad?
3. How the heck did my engine get full of oil like that?
4. Are there any maintenance checks I should do right now?
5. Is it typical to port these engines and or mill the heads for more power? Any performance upgrades like exhaust?


Here are a few "before" pics. Me and my buddy cleaned it up I will post some after pics later.

Thanks!

 

[BMANN06]

Hi there! To answer your questions (best I can)

1. Looking at this rig its not likely that it was cared for that well - so to answer your first question this could be a result of:
a) bad gas
b) carbs are needing to be cleaned (and/or rebuilt)
c) fuel lines have broken down
2. Nope ... low oil "dummy light" doesn't mean oil pump is bad; theres a sensor in the Oil Tank not in the pumps, its probably just gummed up
3. Probably leaking seals in RV shaft
4. Hope that Doc Honda replies to your post! Also signing up as a premium member will get you access to shop manuals (very useful!!)
5. I've heard (and believe) that BRP is squeezing all the power out of these two strokes they can without diminishing their reliablitly.

 

[SEA-MONSTER]

1, These motors have rev limiters so you wont blow them apart.
2, The oil light staying on is a problem 2 of my skis had, has nothing to do with the pump just oil levels, and the electricle is finiky.
3, Perhaps the previous owner put a few tablespoons of oil for the long lay up, people do that with two stroke engines.
4, Yes change the pump oil, check the wear ring, clean and change the fuel & oil filters, check your oil & fuel lines for cracks and replace if nessarsary (can find how to do these things on this forum) hope you ran these motors with the fresh water hose hook up(water cooled motors)
5, There are mods you can do to these motors but I feel they come out of the factory jacked up already and getting them to run wright is a noble quest within itself!

 

[Phildoo]

It definately needs some TLC,

First thing since you know it runs is a compression check.
If that checks out good them start with the other stuff, carb rebuild etc..don't waste time if you have bad compression.
New plugs
They have rev limiter while in neutral.
Post your compression readings, you have a long list of stuff to check before that diamond in the rough hits the water.

 

[Slowmoe]

Ok so I have a few more questions (please bear with me)

1. Where could the oil in my engine have come from? Leaking injection system? Could this be engine oil from some other component?
2. Is it ok to cruise with just 1 engine on to save fuel?
3. How fast can i safely go with the top up?
4. How often do the propulsion systems need maintenance?
5. Are there any other oils or fluids I need to check?
6. The little pole that pops up forward of the engine compartment...Is that for skiing? If so what is the little hook in the very rear for? The one shaped like a circle with a bar in the middle?
7. What are some common failures that occur in these engines/ boats.

Thanks in advance!!!!
Here are some pics after a couple hours with a rag and a brush

 

[Phildoo]

Definately want to change the pump oil.
The retractable pole is for skiing and wakeboarding. The ring is for tubing or pulling a heavier skier.
You won't get on plane without both engines. I kill one engine when going thru no wakes or minimal wake zones. You can force water into the non running engine if you try to go fast on one.
Boat is lookin better.

 

[YUOnDaGround]

You need to call or email Keith Haas for a new interior kit (cushion covers) for that boat. I just got mine and it made my boat look new. Follow the link below to his website.

www.seadooupholstery.com

 

[Slowmoe]

Well I took her out for a spin and there are a couple of things that concern me.

The first is that the port engine will rev up real high when I gun it from a stop; the right engine appears to act normally. It takes a good 5 or so seconds to plane out. So the troubleshooting guide in the shop manual tells me it is sucking air through the hull. What component might be at fault here?
AlsoI checked all the plugs and they all look good besides the front plug on the port engine; it is almost completely white, which leads me to believe I have a leak at the crank seal. My questions are could there be something else at fault here and where can i get a leak test kit?

Thanks!

 

[Phildoo]

You're cavitating on that engine. Sucking air. Look at the impeller and wear ring for scarring or damage. The impeller should visually be close to snug around the ring.
Ride plate may not be sealed also as well as the carbon rings allow air in.

 

[Phildoo]

You're cavitating on that engine. Sucking air. Look at the impeller and wear ring for scarring or damage. The impeller should visually be close to snug around the ring.
Ride plate may not be sealed also as well as the carbon rings allow air in.
If you have a white plug it's running super lean. Don't run that engine until you fix it or you will be putting a new one in.

 

[Slowmoe]

Ok the impeller looks like new and the wear ring on that side looks not as new as the other side but the clearance looks to be just as tight.

