bought a 97 speedster, some issues....

[SC_titan]

seadoo newbie here,

got what i think was a good deal on it. put it in the lake yesterday...

It put on a smoke show for a couple minutes, but after a short trip across the lake, the smoke stopped completely (it has not been run for over a year according to seller)

The steering seems really stiff, this is my first jetboat, but to turn the wheel more than a couple inches you had to use some force? is that normal?

when i give it more than 1/4 throttle, it revs up and doesnt plane out for a few seconds, from my search on here, looks like it needs new wear rings.

I know these boats should run 50ish, it didnt feel near that fast, will gps it next time, the impellers are probably needing repair, and the wear rings?

upon returning to the dock, and sitting at idle for a minute, the right engine died. I couldnt get it to fire back up. I finally got it to start sitting on the trailer in the water by giving it 10% throttle or so when starting?

also, i noticed a few inches of water in the engine compartment, Is this from the Carbon seal? I am going to fill it with water at home today and see if i can find any leaks?

I have worked on cars and motorcycles a good bit, but never 2 strokes or boats. I am thinking of biting the bullet and taking it to the local seadoo dealer to go over it. what should it need to get it right again? carbon seal, impellers, wear rings??

thanks

matt

 

[shockerfd]

Having gone through a hell of an experience when I bought my 97 challenger a couple years ago, I will advise you to pull those carbs and rebuild them before you have to replace the engines. You mentioned it hasn't been run in over a year and that says those carbs could be dirty and gummed up. Who knows how long it's been since they have been cleaned or rebuilt. The kits are cheap and really not difficult to do at all. You have some mech sense so this won't be too bad for you. It's a 2 stroke and the carbs are the life of this boat.

Taking a "few" seconds to get to plane doesn't sound too bad for a boat with probably stock impeller. However that doesn't rule out the wear ring needs to be replace. A simple clearance check with a feeler gauge will help you decide whether that is needed or not. The carbon seal is also an area to check for cavitation. Make sure it's in good shape and there is good tension between the carbon ring and boot.

The steering may just need some lubrication. Under the top compartment hatch and at the pump area and any other linkages for that matter could probably use a good lube.

 

[SC_titan]

the rpm spikes and it takes the boat a few seconds to speed up, and it eventually planes out and gets to speed.

Anything special about these carbs? i have rebuilt motorcycle carbs before?

 

[shockerfd]

It wouldn't hurt to do a quick compression test to see how these engines are looking.

Nothing special really. Just be sure to get the right kit. SBT sells them and also has instructional videos if you need to see them. Like any carb, be attentive to what you disassemble and put it back the same way. Set your LSA and HSA to stock settings, set popoff and go for plug test runs. A little compressed air and carb cleaner goes a long way. If you don't have a manual there is plenty of info on this forum to guide you, along with other knowledgeable guys on here.

 

[SC_titan]

what compression on these engines should i start thinking of new SBT's?

110s, 120s??

thanks for the help

 

[shockerfd]

what compression on these engines should i start thinking of new SBT's?

110s, 120s??

thanks for the help

Good compression should be 150ish. Nothing yet says your engines are in bad shape. It only takes a couple minutes to check them. Get that out of the way first and go from there.

 

[Dr Honda]

Welcome.


1) the smoke is normal if it's been sitting for a while. Oil seeps past the RV, and center crank seals. It will clear out as you noted, and probably won't happen again until it sits over the winter.

2) Is it stiff on the trailer, or while it's not running? If it's only while it's running... that's normal. Remember... you are fighting the thrust of 2 engines, and you don't have power steering. If it's tight on the trailer... you may need a new cable.

3) Yup... that's cavitation. You may need new wear rings, impellers, and/or new carbon seals. Pesonally... I would just change the wear rings, and carbon seal, and be done with it. You will spend more time diagnosing the issue than it's worth.

4) Yup... 50'ish is right... see answer above for solution.

5) You probably need to clean the carbs. Sounds like the needle and seat are leaking, and flooded the engine.

6) Water in the engine compartment is normal. The carbon seals leak to keep them selfs cool. I normally drain 2 gallons out the the 2 plugs in the transom after a day of playing.


