• This site contains eBay affiliate links for which Sea-Doo Forum may be compensated.

I'm a total n00b to owning these and i need help!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
I had the exact same problem as you with the exact same symptoms on a 1996 XP 800 I was just working on. Ski ran great on my driveway then the owner took it out and after about a minute of riding it would not start and he tried new plugs and nothing but it tried one or two times. I got it back and the spark plugs were wet but had good spark and compression. I turned the fuel off and grounded the plug wires and when I cranked it with the plugs out lots of fuel shot out of the spark plug holes. BINGO! Flooded big time. I cranked it a few times with paper towels over the holes and throttle wide open to clear the fuel. I cleaned the plugs with brake cleaner and hooked everything back up but kept the fuel off. It fired and puked all kinds of black goo and fuel all over my driveway. I then turned the fuel back on and it ran fine but.... With pressure in the tank I could hear fuel running so I pulled off the air cleaner and with a mirror I could see fuel dripping from the bomb sight in the rear carb. When I pulled the carbs apart again there was a small piece of plastic like a tooth brush bristle in the needle and seat keeping it from closing.

I would bet you have leaking needle and seats. Blow some pressure into the fuel tank throught the check valve where your hood closes with your mouth and take the air cleaner off so you can see into the carbs with the fuel on and a mirror I bet you are going to see fuel leaking, drip, drip, drip into the carbs.
 
I had the exact same problem as you with the exact same symptoms on a 1996 XP 800 I was just working on. Ski ran great on my driveway then the owner took it out and after about a minute of riding it would not start and he tried new plugs and nothing but it tried one or two times. I got it back and the spark plugs were wet but had good spark and compression. I turned the fuel off and grounded the plug wires and when I cranked it with the plugs out lots of fuel shot out of the spark plug holes. BINGO! Flooded big time. I cranked it a few times with paper towels over the holes and throttle wide open to clear the fuel. I cleaned the plugs with brake cleaner and hooked everything back up but kept the fuel off. It fired and puked all kinds of black goo and fuel all over my driveway. I then turned the fuel back on and it ran fine but.... With pressure in the tank I could hear fuel running so I pulled off the air cleaner and with a mirror I could see fuel dripping from the bomb sight in the rear carb. When I pulled the carbs apart again there was a small piece of plastic like a tooth brush bristle in the needle and seat keeping it from closing.

I would bet you have leaking needle and seats. Blow some pressure into the fuel tank throught the check valve where your hood closes with your mouth and take the air cleaner off so you can see into the carbs with the fuel on and a mirror I bet you are going to see fuel leaking, drip, drip, drip into the carbs.

great minds think alike.... thats why i mentioned it
 
need to get cylinder cleaned out with fuel, so leave the fuel turned off and try to get all the fuel out of cylinder. and if its getting that much fuel u might need to ck the needle and seat
 
There is no dripping at all....in each carb, a drip has formed, but hasn't gotten big enough to actually drip. Been the same for the last 20 minutes or so...
 
if ur cylinders are cleaned i would put a set of fresh plugs in and leave the gas off and try to start it. if it does start it will probably only run for a few seconds, but try to get u unflooded.
 
Only way to eliminate the needle and seat for sure is to pressure check the needle and seat. If the spring is weak or installed incorrectly it could take more than a little pressure to make them leak and as soon as they get some fuel pressure they are flooding the engine. You could try to crank it and look into the carbs, there should be no fuel from the bomb sight when cranking. Please wear safety galsses and be careful. A backfire could remove your eyebrows.
 
Tried everything you guys suggested and still no go. Contacted the guy I bought it from and he's an actual bombardier mechanic, and he offered to have a look at the carbs for me to make sure everything is right. But I really don't think fuel is the issue. It's almost like its not firing under compression or for some reason the fuel isn't igniting ....maybe there's water in it somehow! It's the only thing that makes sense to me. An engine should run if you have fuel, compression and spark, and I have all of those.....I'm almost ready to take the thing out to my fire pit and let her go up in flames lol
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm an idiot!!!!! After my last post, I Googled "water in engine" and learned something new. Apparently your not suppose the hook up a hose to a non-running engine. Which of course I did....to that would explain why it won't start. But how do I get the water out?
 
yea ur not to turn on the water untill the engine is started and ur suppost turn off the water before u shut it down.
 
But how do I fix it?
Pull the plugs ground the spark plug wires onto the ground posts and crank the engine over. Don't crank for to long or you'll burn up the starter. Let it rest an minute or two and crank again. Keep doing this until the water stop shooting out and then try starting it. When you get it started you need to take it out and run it hard and get the engine temperature up to steam off any remaining moisture. Don't forget to change the spark plugs after your shakedown ride.
 
Been purging the water for a while now, and when it looks like its all done, I put the plugs in...roll it over, pull the plugs and what do ya know ....more water!!! Is there a faster way to do this? I feel like I haven't seen my family in days lol
 
No easy way to do it but keep cranking and letting the starter cool. You will have the plugs in and out a few times because the water will bridge the spark plug gap . Just keep doing this untill you get it started then go an ride it to burn out all the remaining water. Do not let it sit with water in it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top