You only need the flywheel puller to split the cases, if you want the pto off as well you will need this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEA-DOO-IMP..._Watercraft_Parts&hash=item4169baf8c4&vxp=mtr
$10
You will need both of these tools to take that apart. Some people use the drive shaft to remove the pto but i dont want to risk bending it while using a pipe wrench on it, the right tools go a long way
I fabricated a piston puller with a long nut, bolt, washer and PVC pipe. If they are not worn, you should be able to resue them.
I am not far from you (Lakeland). I have the impellar tool and the flywheel puller if you need to borrow them.
Here is a link for a gasket set. SBT is in Clearwater, so not that far from you at all.
http://www.shopsbt.com/sea-1997-gsx/48-107.html
Is this gasket set better than the ones on ebay for $59?
Do you think I can rent a fly wheel puller and piston puller from Autozone?
If you want a stock pipe I'll trade you one for that Coffman that was on there.
I'm not trying to take advantage of, or de-tune your ski for you. I always love adding more performance parts to my stack, but my thought is that the pipe may have contributed to that cylinder having low compression. Also I can't tell if it is a rec or race version. I have a rec one and I read that they are not much of an improvement. I like the way it is so light but have not tried it myself yet. If yours is a race version then I would offer more. I would send you a stock one with the welch plug professionally welded over because all stock ones that are not leaking will soon. I just didn't know what direction you wanted to go. If you re-use the pipe then make sure they have changed the jets in the carbs to match it.
Alright I have the engine out and the top end off. I don't see any metal shaving from the rotary disc yet.
At this point does anyone know if I can just flush the crank case and shaft out with one gallon of carb cleaner or do I have to crack the case open?
This is just my opinion, so take it for what its worth to you.
If you have the engine out of the ski & the top end off, I would just spit the case & clean & inspect everything. Unless you find something wrong, its not going to cost you much, just more time. If there is something wrong, now is a good time to find out. If there is just one piece of debris laying in there somewhere & it doesn't flush out, theres a good chance its going to come back and haunt you. Every thing that is in the case, heads upstairs next. There is just no way to completely see under the crank.
Here is a picture from an engine I rebuilt last winter. Lost the top ring land & was shut off immediately after. Look at the mess it made . When I put engines together, everything is as clean as I can possibly make it. I even wear rubber gloves during assembly.
For the money & time it takes to go as far as you have, I would just go the rest of the way.
I'm going to wait till black Friday and see if SBT or Watercraft superstore has any great sales.
That's sucks, I have already been convince by others to pull the crank block apart, the only thing no one has answered was whether I could kept the pistons attach to the crank since there fine then just clean and inspect the crank from just removing the bottom part of the crank case.