I am new. I have never had a jet ski before this week. Its a 1997 Gtx 787. I bought it with a oil leak in the return line so i had no idea how it ran but i got it cheap real cheap. i was able to fix the line fairly easily and bleed the system. Put in brp xps oil. I took it out to the water for the first time today and it ran fine for the first 2 hours then it started acting sluggish at low speeds and not idling right but when you hit the throttle it would do fine.Top speed was 46mph. Take off seemed slow compared to the other skis i saw. Brought it in to let it "rest" for about 20 minutes. After that it didnt want to crank and i had to choke it to get it to crank at all then it just stopped cranking all together and the gauges went out. Changed the battery out and still didnt crank but it tried. The previous owner said it started flashing 12v low last year but it wasnt doing that at all untill i changed the battery out. We had to tow it to the dock and when i got it home it fired right up on the trailer with no 12v low message. I checked the first battery when we got home and it was showing 12.9 volts. The ski has 200 hours showing on the gauge. It seems like it used alot of gas for the short time we rode it just looking at the tank. The fuel gauge doesnt work so i dont know how much it actually used but it was more than half the tank and I think it holds 14 gallons. it was full when i bought it and had been on the water just 2 weeks ago. Thanks for any advice you can offer as to where i can start looking for the trouble.
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ski quit running
- Thread starter Rebber4
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If you ran it for 2 hours you might need to turn the fuel selector to reserve. These things a real hogs on gas. Also try some fresh gas, charge the battery over night and try it again.
Check for corrosion on the battery cables, both ends, also check for corrosion on the grounds. Clean the connections and apply dielectric grease. Also twist the battery cables see if they "crunch" if they do you probably have corrosion and they need to be replaced.
It sounds like you'll need more help, you should get around 55mph on your ski, but lets get this problem fixed first.
Lou
Check for corrosion on the battery cables, both ends, also check for corrosion on the grounds. Clean the connections and apply dielectric grease. Also twist the battery cables see if they "crunch" if they do you probably have corrosion and they need to be replaced.
It sounds like you'll need more help, you should get around 55mph on your ski, but lets get this problem fixed first.
Lou
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yes the ski now starts on the trailer. It did fine for 2 hours yesterday the started running bad at low rpm but fine at high then when i stopped to let it rest it wouldn't crank and run for more than 2 seconds then it stopped cranking all together. It would turn over at the lake and try to crank but wouldn't. I changed the battery out to see if that was the problem but didnt work then it started flashing 12v low. Im an hour from the water so i cant just run it back to check it out in the lake but it now fires right up on the trailer without the 12v low flashing. I dont know how to hook water to it to let it run for a few minutes but i let it run for about 5 seconds till the rpms started to rise and shut it off.
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When you were at the lake and you say, "It would turn over at the lake and try to crank but wouldn't.", do you mean that the starter will turn the motor over, but the motor will not start?
You may just be out of gas, because if I run my ski hard for 2 hours, I would be on reserve.
Lou
You may just be out of gas, because if I run my ski hard for 2 hours, I would be on reserve.
Lou
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
Hi Guys,
there are a few things we need to check. As always... we need a compression reading. More than one time, people have brought ski's/boats into my shop with a "Fuel" problem... and we find out that the engine is shot.
Next... 800's are thirsty, and if you say that the fuel is low... then, you should have put it on Reserve. (as Lou was saying) Yes, you have a 15 gallon tank... but your engine can drink 12 gal/hr at full power. So... if you were riding it aggressivally... you can drain the tank in less than 2 hr's.
Third... If the ski has gray Tempo Fuel lines... they need changed, and the fuel system needs cleaned.
And lastly... since you have an apparent power issue... you need to check that. Put a volt meter on the battery, start the ski, and bring it up to 5000 RPM's. You need to have 13.5 to 14.5 volts. Any more, or less... you need a regulator.
there are a few things we need to check. As always... we need a compression reading. More than one time, people have brought ski's/boats into my shop with a "Fuel" problem... and we find out that the engine is shot.
Next... 800's are thirsty, and if you say that the fuel is low... then, you should have put it on Reserve. (as Lou was saying) Yes, you have a 15 gallon tank... but your engine can drink 12 gal/hr at full power. So... if you were riding it aggressivally... you can drain the tank in less than 2 hr's.
