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Question on 1997 GSX

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T

Twisty

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I was reading that on the 1997 gsx there was a regular and a limited edition that had motor problems. Is there a way to tell a difference?
 
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If it has a white motor that was the 97 and the with engine troubles.
The 97.5 and 98 are the better years for the 951.
 
to clarify what Ocod is saying - both the '97 787 and 951 engines are white. late in '97, they switched the 951 to be a silver engine which has improvements over the white 951 engine.
 
bigJake said:
to clarify what Ocod is saying - both the '97 787 and 951 engines are white. late in '97, they switched the 951 to be a silver engine which has improvements over the white 951 engine.
Click to expand...

Yup
The 787 is less troublesome vs the 951 engine in 1997.
They fix bugs afterwards in that engine.

Cant go wrong with ski with 787 or easier but less powerful 717.
 
same one in link I sent you.
Yup 787 for sure.
The 951 had a grey top half and that one is white..
 
That is a 97 GSX. See if you can get a pic of the engine and we can tell which it is.

edit - ok, I guess Ocod already verified it is a 787 based on color. I have that exact ski. I thought the limited editiion was a differnt color combo but wasn't positive.
 
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^hahaha

I love the seadoo reference site. Helps to have pictures................

edit: OP so what are the details of ski?

1. check compression
2. make sure it starts. If he tells you it needs a battery take one!!
3. check for grey fuel lines.
 
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I have a 96GSX with the 787, I've got the best looking seat cover on the forum, she's standing in front of the ski.

Lou
 

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So I am planning on buying it tomorrow but people keep telling me to check compression. What do I need and attachments, and how?
 
Twisty said:
So I am planning on buying it tomorrow but people keep telling me to check compression. What do I need and attachments, and how?
Click to expand...

you will need a compression tester, which is basically just a gauge with a hose that screws into the spark plug hole. You can pick one up at your local autoparts for like $25.

-Remove spark plug wires from spark plugs.
-place the plugs on the grounding lugs. These are 2 posts about 1/2" high on top of the box right in front of the battery.
-remove both spark plugs
- the compression tester will come with a couple different thread size adapters. select the one that matches the spark plug threads and attach to the compression tester.
-screw the compression tester into one of the spark plug holes.
- do the test with a cold engine, hold the throttle fully open. press the start button for a couple seconds to crank the engine while watching the compression gauge. It should reach max compression in a couple seconds. record the reading and repeat 3 times. there is a button on the gauge to press to release pressure and move the needle back to zero.
- repeat the process on the 2nd cylinder (2nd spark plug hole).
- perfect compression is 150 psi on each cylinder.
- a difference of more than 7-10 psi between cylinders is not good.
- below 130 will need a rebuild soon
-below 120 needs rebuild.

If the battery is dead when you go to look at the ski, you can hook jumper cables to your car battery to do the test. BUT YOUR CAR MUST NOT BE RUNNING.

When you put the lanyard on you should be able to cyclke thru the readout on the digital gauge and see how many hours are on the ski.

if it has gray fuel lines, the fuel lines will need replaced and the carbs rebuilt, so factor that in to the price.
 
bigJake said:
you will need a compression tester, which is basically just a gauge with a hose that screws into the spark plug hole. You can pick one up at your local autoparts for like $25.

-Remove spark plug wires from spark plugs.
-place the plugs on the grounding lugs. These are 2 posts about 1/2" high on top of the box right in front of the battery.
-remove both spark plugs
- the compression tester will come with a couple different thread size adapters. select the one that matches the spark plug threads and attach to the compression tester.
-screw the compression tester into one of the spark plug holes.
- do the test with a cold engine, hold the throttle fully open. press the start button for a couple seconds to crank the engine while watching the compression gauge. It should reach max compression in a couple seconds. record the reading and repeat 3 times. there is a button on the gauge to press to release pressure and move the needle back to zero.
- repeat the process on the 2nd cylinder (2nd spark plug hole).
- perfect compression is 150 psi on each cylinder.
- a difference of more than 7-10 psi between cylinders is not good.
- below 130 will need a rebuild soon
-below 120 needs rebuild.

If the battery is dead when you go to look at the ski, you can hook jumper cables to your car battery to do the test. BUT YOUR CAR MUST NOT BE RUNNING.

When you put the lanyard on you should be able to cyclke thru the readout on the digital gauge and see how many hours are on the ski.

if it has gray fuel lines, the fuel lines will need replaced and the carbs rebuilt, so factor that in to the price.
Click to expand...


Is there anyway I could totally mess this up and have to buy it from me failing? haha
 
the only thing you could do is blow the mpem by jumping it from a running vehicle. the compression test is a benign process
 
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