GSX-L 97.5 White Engine, stay away or..

[minigranis]

Hello.
Total newbie but I am plowing through the site searching for info.
Living in Sweden skis here are pretty expensive, so pls dont compare prices to the US.

I am looking at buying a GSX-L 97.5 and the seller says its a 787 engine with 130 hp and its white...
I havent looked at it yet but I suspect its actually the 947 white engine.

My questions:
Is there a hull number or something where I can identify the production year (the ski has been repainted) ?
Since I havent seen any engine live, how can tell if its indeed a 787 or other engine (compared to the 947) ?
It is still possible to get spareparts for the "white" 947 ?

TIA.

 

[ocod]

If its white then its the white motor.
The newer one/replacement in silver.

Most will say stay away!

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

the very rare 1997.5 white 951 130HP was the first 951 to market. It is so overpowered it will eat it's self. the 99-02 951 has been tuned back a bit to increase engine life.

It's the same basic engine, with a few difference, I'm not sure of all of them, but reliability was apparently enough of an issue they changed it in 1998

Many shops rebuild them (in the US) and list the white engine as different from the grey one.

I would stay away due to your parts availability...

 

[Robj]

That is the early 947, and they did have problems. I was looking at buying the same type ski but opted for the more reliable 787 in a 1996.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

the 97 GSX had a 787...if the top deck on the machine is grey its a 97.5 951...if its white its a 97 w/ 800

 

[minigranis]

Many thanks for sharing your thought.
I will go and have a look at the ski and check what motor really is inside.

 

[bhatch21]

Since you said the hull has been repainted, you'll have to look at the engines. Here are some comparison pictures. Notice the 787 has a rectangular, flat cylinder head and the 951 has a rounded, domed cylinder head.

 

[minigranis]

Great, thanks for the pics !!

Talked to the seller today, he claimes that its a GTX 97 Limited with 787 and 130 hp - Something doesnt add upp...
Also the ski has no VTS ? Doesnt all 97 GTX have VTS ? According to the hull# it's a 1997.

I suspect is not a limited GTX but a "normal" one with 787, but should that have VTS ?
I will go and see the ski on saturday.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

if its the 787 its 110 hp.
if its 951 its 130 hp.
maybe it "has" vts, but its not functional, which is expected, they fail all the time.
I wouldn't care either way if a GTX had vts or not personally, i'd set it in the middle and call it a day.
if its the green/white hull i'm 99% sure it came with 787 and VTS stock.

you can tell if its a 787 or 951 very easily by just looking at it... the differences are quite clear just by looking at the heads, you could possibly describe the two heads to the owner over the phone to determine what engine is in there... he's obviously a little lost... you really just need to know if the head is flat or has two round domes on it.

951 head

787 head

i'm not sure on the GSX, now i'm getting confused which one your talking about or not.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

I don't think the GTX's has VTS. I have a 96 and it doesn't have it, but my buddy has a 96 GTi and it has VTS. My 99 GSX has VTS

 

[DA080682]

Is this a GTX or a GSX??? I'm confused. If its a GTX and 97, it has a 787 carb motor from the factory and no VTS. In 98 the GTX was offered in two trim levels, the standard with 787 RFI and the Limited with 947, still no VTS.

Post pics of the hull and engine and we will tell you what you have.

 

[minigranis]

Well short answer is that I dont know and probably the seller doesnt either.
The only pic I have is:


I will post pictures and info when I get it on saturday.

Thanks alot to everyone for helping out.

(And yes I will change the color scheme... )

 

[DA080682]

Well short answer is that I dont know and probably the seller doesnt either.
The only pic I have is:
View attachment 16179

I will post pictures and info when I get it on saturday.

Thanks alot to everyone for helping out.

(And yes I will change the color scheme... )

Thats a 97 GTX and should have a carbed 787 in it. Pics will confirm. And what in the world is up with the half zebra theme?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

That is a 1998 or 1999 GTX. but not a limited in either case. the 'custom' (lol) paint job is throwing me a bit. But the hood / seat are deff close to those years, and it is a GTX or GTI.

 

[kicker]

If the you can still read the sticker on the stern stuck to the side of the hull, the last 4 digits is the model number

97 GSX 787 model #5624

97 GTX 787 model #5642

97.5 GSX LTD 951 white motor flat heads model #5625 (this was considered a 98 model), I believe the last 2 digits of the HIN, (the number on top of the stern deck) will be 98, the third last digit will be 7.