 

[Phildoo]

Can you post pics of both?..there is a max tolerance for them. Need to use a feeler gauge. Not sure what the specs are. Maybe someone will post. Crawl under and visually inspect that the ride plate is sealed all the way around, and we'll go from there..

 

[Phildoo]

I know you're anxious to have fun but your priority should be the engines first.
No engine-no go..
Especially with that lean one. Doesn't take much to shell an engine.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Max tolerance on the impeller to ring clearance is .040". But, I would not worry about a feeler gage. The easy way to say it is, "if your clearance is just good enough to slide a piece of notebook paper through, then your good. It's my opinion that .040" is too much. You have to remember that these are pumps, not propellers. When you throttle up, the impeller is trying to build nozzle pressure. This water pressure will try it's best to double back in between the impeller blades and ring.

With this boat sitting up for the period of time you state, I would be pulling both pumps. Change the oil and inspect the wearing ring. If you have any gouge at all, like a stick or something got caught, it will cause cavitation. The next best way to cavitate is by your the seals where the shaft come through the hull. This is called your carbon ring and carrier seal, parts #7 and 10. The ride plate should not be messed with. If you do, you will get really agravated because these things are practically glued on tight.

The oil you saw is most likely coming from your rotary valve seals. When these motors sit up, the cavity in between the crankshaft connecting rods has a chamber filled with oil. Without the motor running, the seals will begin to seap oil into the cylinder. Either on one side (if the boat is tongue up, oil will be in the PTO cylinder) or both. After running for a little while, they usually re-seal themselves.

These motors do have a rev limiter on them. But, do not run them at full throttle while on dry land. It is possible to have a run away engine and not be able to shut it down, melting your plugs, destroying the motor.

White ash plug? Dont' know why you think this is a leak at the crank seal. This could be a bad adjustment or sync on your carbs. The plugs should look a ash. There are also a couple ways to read them. You can tell how your high speed jets are by pulling the lanyard at WOT, then reading the plugs. Same for low speed, at idle.

Don't go much more than idle with the engine cover up. Wind resistance can damage the hinges and fiberglass. The ski pole is more for looks. It's easily bent. Once you bend it from being extended, you won't get it to retract. It's o.k for pulling kids or someone that ways less than 125 lbs, but doesn't put any real torque on it from "cut-n-jump" skiing/boarding.

Like stated earlier, do not run with one engine much more than idle because water pressure on your idle pump will build high enough to continue to supply water to your idle exhaust system, flooding the engine with water.....so, idle it around, o.k.. but don't drive with it. If you break down and have to, pinch off the inlet water line from the pump to keep water from coming in.

I think that bout covers it from my end. Good luck.. take your time, don't get in a hurry. You got a pretty good deal, don't mess up your motors....

 

[Phildoo]

Well said Snipe..
Entirely too much for me to type via iPhone.

 

[Slowmoe]

White ash plug? Dont' know why you think this is a leak at the crank seal. This could be a bad adjustment or sync on your carbs. The plugs should look a ash. There are also a couple ways to read them. You can tell how your high speed jets are by pulling the lanyard at WOT, then reading the plugs. Same for low speed, at idle.

...

I wouldnt say the plugs look like ash as much as completely white on one side of the insulator and almost perfect brown on the other side. Looks lean to me. That was after idling for about 2 minutes though on 2 hour old plugs.
I thought there was one carb per engine. If that is so shouldn't both cylinders' plugs look like this?

 

[parrothd]

You need to rebuild those carbs and figure out why that engine is running lean before you end up buying 2 new motors.

 

[illru]

I was in your boat (hehe) last year. Bought a 1997 speedster on the cheep that sat outside for YEARS. With most of the same issues.
If you rebuild your port pump and still sucking air (high revs) pull that ride shoe and reseal. Also to check to see if your gas gauge works by pulling its plug in the engine bay and jump it with a piece of wire. If the gauge jumps to full then pull your sensor out of the tank and if your lucky the float is just filled with gas. Or your going have to do some surgery on it. Do a forum search there is a write up on how fix these things with some solder and a zip tie.

 

[harley2rde]

dido here. my 97 speedster does 60mph all day long. also keith has great skins for your seats. did mine lastyear and now i have a new boat. dont loose your lainyard it has to be programed usualy free when you buy a new one from dealer. never ever jump batt for any reason you might fry your mpem witch is big bucks. you can find most repairs if you search forms. lots of info on here if you just look. cant wait for boat season round here!!!!!!!!:cheers: