RESTO Our 1st 951 ever!!! Resto

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Jetskigoodies

Jetskigoodies

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Well today we picked up this 98 xpl, the owner said the motor was blown up. So we decided to take a chance on this. We paid $500. The good.... The cases appear to be good, the body itself is in great shape. It has Umi bars, finger throttle, after market FA(will be getting sold, am intake grate, am extended ride plate, am impeller, it has beachhouse sponson but one is broken.

The bad, the hood has a hole in it, one sponson is broken, obviously the motor is cooked(maybe).

So our plans are. Order a sbt motor, put on new 2 tone mats, buff it, fix the hood.

Now, we have never worked on a 951 at all. We do not even have a manual yet. So what should we expect to find. We know all the little quirks with the 787 but I am sure there are things that would help with the install and any trouble shooting.

Is there any negatives about this model?
Are there parts that are only specific to this yr/model?
What should we be checking?
Is there certain wearable parts that should get a second look?

Obviously we are not new to seadoo's so the fuel lines, compression 135 on 951's and basics we get. Just hoping to hear from the 951 guys on how to make things go easier and smoothly


We will put a battery in it and see what we get. We have not checked anything, not even trying to turn it over by hand.

We are confident we will make money even if this turns into a parts machine.


My guess is this thing ingested water and popped.

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the 98XPL has a single coil system where all later models had the dual coil system. So the cup on the flywheel was still 787 like and the electronics will not swap with later carbed 951 stuff.

You must buy that special exhaust wrench or you will have to pull the carbs to pull the pipe.

The stupid head gaskets are not O-ring style like out beloved 787's so you have to buy a $30 gasket every time you pull the head.
 
I haven't had a carb'd version yet. But have rebuilt a DI & have two more DI's in the shop currently. My biggest complaint with these things is the air intake system. If there is anything leaking water in the cooling system & it sprays or splashes near the engine, its going into the motor. I personally believe that 951 crank failures have as much to do with water ingestion ruining the bearings, as them being 130 HP.
Both of the DI's I have apart have bad cranks at 85 & 105 hours. Previous owner never fogged the engine during the season, only for winter storage & with lower hours, I know these had been sitting more than running.
 
I'm told SBT does something to the heads to lower compression... is that true?

as for the hole in the side, It's a shame, i just tossed the exact part you'd need... it sat in my basement for almost 2 years.
 
Yes SBT cuts there own squish bands and it's not oem but with there no fault warranty in mind. Many times the motors will be bored 1.5 over also when nobody else goes that far. With those prices and that warranty I guess I can't blame them.
 
No doubt. With the crap gas that is available everywhere & not knowing how well tuned the carbs are, they need some safety cushion. probably doesn't give up a noticeable amount of HP.
 
Well have some great news.

It did not have a battery in it. I put in a battery and nothing, no power to gauges, no beeps.

I jumped the solenoid and she turned over and sounded good, no grinding or clanking.
Looked at the fuses and the top 15 was popped. I replaced that, and all the gauges lit up like it was xmas. It turned over with the button but the beeper is not working. Also the gas guage and oil gauge do not work as the tanks are both half full but the low warning light is on.

Back to the motor, she was turning over but would not run. When I hit the gas I could hear the accelerator pump squirting fuel into the carbs, so i pulled the plugs and they were for sure fouled, with no signs of water, no milky oil and no metal shavings. I put in new plugs and she fired right up. Hit the throttle a few times and she revved to 7k and sounded healthy.

Trim works too.
We need to do a compression test to see what shape she is in but so far so good.

What is the top 15 amp fuse for?
Do they tend to pop on these?

I may try to find the one beach house sponson, it has a skat trak impeller, a jet dynamics intake grate.

We are ordering black and yellow hydroturf, and if I cant find the one sponson we will just put stock ones back on it.

The hood is going to be tricky. I bought one 2 years ago for a 97 xp and the shipping was outragous. I ended up having greyhound ship it, which I did not know they did but it is far cheaper if there is a hub close.
 
SES looks to have dropped their prices. They are now cheaper than SBT. If I remember they used to be the same. I'd go with SES since they bring it back to stock compression. They have wording in their about rebuilding SBT's engines and that they will do it but it needs new stock head and OEM squish band provided by you.
 
Have your Bro-in-law cut you a new sponson out of delrin or nylon. He should be able to replicate what you need easily at the machine shop. I would just cut it on a bandsaw carefully and dress it on a belt sander. Line them up on the top edge, clamp them together and just drill thru the old sponson to get the holes in the same place. About an hours work.
 
If Im correct the top 15 amp fuse is for mpem, it should say on side of the fuse box if not


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Nylon tends to suck up water some. Not sure it will be a problem, but I would go with Delrin (acetal). It may cost a little more, but it is great material to work with. You should be able to get a chunk from McMaster-Carr if you cant find it any where else. For the hood, from the picture is looks like fiberglass? If so, then you could repair yours. Glass up the hole, smooth with body filler and paint to match. Then put your decal over it an no one would ever know.
 
Did a compression test yesterday, 124 mag, 122 pto. I know that is low on a 787 but is it okay on a 951? I thought I remembered seeing 135 is good on a 951. We used a cheep $25 tester, the snap on one we use is broken. So it may be a tad higher. We still need to buy a manual for this, we have had 0 experience with the 951.

Took it to the lake with the broken sponson, it fired right up and it got on plane fast and it had great top end, it was horrible to try to keep straight with that broken sponson lol. The carbs need to be gone through though. We also need to kick up the idle, it was idling at about 1200, I had to burp it to keep it running at low rpms.

Overall I had a blast, the 951 motor is another animal over the 787. We also took a 97 xp that we were water testing out and the 98 just blows right by the 97 even with the broken sponson. I now know why [MENTION=17278]SabrToothSqrl[/MENTION] loves his 951's

I still like the x4 hull over the parabolic hull, it is fun but just feels like it is missing that fun factor. It does cut through the waves much better though, so if you want something a little smoother in waves but still a bit playful than this is it.

One thing I found odd though is the like to submarine a bit when you slow down from higher speed. It actually worried me a bit at first but then I realized they both did it.


I would like to find a grey hood part and not use the yellow one we have.
We are ordering a carb kit and yellow and black 2 toned mats for it too.
I am going to attempt making some decals as We bought a plotter.
 
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I just saw your 99 SPX. that's my fav. X4 ski.

While your compression numbers are "low", what was your RPM at WOT (IN the water). if you are around 6800-7k. you are fine.

and yea, I don't mind my "unreliable" (actually, it's not, I got 11 years and 250 hours out of my last 951, which I lost to water ingestion, and me continuing to ride it for WEEKS knowing 'something' was wrong).

anyway, yes my 951 keeps up with all but the fastest brand new skis, and I do love the hull.

Why can't someone stick a spark engine in a 03 XP hull already? lol.

put the trim all the way down at idle, walk to the front of the ski, and slowly get on the throttle. you can sink it up to (or under rather) the handlebars.

this ski LOVES to be IN the water.
 
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Congrats on the steal bud!

I have a 99 hood that is silver the decal is different colors...I might have a 98 too. Set up the greyhound and Ill drop it off.
 
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