98 GSX LTD 951 carbed model #5629/5845 silver motor rounded heads

98 GTX LTD 951 carbed model #5837/5347

 

[kicker]

Sorry a little slow with my post.

Im guessing a 97 GTX because of the Green seat, the 98 was red.

 

[DA080682]

That is a 1998 or 1999 GTX. but not a limited in either case. the 'custom' (lol) paint job is throwing me a bit. But the hood / seat are deff close to those years, and it is a GTX or GTI.

98 did not have green/white color scheme, it instead had the unique "Champagne and Ice White" color scheme and fake mahogany finish on the glove box.

 

[ocod]

OP That is a 96 GTX for sure.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

The seats could have been put on it and it could be a limited (which meant 951 motor) but most likely its a 96 97 w/ 787.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

[minigranis]

Well looks like its a bit of a guessing game

Thanks again for helping out and I will post more info as I get it.

 

[DA080682]

Well looks like its a bit of a guessing game

Thanks again for helping out and I will post more info as I get it.

One thing for sure, it's NOT a GSX-L 97.5! Like previously posted, HULL number and Sticker will tell you what year the hull should be (assuming someone didn't switch the tag) and a few pics under the seat will tell if its a 787 or 947.

 

[Strizzo]

ok, wow, everyone is giving partial answers. all we can go on is what year the seller says it is, and what they say it is. based on the seat color, i would guess that it is a 96 or 97 GTX. if the lower hull (below the rub rail) is green, [EDIT: sorry, it is a 96 or 97 unless the lower hull is white or gray, 98 gtx rfi was white with champagne hood and seat], as when the GTX Limited came out in 98 with the carbed 951, it had a red lower hull with white upper hull, and red hood and seat. the 98 GTX (non-limited) came with the 787 RFI. IF we assume it is a 97 like the seller says, it should have a 787 carbed engine. so far everything you've said the seller has said is consistent with it being a 787 except for the horsepower number, which was 110 for the 787.

If you have the seller look or take a picture of the hull id number tag on the rear of the ski, the last two digits should be the year model of the ski. the tag is at the base of the seat at the rear of the ski, its the first picture in ocod's post above.


EDIT: see above, its either a 96 or 97 GTX with the 787 carb engine. no worry on it being the 97.5 GSX 951 which was unreliable.

this is a 98 GTX RFI:

 

[racerxxx]

And what in the world is up with the half zebra theme?

I'm with Kicker, get the guy to send you a pic of the HIN Barcode with the model number--if it's still there or at least an engine shot, that will save the OP a trip.

And here is what's up with the Zebra theme, bet this is stuck in your head all day.

[video=youtube_share;_aELcXyjpts]http://youtu.be/_aELcXyjpts[/video]

 

[minigranis]

I have now seen the ski, its indeed a "normal" GTX with a 787.
The number on the plastic part at the back of the ski is: ZZND8123K697 (could be that I misread some numbers/digits)

Here are some pics:

Thank god the seller had removed the "Zebra stripes" that were in the add..
Its been sitting outdoors in Sweden during summer and autumn so it needs a good clean.

Problems are:

• Non working "multifuction display".
• Alot of moisture in speedo.
• Hull needs to be fixed, glass fiber is visable in some spots.
• It bogs and doesnt rev over 4500 rpm (ski has Tempo fuel lines that I will replace and perhaps need a Rave cleanup).
• Seat is torn up.
• Fuel switch is broken (the dial is lost) and disconnected.
• No rear storage box.
• Hinges/Support for the reverse bucket is broken, so no reverse (bucket is not attached to the ski).

Here are some random engine pics:

The ski has been converted to premix, and oil tank is removed. I am a bit worried about this.
I have read that either you should keep the tank or route a oil line between some in/out lets in the block in order to secure oil to a bearing/gear somewhere (I forgot the name of it).
Since I did not know what to look for I could not see how it was done, but I did shoot a lot of pics of the engine.
Can somone pls let me know what to look for ?

Before a deal I will check compression and have the seller start it (its a bit of a gamble not driving it but its to cold here now..)

 

[minigranis]

Ok I have been trying to do my home work on the premix but keep oil tank question.
Seems like its the rotary gears for the rotary valve that needs oil.
I have tried to check for the oil lines in my pics and this is what I came up with.

The oil line in the second pic is the same as the one with the arrow in the first picture.
Should I worry about this or is this OK (but not great..)