Bought another. Hope I did ok.

[ezekielguy86]

Well over the summer I bought my first ski 95 XP. I love it. It's super clean, no issues, fast, and fun. I have learned tthough its not big enough for 2 people to just cruise lol. No big deal we made it work but now its time for a second one. Yesterday I put a deposit on a 2001 GTX DI. Over all it looks really good other than couple scratches here and there no big deal. The ski has 116 hrs on and is the second owner if I remember right.

The guy just replaces the fuel pump, fuel injectors, and fuel filter since the old injectors were pretty bad from ethanol. I didn't water test it because its kinda cold and I'm sick at the moment but it started up perfectly in his shop and sounded fine. I'm just looking for advise on this ski since its fuel injected and I'm used to my carb. Im paying $2,000 for it which isn't a steal but don't think its a bad deal. Any help will be great and I will get picks up in a few.

Thanks

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

WATER TEST IT.
I don't care if it's 45 out. you won't get wet on a GTX (unless you want to). so WATER TEST IT. a 951 should run 7000 WOT brand new, however 6800+ is acceptable.

you may have missed it, so I'll write it once more.

WATER. TEST. IT.

$2k isn't a bad deal, I've seen people pay over 3 for these.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

i agree, with 2K invested, i'd like a water test

i'm also very leery of DI ski's unless this shop guy works for beer, and is your brother.

my rule #1 on DI ski's.. don't buy them, they are absolutely terrific when running, but when not, you can easily drop a repair bill with a comma in it....

 

[ezekielguy86]

Im going to arrange a water test before I pick up. Im not getting it till December. I also understand alot of people don't care for the DI and I don't know if its because they have carb models and think theirs are better or they really are bad. I feel that if you take care of something then you shouldn't have major issues. So what Im wondering is what is needed to be done to keep everything running right. Im sure there are plenty of guys out there that have these and are running strong. Long as they have taken care of them. Its such a nice ski to be that bad.

 

[ezekielguy86]

 

[Spimothy Leary]

My negative response re DI's is simply the cost to diagnose & fix issues as compared to carbed models, nothing more nothing less. However if you have a good tuner and he works cheap, and your prepared for more expensive repair bills than with a carbed model, then you should be very happy with the ski. Just don't go in thinking its all going to be rose petals and puppies when it needs to be fixed.

Just keep in mind that DI's are a bit beyond the average DIY user, and many mechanics that are very qualified to work on carbed models will be leery of the DI.

A broken version of that model is for sale in my area right now... engine needs work, great condition otherwise, on a really really nice trailer, he's asking $600 and its been for sale for 3 weeks at that price, nobody wants it. If it had been a carbed model, it would have been sold on the first weekend.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

the reason people say to not buy them are they have a faulty fuel system on them, and when they start having problems...they can get very expensive to repair because it is way more complicated than a carb or even RFI model (they have to have much higher fuel pressure) and often times people throw money at them hoping they have fixed their problem when they havent. That is all, yes they are great skis when running, but at this point they are 10 years old so alot of problems have started coming up around the forum. Plus they have the 951, which yes are great motors, but have a much shorter lifetime than like the 787. The carb models people can fairly easily fix their fuel systems for less than $200. And that includes carb rebuild and fuel lines and anything else you can think of

EDIT: Spim beat me to it

 

[ezekielguy86]

Hmmmm. Well I don't know what to do now. I gave a $200 non refundable deposit to hold the ski. Do you think I will be able to get my money back out of it in the spring if everything runs good?

 

[Spimothy Leary]

Hmmmm. Well I don't know what to do now. I gave a $200 non refundable deposit to hold the ski. Do you think I will be able to get my money back out of it in the spring if everything runs good?

yes you can and will, actually its possible you'll make a couple hundred profit.

80% of new pwc buyers won't research anything before making a purchase, so frankly, if it starts and run's on the trailer, you'll have absolutely no trouble selling it.

most buyers don't do a test ride, most buyers don't know the difference between a carbed model and a DI, they just think,,, "hey that's fancy inside just like my car", most buyers do not factor in a repair budget or try to find models that are easier to repair, in other words, most buyers will really like your ski, and you should have no issues moving it along, just don't break it !!!

 

[kicker]

As stated, take it for a test run, if it checks out ok buy it, clean it up and sell it in the spring good chance you'll make a few bucks. If there is any doubt after your test run, ask for the $200 back if he does not return it run anyway, you will eat up that $200 with your first diagnostic test, and like the others have said you wont know what your into.

 

[ezekielguy86]

Ok great sounds good. Thanks for the help. If I get this thing and it just runs perfect is there any hope of keeping it running right. Things I need to know about to make sure it does. Or is there a similar ski that is carbed? I really like the look and size of the ski.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I dislike the reverse gate on the 01+s

I like the 99-00 version more...

the 01 is backwards dammit!

 

[lamajama]

Maybe I'm a fool but I have the 2- 2001 DI's and yes the quirks can be annoying but so far it's been the usual for a DI - a rectifier
went but the other 2 issues would have happened in a carbed model as well. And I agree with others - more finicky but when they
are running good they are great - and great fuel economy too (well....vs a carbed model )

 

[ezekielguy86]

Maybe I'm a fool but I have the 2- 2001 DI's and yes the quirks can be annoying but so far it's been the usual for a DI - a rectifier
went but the other 2 issues would have happened in a carbed model as well. And I agree with others - more finicky but when they
are running good they are great - and great fuel economy too (well....vs a carbed model )

How long have you owned your? What do you do to keep them running correctly? What issues have you had?

 

[Strizzo]

thats the thing with the DI skis, they can be fine one day, and the next some sensor isn't acting right and it throws the whole system for a loop. you need special tools to read the trouble codes, otherwise you can only guess at what the issue might be. this is why they are not recommended for first timers, and most people that have a bit of experience with the carb skis don't want anything to do with the more complicated fuel inected skis. if you watch your budget, you can get an early 4tec that needs a bit of cleaning up for what a good running DI might go for and it will be more reliable than a DI 951 if you stick to a non-sc 4tec.

 

[lamajama]

How long have you owned your? What do you do to keep them running correctly? What issues have you had?

On one I had the exhaust hose burn out and on the other (which is one I basically got at the end of the season). I got an error
message after I got it home - the charging system was not working and I needed to replace the rectifier - which apparently
is a common issue on DI's. The 2nd issue on the newer one was getting maximum 6400 RPM's - which traced back to a broken
vacuum hose on the rave valve system. The last trip with the one I already had (in late August) I put on about 30 hours that week
and 300+ miles with no problems whatsoever. Well one - it was a bit choppy one day so I let my wife take mine and I
took the 2 seater. Then she wanted a 3 seater. We're into the cruising and trips so it does fit....

 

[ezekielguy86]

What type of tool reads it. Is it simular to a obd 2 reader?

Still trying to figure out what needs to be done to keep everything up and running. Far as regular maintenance and running correctly.

 

[lamajama]

What type of tool reads it. Is it simular to a obd 2 reader?

Still trying to figure out what needs to be done to keep everything up and running. Far as regular maintenance and running correctly.

As far as regular maintenance goes, it's the same as any 2 stroke with perhaps the exception that you need to keep the battery
well charged. Some advocate adding a battery disconnect switch as apparently DI's drain the battery faster than the others when they sit. As far as the known issues as far as I know - the fuel pump or rectifier those will go "when they go". Not much if anything can be done
on those fronts. I'm not sure of the reader but thankfully I have a good relationship with a shop that like beverages and will read
it for me. :cheers: