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raves cleaned and still not up to 7k on tach!

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dave_dj1

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OK, I've noticed a trend here on some of our ski's, they seem to be losing 700-800 rpm's out of the clear blue.
I have a 99 GSX ltd with about 155 hrs on it. I just cleaned the raves this afternoon and they weren't too dirty at all, a little oil and very little carbon on just the outer corners of the guilitines.
motor is very clean and so is interior of hull, I have only owned this ski for about 3-4 weeks. The first few times I ran it I could hit 65 mph but, a couple of saturdays ago I think a stone or something got sucked through the impeller, the black part of my wear ring was shredded. I changed the wear ring and put in new bearings and seals on the pump along with fresh oil. Now after changeing wear ring I can only get up to 60 mph (and it get's there quick) and the tach won't go above 6650 or so. This seems to be a common occurance lately on these older ski's. I keep my ski in the water on a small lake and it can sit for 3-4 days and all I have to do is choke it and it will fire right up, i let it idle a bit and then shut it down, jump on it, fire it back up and off I go, maybe I have to feather the choke once on the way out at just above an idle so I don't think I have a fuel delivery or electrical problem.
I am not familiar with the rave valve thing on the muffler, I think it's called the water regulator? I took the black top off it and it seems to move up and down with very little resistance. I don't see how it comes out like the raves, it looks like it has a longer shaft and is round into the muffler.
Any thoughts on this?
Is it possible that the prop being "not in new condition" be the culprit? It has a few minor dings and is a little rough around the edges. That being said, my vanes in the pump are not perfect either, one has a small piece missing that is about 3/8" deep and 7/16" wide, I can see how this my cause a loss of performance, I'm not looking to have the fastest ski on the water or have to have all the performance of a new one, I am just curious if my conditions are similar (pump not being perfect) to others out there who are haveing similar problems.
Another thing that has crossed my mind is a nick or gash in the hull, that would cause the motor to work harder to get up the speed, if it's bad enough. I haven't taken it out of the water to look yet. Oh, and it doesn't take on any water while sitting in the lake for days.
thanks,
dave
 
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no, the dings wont do anything, as far as rpm wise. Beofre installing pump, did you make sure, the impellor turned smooth? 6650..? ur down 2-3 hundred rpms. Loosen the red caps on the raves, 2-4 clicks, then try, oand/ore loosen the red dot on water regulator a few clicks, see what happens. You can remove the regulator, by twisting it off the muffler.
 
yep, impeller turned smooth and free in the housing.
Maybe this afternoon I will loosen the cap on the WR.
thanks for the input.
After I cleaned the raves, I turned the caps out to flush then one turn in and like I said, it gets to 60 pretty quick.
thanks again,
dave
 
60mph, thats all you get from that machine. I'd be more interested, into where the 2-300 rpm went to.
 
well I guess if that's all I will get then that's all I will get.
To be honest I am not sure what the rpm's were before the wear ring deal, I never had any reason to pay that much attention to it.
The trip meter records the highest speed which was 64 mph
I have no clue how accurate the tach, speed etc. is
I guess I am one of the lucky ones, at least mine starts and goes good :cheers:
thanks again,
 
1997 xp

running sluggish. I took the RAVE valves out and cleaned them today, pretty black and gummy, and plenty of carbon buildup on them too. I had to unscrew 1 of the valves to get it out of the engine due to clearance...and I dont rememeber where the cap was..?? I screwed them all the way down and put the cap back on, is that correct?? or.....
 
running sluggish. I took the RAVE valves out and cleaned them today, pretty black and gummy, and plenty of carbon buildup on them too. I had to unscrew 1 of the valves to get it out of the engine due to clearance...and I dont rememeber where the cap was..?? I screwed them all the way down and put the cap back on, is that correct?? or.....

yup, ur good.
 
Does your pump use a neoprene seal between the pump housing and the hull? Maybe you need one, maybe you are getting some cavitation and are loosing top speed!
 
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