Dead cylinder

[opzGTX]

Ok, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question having been reading here all day. Only wish I would have found this site before I bought the ski!!

I bought a 98 GTX Limited last week. I rode it before I bought it and it ran fine. I had it for a week, took it to the lake for the first time on Friday evening and it ran great! My daughter and I played on it for about an hour. Parked it in a slip at the marina overnight. We have our boat in a slip there and we stay all night. The next morning my daughter (she's 7) wants to go for a ride. We get on it and ride for about 5 mins and as we are going down the lake at about 45mph the rpm's start to drop off and the engine dies. I try to start it and it won't crank. 3 seconds later it cranks and starts, but wont pull any rpm's. We limp back to the dock crawling along and it dies 2 more times. So I parked it for the weekend. Monday I have the compression checked and I have 120psi in one, and 75 in another. So it's junked. It has grey fuel line...which I have found out it bad. The fuel strainer has stuff in the bowl when I pulled it(after the fact). It has 120hrs on it.

So, did I most likely go lean and burn a piston? Was this just my dumb luck to have it running when I bought it and this ticking time bomb went off days after I pick it up? I'm pretty sick about it right now.

Well, heck of a way to make a first post...

Mike

 

[Musicmanjer]

Hi Mike,

90% of performance or engine problems are fuel related. If the fuel filter had junk in it, chances are the small filters in the carbs are also plugged up. No, 75psi is not great but it would still run somewhat OK with the unbalanced compression between two cylinders. As long as your oil injector pump is woking or you use premix gas, you should be OK. You will need a top end rebuild at some point for that low comp cylinder, but might get through the season or longer if you are somewhat mechanically inclined and go through the fuel system starting at the tank and replace the grey fuel line with clear racing line (found on Ebay), clean or replace all filters in the fuel path and clean out the fuel selector valve. I had a ski that did that and it ended up being the check valve in the tank was clogged and not allowing gas to flow. It may sound like a lot of work, but if you like the ski, it might be worth it to do. I took a couple of cheap old crappy skis and went through them to gain many wonderful irreplaceable hours of enjoyment with my family at a minimal cost, elbow grease and lots of reading on this forum. Best of luck my freind!
Blessings-Jerry

 

[opzGTX]

Thanks for the reply! I'm going to probably at least pull it apart or have it pulled apart to inspect the cylinder, so might as well do a top end, I just hope that's all it needs. The ski will start back up now, but won't idle without some gas, and if you give it too much gas it dies. Won't build any rpms still. I only tried once after I got home, and that is what it does.

I do want to keep the ski because I don't want to buy a new one and actually I really like this ski, just wish it ran

 

[Rotor13B]

Did you run it out of oil in the oil tank?

 

[opzGTX]

Did you run it out of oil in the oil tank?

Nope the oil tank was full with seadoo oil.

 

[brandon32689]

Ya go threw Carbs first and swap all fuel lines. Is have to disagree with it running fine at 75psi on one side. Is be suprised that it runs in water period. You may be able to get away with just a top end rebiuld.

Just a little advice might want to put ski on trailer at night. Theve been known to sink. There not made to sit there all night. You might come out next time and hull be filled with water. That's no fun lol.