Baffled speed quirk after. Wear ring replacement.

[Waterdog59]

I could not find any threads related to my issue. 97 GSX I purchased a couple years ago. Used it sparingly for 1 season and put it away. From the time I got it it would only go around 35 or 40 miles an hour. I am estimating, as the speedometer is inoperative and it seems about 15 mph slower then my 98 GTI. So I cleaned it up and launched it a couple weeks ago. It fires up and engine seems to be running fine. But when I left the dock it was maybe doing 10 mph full throttle. Took it home and purchased a new wear ring from fleabay. The old ring was worn evenly but there was a big gap between it and impeller. Impeller turned fine and water seemed to flow good so I did not bother to rebuild the pump. Froze new ring and Installed it OK. The impeller was tight to the ring and had a little resistance even after warming up to room temperature. Put a little grease on it and it turned ok. The ring was not spinning and seemed to be staying tight to the housing. Long story short, when I put it back in the water it would only do about 35 or 40'mph like it had originally when I got it. But here is what has me stumped. I hit a couple waves from a boats wake and went airborne. After hitting a couple in a row it took off and ran like a scalded dog. Had to be going over 60mph. As long as I stayed in the throttle and stayed straight it would maintain speed. If I let off the throttle or turned it was back to 35 mph full throttle till I went air borne again. Did this multiple times. Don't know if it wound up from being out of the water or from the jolt of hitting the water. What can I do to figure it out? I feel with the expertise on this forum I can get what it is. Thanks.

 

[lavasioux]

Hmm wow that is interesting. Wonder if your cone bearing is ok...?

Oh...wait... check compression. Yeah if it has compromised compression then a little boost/ load ease might allow it to spin up but then once the load weighs back in it can't push back up to speed. ... yep I bet that could be it.

Or fuel or air... lol

Good luck!

 

[Waterdog59]

Thank you. I had good compression 142-144 last time on all cylinders last time I checked in initial season. Used very little since. I will recheck but don't think that's it. It is very strange. It does slow down once you put a load on it, i.e. turning or backing off the throttle and reaccelerating. As long as you keep straight wound up it hauls ass. Catching air gives no resistance but once it lands back in the water it speeds up fast as long as your going straight, that has to be some resistance when it speeds up. Seems to me the jolt of landing is activating something. But what? Maybe some trash in carbs?

 

[lavasioux]

You know what else i've seen- plug wires come in and out with a bounce. Yep high voltage arcing. Hmmm...

 

[lavasioux]

FAulty neutral switch coming in and out after being jarred? Does that have the neutral rev limiter?

 

[Waterdog59]

No neutral.

 

[tobytd]

Clean / check RAVE valves

 

[mikidymac]

YEs, this has happened to multiple people. I don't remember the exact cause but as @tobytd said, start by cleaning and servicing the RAVE valves on the engine.

I think @etemplet ran into this one also.

 

[Waterdog59]

Ok will do. Thanks will get back and let you all know.

 

[shamrock246]

Do the drive shaft splines ever strip out these skis?

 

[mikidymac]

Yes they can but if that was the case it would never run great then bad then great. It would strip and just always be bad.

 

[Waterdog59]

So I checked my Raves and they were pretty clean.

 

[Waterdog59]

I had changed the bellows a couple years ago and it hasn't been used much since. The new green bellows were not as soft as the ones I took out which were brown. I reinstalled the brown as they were in good shape still. Figured softer the raves would lift easier although the spring is the tensioner.

 

[Waterdog59]

Also if you notice the red adjustment rings on top of the covers were near the bottom of adjustment. Watched a video on youtube (grey ghost) and he said my model 787 should be at the top. So I turned them 13 clicks counterclockwise to bring it flush with top. This puts less tension on the raves making easier to open I figured.

 

[Waterdog59]

It fires right up and seems to rev good but it's out of the water. I don't have any gauges so I have to go by my ears. Let me know your thoughts good or if I made mistakes. I'm good at the latter.

 

[Waterdog59]

I hope to get it wet tomorrow after work and see if things changed.

 

[etemplet]

Carburetors. Not transitioning. Check the small ports inside the carb throat. Also make sure you pop-off is 36-38psi no leaks.

There is also a technical service bulletin on the 1997 GTX and GSX that required slotted rave valves and different rave housing with the plug. My wife's GTX would stick at 37mph and not accelerate. If she hit a small wake and unloaded the prop just a bit it would reach max RPM quickly.

 

[Waterdog59]

Thank you. Mikidymac said you experienced this. That is exactly what I am experiencing. Did it continue at speed after that? As long as I stay straightforward it will go but if I turn or let off throttle I'm back in the 30's.

 

[Waterdog59]

Also who do you recommend for obtaining the slotted raves from and housing. The prices widely vary.

 

[Waterdog59]

Is this it and ok.
ebay

 

[etemplet]

Thank you. Mikidymac said you experienced this. That is exactly what I am experiencing. Did it continue at speed after that? As long as I stay straightforward it will go but if I turn or let off throttle I'm back in the 30's.

Once the RPM drops the ski will not accelerate. I'd check the carbs as I mentioned and also the water control valve on the exhaust can for leaks. Just remember when you replace the raves if the cylinder has been bored out you'll have to file the raves to give the proper clearance. It can be tedious but my wife's ski hauled azz after I addressed the issues.

 

[etemplet]

Is this it and ok.
ebay

You don't need all that stuff and spend that kinda money. You can modify your rave housings if need be. Check them according to the TSB. I'd buy the valve blades only. Be careful which kits you buy because if the rubber is too stiff the valve won't open as quickly as it should. I'd look on OSDparts.com. You need the right parts or you'll be chasing your tail. I'll check my parts pile. Do you know your current piston bore size?

 

[Waterdog59]

Pretty sure the bore is stock. Previous owner did not say it was modified or rebuilt. Don't know a way to tell for sure without taking it a part. I could try and get a hold of him to ask but that may not be possible. I do remember him saying he had worked as a Seadoo tech and had replaced the fuel lines and rebuilt the carbs with mikuni parts. I will try and get a hold of him to ask but that may not be possible.
Will check the carbs and water control valve as you said.

 

[Waterdog59]

OSDparts.com OEM rave valves.

They should be good quality for that price. To upgrade to OEM bellows add $55.

 

[Waterdog59]

So looks like my valve housing has the bypass hole recess so I would need to modify them or replace them.