Third... If the ski has gray Tempo Fuel lines... they need changed, and the fuel system needs cleaned.
And lastly... since you have an apparent power issue... you need to check that. Put a volt meter on the battery, start the ski, and bring it up to 5000 RPM's. You need to have 13.5 to 14.5 volts. Any more, or less... you need a regulator.
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I took the carbs apart this evening and they were suprisingly clean. The small filters had some trash in them and the small holes going into the venturi were stopped up on the pto carb. there was a bit of rust on some small screws right under the diaphram but didnt appear to be damagedIt does have the gray tempo lines so ill be changing them this week. Ill get a compression reading this week and post that info.
thanks for the help
thanks for the help
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
Yes... we recommend using automotive fuel hose. The Tempo hose that is on your ski now was USCG approved... but it doesn't like automotive fuels that most of us burn.
As far as the fitting... it sounds like that is your main water feed. Can you post a pic? If it's what I think it is... your engine coudl be dead because of an overheat.
Before we go any deeper... we need a compression reading.
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That green goo is the glue from the grey tempo fuel lines, you definitely need to change your fuel lines, clean the carb. filters, etc.
Here's a thread that goes into greater detail.
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthre...el-Delivery-Problems-low-revs-bogging-surging
Lou
Here's a thread that goes into greater detail.
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthre...el-Delivery-Problems-low-revs-bogging-surging
Lou
Just a couple of more questions and ill put this one to rest. Is the compression ok or is it too high? may seem like a dumb question but i just dont know. I checked it when it was cold with one plug out one in. and to run it on the hose at the house do i use the flush fitting or is there another way? I still have to check and see why im getting an intermittent 12v low message so i need to be able to run it at home
I need to add aHUGE THANK YOU!!!for all your help. I would have been completely lost. Thanks Dr Honda and Lou. You have been most helpful. If there is someway i can return the favor just let me know.
I need to add aHUGE THANK YOU!!!for all your help. I would have been completely lost. Thanks Dr Honda and Lou. You have been most helpful. If there is someway i can return the favor just let me know.
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The compression is a little high, it should be checked with both spark plugs out, with the throttle on. Try to re-check with another gauge if possible. 150psi is optimum, and I'm honestly not sure if 10psi over is a problem or not. The only way I would know to lower the compression would be a thicker head gasket.
As far as flushing, look at the rear of the engine, on the right side (I believe), there is a hose connected there's an arrow on the block pointing toward the rear, that the flush side, I fabricated a home made flush hose, from a 1/2" washing machine hose.
Lou
As far as flushing, look at the rear of the engine, on the right side (I believe), there is a hose connected there's an arrow on the block pointing toward the rear, that the flush side, I fabricated a home made flush hose, from a 1/2" washing machine hose.
Lou
This is a recap of my repair adventure and what I have learned from this forum this past week. Bought a 1997 gtx 2 weeks ago with an oil leak. It was the oil return line so that was a fairly easy fix. I put in a splice because the line connects to the bottom of the block. Took it out and ran ok for 2 hours then quit. Thats when i found this forum and im glad i did. With the help of Dr Honda and Lou i found out that all the fuel lines were bad, so I replaced all of them, check valve thru the hull was stopped up, the selector valve was stopped up and the carbs were pretty much stopped up. I took the carbs apart and cleaned them, put them back together and have everything adjusted except the high speed screws. I checked the oil pump cable, the wear ring and the gear oil in the cone. Found out the fuel float was full of gas and it is the new style so I fixed that but the gauge still doesnt work, Gonna try that fuse fix later. Im ready for some water now but we will be out of town for the next week, so ill post how that works out then. Thanks so much you guys for the help and if any of you reading this is new to PWCs, listen to these guys. THey really know how to help a noob out. I found a lot of good info just searching and reading at night. Im not new to working on things but at first this thing looked like something i didnt want to touch. Turns out that its not as difficult as it looks. Don't be scared just pay close attention and take pictures if you need to.
Good luck and most importantly be safe and have FUN!!
Good luck and most importantly be safe and have FUN!!
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