New to PWC

[JackJones]

Hey guys,
My name is Carl I'm currently living in Manchester in the uk. A friend of mine threw an idea in my face just the other day, he said "why don't we buy a jet ski for the summer" so... The fool I am I decided to jump on board and chuck in to our very own seadoo just today, kinda foolish but also kinda looking forward to maybe some fun days ahead this summer, I have a couple of quick questions and would love some free friendly advice from you guys... SO here goes.....

We paid what I think is a fair price on a seadoo xp ltd 98 with trailer (£1700 was the asking price and we haggled him down to £1550) do you guys think we have been ripped or have we done ok ?

Will I struggle to source parts for this ski, does anyone know of good prices places I can buy from ?

How long will this run without needing servicing etc.. What do you recommend we do to it after every use ?

I do have more questions but I think this is enough to get the conversation rolling, thanks in advance for any input. Here is a pick of what I got.

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[Coastiejoe]

Really need more info to help you.

How many hours on the engine? Do you know if it is the original engine? Based on your comments I am pretty sure you did not do a compression test. This is a VERY important thing to do especially true if yo did not do a test ride. Do the test and post the results and we can give you a clue as to how much life is left on the engine.

I see you paid in Pounds, where are you located? Prices vary from country to country and even state to state based on weather and how often skis can be used. Things in Florida go much cheaper than things in Northern USA. Cross the boarder into Canada and the prices jump higher yet.

In Florida the price would be nearly half of what you paid. Upper USA boarder probably closer to a grand-ish...

 

[seadoodoopartsofcf]

Well at the exchange rate now which really bums me out that about $2550.00 usd. In our area that's a bit high but all in all I think you got a good deal. Ebay usually is the number 1 source for parts, there are some guys on here that sell parts that are very good also. You need to assume that nothing had been serviced...big determination would be the amount of hours that are on the machine...also what you do after each use would be determined by the type of water your running it in ie: salt water/fresh water etc.

 

[JackJones]

Thanks for your reply, I'll be sure to do a compression test as soon as I am able, I actually live in the UK and these things are kinda hard to find around here, hehe. As for the hours I'll have to check when I next go to the garage, it's stored at my friends. I do know it did have a full engine rebuild 2 years ago as I have the papers. Apparently not been rode much since but was a couple of years since the rebuild. It apparently has been serviced.

I'm completely new to PWC so if I have made a mistake I'll just have to deal with it and learn from it. I'll get back with more info as soon as I can. (It's late here so I'm off to sleep) gn


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[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Congratulations, may you enjoy your ski tremendously!

That said, hopefully you have a thorough knowledge on engines of the 2-stroke variety and good wrenching skills.

Assuming the above is true, you might have a head start if the previous owner was also an experienced gearhead. If he/she was a granny with no idea of how to perform maintenance you may want to get started now, before summer arrives.

The fuel system on these is the most critical for being in proper operating condition or else engine damage can become the result. This includes the oiling system, 2-strokes need both a healthy diet of fuel and the proper oil in the correct amounts or else engine damage will be the result. For instance, it is the fuel that carries the lubricating oil throught the engine, so if you have one cylinder that's not receiving fuel then it's also not being oiled, and a piston moving up and down at thousands of times per second which has no lubrication will quickly disintegrate.

Also, check the cylinder compression. This diagnostic will give you an idea of where to begin your shopping list, or perhaps change the path entirely.

Quality 2-stroke oil is your best friend, don't be stingy and make sure it gets to where it needs to be on a constant basis, your new baby needs it's generous nourishment.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Welcome to the best seadoo site out there and welcome to the sickness that is seadoos.

I can be a good source for parts...I have many XPLs apart including a couple 98s. Ship worldwide.

 

[JackJones]

Thanks guys, feeling welcome to this site already and now have a good idea on what I need to get checked before the summer comes, I'll try to keep you guys posted on any updates, is there any material on my ski I can use to get to know the inside of it ? Would be nice to know my way around it before touching it hehe. I'm fast learning with hands on things.


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[Coastiejoe]

If you become a premium member you can download manuals for free.

One thing you don't want tondo is run the ski out of the water for anything longer than a half of a minute. There is a shaft seal that is easy to hurt if not in the water and the engine itself gets hot fast when running out of the water.

Yes you can attach a hose to keep the engine cool but the shaft seal would not be protected.

 

[JackJones]

Good to know, thanks for the tip will keep that in mind we are going to test it this weekend, if I find any issues I'll report back here for some help hehe.


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[JackJones]

How much is it to become a premium member ? I'm contemplating it, can it be done through the app or will I have to do it on the PC ?


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[Spimothy Leary]

i'd also suggest purchasing a grease gun, I think there are a couple of zerk fittings that would appreciate a squeeze of lubricant.

 

[JackJones]

Is there a certain type of grease I would need or just any half decent brand ?


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[RodInEscondido]

Is there a certain type of grease I would need or just any half decent brand ?


