New Owner. Point me in the right direction? :(

[JDW124]

Hello everyone, pretty excited to be a new owner of a SeaDoo, always wanted to . I obtained two SeaDoo's by unfortunate circumstances (as payment for a debt), I've got a few questions to try to identify my models and value.

I'm hoping they are at least worth $2,500 including the trailer. I have the trailer, and a Bombardier GTI and Bombardier G something lol. The only reference to year I found is on a cover to the storage and engine. One says 1997 and the other 1988. Batteries are dead, spark plugs seem to be a tad bit dirty.

Where do you all reckon I should start with this? My first time ever owning anything that goes in the water. Any help and tips would be highly appreciated! =D:hurray:

 

[- BiRkS_]

I would siphon all the old gas out of both machines and put new gas in. Check/drain/clean the fuel water separator, which should be just above the fuel tank (remove the front cargo liner and should be right under steering colum). Put new spark plugs in and try to charge the batteries. (make sure all the cells are topped up with DISTILLED WATER) If the batteries loose charge quickly, save yourself alot of trouble and buy new batteries. (usually a standard atv/snowmobile battery) NEVER BOOST A DEAD BATTERY CONNECTED TO THE SEA DOO-IT WILL FRY THE ELECTRONICS! Also as a precaution, put a small amount of methylhydrate, to get rid of any water in the fuel system. Check and make sure the butterfly valves are free in the carbs and make sure the fuel shut off is "on" or is pointing at the green gas pump. Hope this helps.

 

[JDW124]

Sweet. Gives me something to start with, :hurray:. Also would you know of anything online that can decode the identification number and give me what model it is? Is Bombardier the entire SeaDoo line or a certain model?

 

[- BiRkS_]

I forgot to tell you this.... Check the level of oil in the reservoirs. (lift the seat and you should be able to see it). If you have close to 3 inches or more of oil, you have enough to take it for a test run. Depending on how long these sea doo's sat. You might want to put a little storage oil into the cylinders and turn the engine over to lubricate all the bearings. I will worn you in advance. Sea doo injection oil is VERY expensive and you have to be sure to get the right oil. I get my oil from uxbridge small engines and its labeled "BULK". Its 20-30$ per jug. Another thing you will want to check is the jet pump oil. now this reservoir is hard to find, its on the outside of the sea doo, usually on top of the jet output nozel. If you need any more help, just ask! I hope you can get these sea doos running!

 

[seadooya]

JDW...congrats on your puchase. Without knowing the history of these skis, i'd suggest you pull the carbs, go thru them, replace the grey fuel lines, and put new fresh syn. oil in the pump assy.

As for yr/mdl...pics would help, but locate the VIN tag and last two #'s are yuor year of ski, as for model, if the stickers/decal have been removed, and you cant post pics, then describe if they're 2-seater or 3-seater and colors along w/ years.

As for "tune-ups" for your skis, and you dont feel confident doing the task, i'm in orange county, hit me up if interested...:cheers:

 

[JDW124]

Sweet, thanks guys! And that VIN tip worked. So far I know they're both 1997 models and one is a GTI and the other is an XP. I'm pretty comfortable with mechanics (work on my car all the time) so I assume it shouldn't be too different yeah? lol. Can't wait to get these puppies up and running and head on over to the DMV for registration too.

Thanks for the offer seadooya! Will probably end up hittin' ya' up when I get stuck LOL. Also is there a good online parts store for these? Or will the local car parts shop have some "universal" parts?

Thanks again for the help guys, it's highly appreciated and I feel like I'm getting somewhere with these instead of seeing it as just more stuff in my garage haha.

 

[voodoo]

One important thing to remember as Birks posted, NEVER connect the boat/ski itself to a battery charger or a running vehicle - this causes instant death to the electronics, before you go riding off into the sunset you may want to take some time and dip at the side ramp and remove the seat - start the motors without leaving the trailer, this way you can run the motor/s while watching for any fuel/oil/water leaks, you can touch the hoses and feel the warmth and even check the charging by lifting the throttle a little to get all the juices flowing, if you see something leaking you can drive to the lot and try to fix it or maybe head back home - doing this in the beginning of each season takes away almost all the breakdown drama giving you more smiles per hour.

 

[JDW124]

Thank God I you guys told me about the jump thing, I was pondering on using a jump starter battery to test the machines out, phew! As for running it out of the water, I imagine for a short period only? I always had the idea that PWC's would overheat out of the water since they are water cooled?

Here are some pictures I took this morning, I can't figure out how to open the engine compartment on the XP though. Been crackin' at it but just can't figure it out. :banghead:. AND I'm under the impression that I need a safety lanyard? I see the switch where it goes and I suppose without that lanyard I can't turn them on, correct?

 

[JDW124]

Well I now know that jumpstarting is a no no. But what if I disconnect the battery and connect a car battery to it to turn it on? Is that just way too many amps? Or even those portable batteries? I'm terrified to try it without asking.

 

[- BiRkS_]

you could try jumpstarting the old batties IF YOU DISCONNECT the battery from the positive and negative leads. Top up all the cells with distilled water and then you could jump the battery. After giving the battery a little charge, then you can put it in the sea doo and try to start it.
I've never tried to use one of those little power packs but it would probably work. Disconnect the leads from the battery and connect the leads directly to the power pack. Be very careful not to have the leads touch each other or anything else. If you do get them running, you have 30 seconds before things start to heat up and cause dammage. You can connect a hose to the water intake, which would help keep it cool. Do this in an area where there is alot of ventalation and where noise is not a problem. Odds are, when you start them for the first time, you will have a huge cloud of smoke.

 

[JDW124]

Awesome! I was hoping so, heh. Can't wait for wednesday, getting paid and hopefully get both of these puppies running. Although afterwards the DMV nightmare, ugh. lol