Bad Crank Seal?

[SethG]

I have a 95 Seadoo GTI that I just got back from the shop. I had them rebuild the carb and replace the old fuel lines because the machine needed it and those two jobs suck to do yourself.

Anyways, the mechanic thought that it was a possibility I have a bad crank seal. If the seal is bad, are there any guides I can review to see what work would need to be done to replace it myself? Any advice to determine if it is bad or not?

Thank you,
Seth

 

[brock1]

what made him think that it is a bad crank seal did he say? whats it doin

 

[Bills86e]

what made him think that it is a bad crank seal did he say? whats it doin

Inner seals or outer seals?
inner = it will smoke. All 2 strokes smoke some, after rideing 10 minutes it still smokes is sign to rebuild the motor.
outer = the engine can seize from a lean condition. $$$$ to fix.

 

[Dr Honda]

what made him think that it is a bad crank seal did he say? whats it doin

I want to know too.

 

[SethG]

The ski smokes some, as expected with a 2 stroke but it doesn't seem to be excessive after riding it for 10+ mins.

It does appear to be a little oil leaking out the exhaust, and I noticed I have been burning through more oil than would normally be expected.

Any ideas? Where exactly are the crank seals located (I think I'm thinking of the wrong part) as I havent referenced the manual yet due to lack of time to research.

Thanks

 

[Dr Honda]

A center crank seal will leak a little oil, into the engine, and cause it to smoke on start up. Those seals can not be changed by a home mechanic.

Other than the smoke... is it running OK? If it is... live with the start-up smoke, until you need to rebuild the engine.

 

[SethG]

Seems to be running good. It had some trouble starting after I got it back from the shop, but I think that is a battery issue since it was in the shop for 3 weeks.

It acted like there wasn't enough amps for it to crank. Hooked up jumper cables from my other ski and it cranked and started ok. This one is temperamental so it might take two - three tries before it starts and maintains idle.

But none of that would be related to crank seal though?

 

[Dr Honda]

This one is temperamental so it might take two - three tries before it starts and maintains idle.

But none of that would be related to crank seal though?

Not really. If you have a bad outer seal... it will run lean, and you can burn a piston... but if it's running OK... then that isn't an issue.

Be very careful when jumping a seadoo It's easy to burn out the MPEM.

Also... the hard cold start could be from extra oil down in the engine. Is it OK after it's been running? (And any extra oil has been passed)

 

[SethG]

The ski is generally ok to start after it has been running some already, but like I said with the battery issues it made the situation difficult to diagnose this past weekend as to why it takes a few times before it maintains idle.

I will say that I know this machine is running a bit lean, just not sure how badly lean. The carb was just re-built and all the settings were adjusted properly. With that said, is there anything to do to combat the lean mix issue? (aside from replacing crank seal)

Thanks!

 

[brock1]

The ski is generally ok to start after it has been running some already, but like I said with the battery issues it made the situation difficult to diagnose this past weekend as to why it takes a few times before it maintains idle.

I will say that I know this machine is running a bit lean, just not sure how badly lean. The carb was just re-built and all the settings were adjusted properly. With that said, is there anything to do to combat the lean mix issue? (aside from replacing crank seal)

Thanks!

you can adjust your oil injection but thats only if you know for sure exactly how lean it is running.