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full synthetic grease

NOT just 2-stroke oil, must use pwc 2-stroke oil and more specific, that for SeaDoos. several threads on this forum address the oil issue, but I cannot guess what is available to you locally.

Good luck with your new machine, hopefully all is well with it and you have a lot of fun.

Rod

 

[Coastiejoe]

full synthetic grease

NOT just 2-stroke oil, must use pwc 2-stroke oil and more specific, that for SeaDoos. several threads on this forum address the oil issue, but I cannot guess what is available to you locally.

Good luck with your new machine, hopefully all is well with it and you have a lot of fun.

Rod

He was referring to grease as in what would be in a grease gun..

Get a decent marine grease as it holds up MUCH better in water environments.

 

[Coastiejoe]

How much is it to become a premium member ? I'm contemplating it, can it be done through the app or will I have to do it on the PC ?


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I did mine via a computer... Let me look around via my iPhone App.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Ok. Don't see a way via the app. Go to the site on your mobile phone via the web. Then on the upper right click FULL SIte. You will see a sentence written in red ink saying premium membership available. Click on that sentence.

 

[JackJones]

Yeah I can't log in on the full site because I don't know what my pass is, is there anyway I can change it in the app so I can log in online ? Thanks for the help by the way


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[JackJones]

Never mind my last post I have sorted it, also I have paid for 2 years premium, let's hope I get a fair exchange for my buck from this site haha


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[Mike99]

Welcome aboard, JackJones! I purchased my first Seadoo in September of this year, and we share the same engine. The 951 engine is scary fun fast! I too have some work to do this winter. I had been lurking on this site for a couple of years before the purchase, gleaning a ton of information, so I knew what I was in for... I have plans to replace the old Tempo fuel lines, replace the oil injection lines and filter. I need to change the jet pump oil, as well. Get a copy of the service manual, as it is a wealth of information. It will also show you how to winterize the engine, which is very important this time of year.

Mike

 

[Coastiejoe]

The wealth of knowledge from this site is truly amazing. I would be shocked if you are disappointed with your purchase. On behalf of the site, thank you for your premium membership.

 

[JackJones]

Cheers mike! If you do any work on your ski would you be able to video what your doing and maybe upload to YouTube for me ? it's cool if you can't but would help me millions pal.


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[Spimothy Leary]

JJ,
to summarize:

1) I love this site, chock full of friendly helpful peeps.

2) ask questions, don't hesitate, especially in the winter, we get bored ! When you have a specific question, feel free to use the keyword search feature, many times the question has already been asked and answered, i've piggybacked a few times onto older threads with a similar issue/problem being discussed and threw my question on the end if I needed to narrow things down.

3) don't hesitate to use the parts section and post a WTB if you need a part, we have a couple of full time parts sellers, and a few of us that are just parts hoarders and don't mind selling items that we don't intend to use right away. hopefully that won't be needed right away but that depends on your "luck" with this purchase, how hard the ski had been previously ridden, and how well the owner did on keeping up with the maintenance. Being in the UK your in a bit of an untenable situation because of the limited market for parts, but I assume you knew that going in. Having a partner helps, since your costs will be cut in half.

re: your ski, I think the group covered some of the basics.... Compression is a must check item, then some maintenance issues should be addressed as well, lubricating fittings, possibly draining fuel tank, using the right oil, a good cleaning obviously, and maybe a pump pull/inspect/rebuild (possibly the same with the carbs) would be things on my list. The advantage you have is that you have some winter ahead of you to get the ski in tip top shape and ready for the spring.

Isn't manchester pretty much in the middle of the UK ?

Will most of your riding be in fresh/flat water or are you planning trips to the coast ?

 

[JackJones]

Yeah Manchester is kinda in the middle, more north west tho. Luckily it's only 1 hour to lands end from where I am situated and we do have a lot of lakes near by as we are surrounded by a mountainous region. I have just purchased my compression kit and will get it mid week ready for testing the ski, I have downloaded the manual and took some pointers from it and will start what I can to prepare the ski before our first outing.

Thanks for the heads up and I'm sure I'll be back on here next week looking for more answers to questions we have, hehe.


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[Seadoobuddy]

Yeah Manchester is kinda in the middle, more north west tho. Luckily it's only 1 hour to lands end from where I am situated and we do have a lot of lakes near by as we are surrounded by a mountainous region. I have just purchased my compression kit and will get it mid week ready for testing the ski, I have downloaded the manual and took some pointers from it and will start what I can to prepare the ski before our first outing.
Thanks for the heads up and I'm sure I'll be back on here next week looking for more answers to questions we have, hehe.

One tip about the manual. Put it on a thumb drive and take it to a print shop and have it printed and bound in a binder of some sort. It's easy to reference that way instead of viewing it on a laptop or PC.

 

[seadoodoopartsofcf]

One tip about the manual. Put it on a thumb drive and take it to a print shop and have it printed and bound in a binder of some sort. It's easy to reference that way instead of viewing it on a laptop or PC.

good advice... I never get to the binding and covering with those protective plastic covers my shop manuals look like the swamp thing got a hold of them..