7) DON NOT TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. The work you need is easy, and a dealer with RAPE you !!!!!!! Plus... most of the time, they like to find other issues to help pad the bill. AND... since it's the middle of summer... they probably won't have time to work on it for a few weeks.

Do yourself a favor... pay the $10 to become a member, and get the shop manual for your boat, and do the work yourself. If you have any questions... we will help.

FYI... in the "How to" section... I made a post on how to change the wear rings. (easy labor)

 

[SC_titan]

thanks for the help guys,

I am now a premium member.

I will check the compression when i get home, and start looking into the wear rings, carbon seal, etc.

 

[mxracer32]

sctitan, what lake in sc?

 

[SC_titan]

lake bowen

 

[SC_titan]

well...i went to inspect the impellers last night and found 5 or so pretty large rocks. 1 stuck inside the intake grate, and 4 stuck around the cone in the rear..

since i have had the boat in the water once for about 10mins, pretty sure I didnt do this.

wonder if this was part of my acceleration problem

 

[Dr Honda]

well...i went to inspect the impellers last night and found 5 or so pretty large rocks. 1 stuck inside the intake grate, and 4 stuck around the cone in the rear..

since i have had the boat in the water once for about 10mins, pretty sure I didnt do this.

wonder if this was part of my acceleration problem

I'm no rocket scientist... but I'd say it could be a problem.

 

[shockerfd]

well...i went to inspect the impellers last night and found 5 or so pretty large rocks. 1 stuck inside the intake grate, and 4 stuck around the cone in the rear..

since i have had the boat in the water once for about 10mins, pretty sure I didnt do this.

wonder if this was part of my acceleration problem

Ouch!!! Once you get that boat running the way it should with whatever you decide to do, add intake grate, jet pump inspection to your list of things to check after each ride.

 

[SC_titan]

more bad news. i bought a compression guage.

118/120 120/125

I hope it will get by until this winter, I dont have $2K laying around for new sbt motors.

 

[SC_titan]

hand tightened the gauge. full throttle, holding choke up. hit it 3 or 4 times per cylinder for 3 secs each time.

REALLY hope i did something wrong....

 

[roneagan@cfl.rr.com]

My Older skis have about the same and they run fine.. It's not optimum but I would say it should run pretty good..

 

[SC_titan]

that makes me feel better.

going to rebuild the carbs, new wear rings, new carbon seals, maybe some skat trak swirls....

anything else maintenance wise i should do???

new motors wont come until next season.

 

[SC_titan]

whats the best place to order carb rebuild, carbon seals, wear rings?

 

[shockerfd]

You'll find everything you need here:

http://www.shopsbt.com/

 

[dsw222]

whats the best place to order carb rebuild, carbon seals, wear rings?

carb rebuild kits from parker yamaha (theyre OEM)

wear rings from SBT

i dunno about carbon seals, i never did that

 

[SC_titan]

just took the 2nd spin in the boat. GPS'd 43mph, would have got a couple more, but came up on traffic. cavitation definately there, but better since the rock removal, lol

now thing is, i have NO reverse!! got it out of the water and see the right reverse gate is stuck in forward. Is that just a cable?

I knew a 13year old boat would have some issues, but its like something new everyday.

looks like next year will hold 2 new SBT motors, rebuilt pumps, wear rings, carbon seals, skat trak impellers, cables, etc, my $3K boat is going to be a $7K boat real fast!

will it all be worth it? or should i sell it and wait to buy a newer 150?

 

[seadooya]

you dig the boat?

Fix the reverse, then dump it.

 

[SC_titan]

ok, I took the cable off of the reverse gate. when i move the shifter into forward, the cable pulls in like it should, when i move it to reverse, the cable doesnt move?? this is only on one side. Are there two different lines? I dont see how it will move one way, but not the other??

 

[SC_titan]

i pulled up the throtte/selector plate. one of the cables is broken right below where it connects to the rod. the sleeve is broken, but the cable is still intact, I have JB welded it together, doubt it will hold. Guess i can kill that engine when i need reverse till i can find another cable somewhere.