Just bought some GTX's

[Dmpaul89]

Hello, New to the forum, Just bought this pair of Seadoo GTX's And I have a few questions. I found these on Facebook marketplace for the bargain price of $750 with the trailer. The lady who owned them however Does not know anything about them as her husband did all the wrenching and they are now separated. All she could tell me is that they were working last year on the water, and that one of them had a steering issue (seems to be stiff). the skis had a current registration so I hope that is true. Both batteries were dead so I removed them and have charged them. Thats all I have done so far. I have never owned a seadoo, But I did have a waverunner in the past so I have a little experience with PWC's. I guess my first question is, how many of you are still using the oil injection system and how do I tell if these are bypassed? Im going to attempt to start them today. Anything else I should check? Do they have to be running for the Info display to work? any common faults that should be addressed now?

Thanks!

 

[Ckrawiec]

Nice purchase.....prepare yourself for the FUN stuff now...hopefully you have good runners (but they are 24 years old, so don't expect everything to be perfect right out of the gate).

1) Charge batteries (skis are useless without good battery power....personally I'd have them load tested at any AutoZone/parts store
2) you should see 2 little 3/32" TYGON oil lines coming from the front of the engine (oil pump) to the carbs. If not, then the oil pump has probably been removed/blocked off (WHICH IS NOT RECOMMENDED - seadoo oiling systems are generally very reliable and it is a myth that blocking off the oil pump and going pre-mix will increase the life of the motor...you'll just spend more money on oil
3) With a good battery installed...does the ski "wake up" when you press the button once (without installing the key)? Good -if yes
4) Do these skis have DESS? - not sure if that came along in 1996 though. If yes, do the skis beep-beep if you plug the key in? If not, bad buzzer maybe
5) do the skis have grey fuel lines? If yes - BAD, replace all with 1/4" black automotive fuel lines, including fuel selector switches. If NO, good, somebody already did that....grey tempo fuel lines gunk up the fuel system.
6) I'd assume some carb service will be needed.....rebuilds with genuine MIKUNI carb kits ONLY....if grey fuel lines...assume the internal carb filters are gunky.

That'll get you started.....lots of other good stuff to consider (mostly electrical - as/if necessary).

BTW: Running skis on the trailer (in the air, on the hose) will tell us very little about running skis in the water...they really need to be on the water (on a trailer is fine) to really diagnose any potential issues.

Happy trails and good luck!

 

[Dmpaul89]

Thanks for the tips. they do have grey fuel lines. I just put the charged batteries in and the starter growls something awefull on one. I took the plugs out and its turning over, just very slow. I think this one is going to need a new starter. Looks like a bear to replace. Do I have to remove the manifold or is it possible to do it as is?

The other ski does nothing when I hit the start button, the button does not "click" and looks worn so maybe its a bad switch.

 

[mikidymac]

I would bet the batteries are bad.
Have them tested before you do anything. Once dead these batteries don't come back.

 

[Ckrawiec]

Oh well.....it all starts at the battery...so get KNOWN GOOD batteries into the ski(s). Anything else you do won't mean bupkus until the ski gets full voltage....do not assume brand new batteries are good either.....have the batteries load tested.

Also, get your hands on the shop manual...you WILL need it.

The trailer is probably worth $750.00....you got 2 skis for free basically....good for you....but in the OLDER seadoo world.....free is never really free!!!! - patience, persistence and cold beers will be necessary all along the way! Let the journey begin......

 

[Dmpaul89]

I found that the other Seadoo has a bad start switch, I can jump the harness wires and wirl it over. I found that this ones cylinders are very oily. I cleaned out the cylinders and it will fire and run for a few secnds and then the plugs get soaked with oil again. Is there a crankcase drain on these motors? or should I just keep cleaning/Starting till its cleared out? I have done this procedure 5 or six times with no improvement.

 

[Ckrawiec]

I found that the other Seadoo has a bad start switch, I can jump the harness wires and wirl it over. I found that this ones cylinders are very oily. I cleaned out the cylinders and it will fire and run for a few secnds and then the plugs get soaked with oil again. Is there a crankcase drain on these motors? or should I just keep cleaning/Starting till its cleared out? I have done this procedure 5 or six times with no improvement.

Smarter people than I will chime in about the oil situation (Mikdymac???)...but if I'm not mistaken and am comprehending what I have read along the way....sounds like crankcase seal failure OR possible ring problems??? I'm out of my element on that scope......so I'll be reading and learning myself on that front....

 

[Ckrawiec]

I found that the other Seadoo has a bad start switch, I can jump the harness wires and wirl it over. I found that this ones cylinders are very oily. I cleaned out the cylinders and it will fire and run for a few secnds and then the plugs get soaked with oil again. Is there a crankcase drain on these motors? or should I just keep cleaning/Starting till its cleared out? I have done this procedure 5 or six times with no improvement.

This is probably a TOTAL shot in the dark...but under the circumstances of your acquiring these skis....if the hubby either knew the situation was not good at home and/or he knew the skis were going to be out of service for a while.....I could speculate that he poured oil into the cylinders to keep then from rusting out and seizing over time.....who knows......just spitballing that idea......MAYBE you can just keep cleaning them out (HOW are you doing that BTW????)

 

[mikidymac]

If you can get it running the oil should burn out.
But.......
If it doesn't or comes back really quickly like overnight then your crank seals are shot. The only way to fix it is to take the engine apart and replace the crankshaft.

If it is a slow leak like over a few days you can put a valve on the rotary cavity oil lines as a temporary fix.

 

[benjilafouine]

Did you remove the old gas and put fresh one in the tanks? Also, if you are able to crank the engines, I would take a compression test first thing.

 

[mikidymac]

If the engines are still full of oil the compression test will be falsely high.

 

[benjilafouine]

Yeah, I was about to correct my post... Oil needs to be gone to perform the test.

 

[Dmpaul89]

was able to keep it running on carb cleaner for a few seconds but discovered it was starving for fuel. so I took the carbs off and am going to order a rebuild kit. when I pulled the fuel lines off I see a lot of that green gunk everyone talks about. Guess I will replace the fuel lines too. after those things I will restart and assess the oil issue, Just could'nt keep it running long enough to burn the oil all out so far. I was using carb cleaner to flush the cylinders with and whirling it over with the plugs out. I did do a compression test on this ski they were 130-150 ish (cheap gauge). The bolts holding the carbs on were a real Pain to get out I ended up only getting 3/4 out and (I know this sounds crazy) took a pry bar and bent the carbs upward so I could cut the last bolt with a Dremel. I will need a new bolt there, the threads were not siezed- it was the long shank going through the carb body that was froze.

havent touched the other ski, have a new starter on order for it.

 

[JeremyD615]

Quit with the carb cleaner! That’s a bad idea on two strokes, as it will wash the lubrication off of the bearings...

You do need to go through the fuel system and rebuild the carbs (With only GENUINE Mikuni Kits!), but in your case, I would try to get the oil out of the crankcase and see if I could get it to run on premix first... Just keep cranking on it for a few seconds at a time with the plugs out until it clears up. It takes much longer than you would think to get it totally clear... Unless you’re totally committed to making these run, even if you have to replace a motor, I would check to see if those crank seals are holding before I spent the money on the fuel system...

 

[mikidymac]

Yes, ABSOLUTELY NO CARB CLEANER!

Make a little premix in a bottle and use that to keep it running.