New project sea doos - 1996 SPX and GSX

[SuperEnzo]

Hi my name is Ethan and I thought if share my newest purchase with the members of this forum while hoping to gain some insight on my sea doos. So let me give a little introduction about my self. I just graduated from my senior year of high school and I will be attending clarkson university in potsdam New York next year where I will be studying mechanical engineering. Now I'm new to pwc's but I'm no stranger to mechanics. I'm only 18 but I have owned several motorcycles, all purchased and maintained by myself - 1975 kawasaki g3, 1982 kz550 ltd, 1982 CB900F, and an 88 XR250- seeing as how I work and can make money to support my hobbies/ way of life. I've done everything from crank and bearing replacement to top ends and transmissions. I have never had a pwc, rather dreamed. So when I found a set of 1996 skis- GSX and SPX- on a decent double trailer for $600 I jumped on it. Now let me tell you a little bit about these skis-

1996 Sea Doo Spx
- this skis has an SBT motor with an unknow amount of hours. Hull is in good shape as is the drive unit from what I can see. However, the actual engine is a different story. The owner claimed the engine was in working order but was not in running condition due to electrical woes. I'm no sucker and a firm believer of "no free lunch". Turns out the motor is locked up solid. Trying to the the engine over with a wrench on the flywheel shows no dice. Locked up solid. So I have the engine sitting with pb blaster in the spark plug holes hoping it's just rust from sitting but who knows, disassembly will reveal the answer. So there's my 1996 spx

1996 sea doo gsx
- so this ski is in better condition than the spx based on the hull however the engine is reportedly toast. Before attempting to do any repairs I hooked up a known and tested car battery to my gsx. With the programmed key/ lanyard installed I expected to here the beeps and see the hour indication on the computer display. No dice once again. The ski is getting no electrical power. No further inspection or tracing of said problem has been done yet because I'm unsure of where to start. I'm strong in my electrical prowess so I will delve into it soon. The engine is shot according to the previous owner. He said one of his kids started the ski after it was flipped with water in the hull- which probably hydro locked the motor and blew something. major engine work is anticipated.


So here I have 2 sea doos with buggered engines sitting in my drive way as my next project. Each is going to take significant time to diagnose and fix.

My question is are these skis worth it to fix? I can easily recuperate my money I believe as the trailer has to be worth a good penny and the skis for parts. Before I go and start spending money, do you think these skis are worth the hastel or should I find something in better shape? I'm not afraid of the work. I know I can do it and I've done it all before. I just want another opinion besides the voice in my head. If you have any questions for me please ask away so I can give more information.

Thankyou.

 

[PGHMAN]

Ethan, welcome to the best source of info for Seadoos. I discovered the forum when I purchase my 1st ski (98 GTX RFI) last year about this time. There's a wealth of information on the site plus many wonderful guys offering years of experience.
It sounds like you have a very good mechanical background and should have not issues with your rebuilds. Like you, many years ago, I tinkered with motorcycles and cars which added to my rebuild.
Some will suggest purchasing a motor with a no fault warranty but at this time of year the shops are slammed with long turn around times. If you enjoy tinkering....rebuild yourself like I did. I was hesitant at first but after many hours studying the manual and posts to the site I took the leap. It took about five weeks but much of the time is waiting on parts.
You'll discover there's some start-up costs, such as specialty tools and sealants. My build total was close to $900 (close to rebuilt with warranty) which included a new OEM rebuilt crank, pistons/bore and full gasket set. I would suggest OEM gaskets if you can find them...I had some issues with some aftermarket gaskets.
In regard to your question "is it worth it" well if you don't have any electrical gremlins you may be ok. Faulty MPEMS, rectifiers, etc will significantly add to the cost. Two skis with a trailer for $600 breaks down to $200 each .
I am certain others with more experience will chime-in as soon the sun rises . Post some pics and let's see what you got.

 

[PGHMAN]

Ethan, welcome to the best source of info for Seadoos. I discovered the forum when I purchase my 1st ski (98 GTX RFI) last year about this time. There's a wealth of information on the site plus many wonderful guys offering years of experience.
It sounds like you have a very good mechanical background and should have not issues with your rebuilds. Like you, many years ago, I tinkered with motorcycles and cars which added to my rebuild.
Some will suggest purchasing a motor with a no fault warranty but at this time of year the shops are slammed with long turn around times. If you enjoy tinkering....rebuild yourself like I did. I was hesitant at first but after many hours studying the manual and posts to the site I took the leap. It took about five weeks but much of the time is waiting on parts.
You'll discover there's some start-up costs, such as specialty tools and sealants. My build total was close to $900 (close to rebuilt with warranty) which included a new OEM rebuilt crank, pistons/bore and full gasket set. I would suggest OEM gaskets if you can find them...I had some issues with some aftermarket gaskets.
In regard to your question "is it worth it" well if you don't have any electrical gremlins you may be ok. Faulty MPEMS, rectifiers, etc will significantly add to the cost. Two skis with a trailer for $600 breaks down to $200 each .
I am certain others with more experience will chime-in as soon the sun rises . Post some pics and let's see what you got.

 

[SuperEnzo]

Thankyou for the quick reply phhman. I hope to study this forum further and gain as much knowledge as possible. There is definitely electrical problems with both skis that will need hunting down but these skis are simple compared to car and motorcycle wiring. I've included some pictures to show you what I'm up against. :thumbsup:


Picture time!!

 

[SuperEnzo]

I prefer to do engine work myself and I think these skis will be a challenge but I can do it. I do have a fair amount of quality tools I have accumulated. My plan is to totally disassemble each engine, one at a time in order to see what I'm up against. Does this sound like a good plan? I don't know what the procedure is for diagnosing pwc as you have to factor in the fact that the machine needs to be sea worthy before anything else, along with the fact that I've never owned a boat before.