Trouble getting up to full speed

[ljhedrick]

I'm having trouble with my 97 SPX. To use a car analogy, the seadoo spins wheels until it gets traction then takes off. That's the best way I know how to describe the problem. I noticed it was idling a little rough when I put it in the water. When I hit the throttle it wouldn't get on top of the water but it was revving pretty high. If I held it at WOT it would pick up speed until it came up on plane then it would bite and off I went. It still wasn't at peak RPM but it was moving pretty good. As I slowed down it came off plane and quickly started to rev without much movement. This is where I would say it lost traction. If I get it up on plane I can snap the throttle or slow down and everything works as it should. The problem appears when I come off plane or when I first start.

Do you have any idea what would cause this? In the past that would happen if something got clogged in the impeller but I checked and it is clear.

 

[brock1]

You may be losing your pump its sounds like the pump cant keep up. Or...... You may have a slip in the impellar when it is under a lot of load if it gets any worse youll know for sure thats what it is. By the way does yours have vts on it?

 

[LouDoo]

Hi and welcome to the SeaDoo forum.

Your problem sounds like you need a new wear ring. Take a look and see if there are any gouges also check for clearance between the impeller and the wear ring, should be not more than .040", you can check it with a feeler gauge.

Lou

 

[ljhedrick]

Mine does have vts.

Once i get it up to speed it doesn't run at full RPM. It's close but I can tell from years of ridding that it isn't all the way there. If it comes out of the water it will rev to full RPM and will maintain it when it re-enters the water for a short time then slow just slightly. I don't have a tachometer on mine so it's just a feel of your pants measurement but seems like a hundred or so RPM difference.

 

[brock1]

Have you tried to adjust the vts when you are running full throttle sometimes having a load on the engine will make it lose rpms if the vts is not adjusted properly especially in the older models. Give it a try

 

[Dr Honda]

You have a few probs

1) Cavitation. That's the "Spinning your tires" issue. You need to check over the pump, wear ring, and you probably need a new carbon seal if it's that bad.

2) The engine not coming up to full RPM can be:

a) Fuel: Do you have gray Tempo fuel hoses?
b) RAVE valves, and water regulator: When was the last time they were cleaned?
c) Engine is getting tired: What's the compression?

 

[ljhedrick]

Have you tried to adjust the vts when you are running full throttle sometimes having a load on the engine will make it lose rpms if the vts is not adjusted properly especially in the older models. Give it a try

I tried adjusting the vts but that didn't make any difference.

 

[brock1]

i tried adjusting the vts but that didn't make any difference.

ok then like said before it is probubly a wear ring or pump most likely a wear ring if its doin it out of the hole the most i would try replacing that before anything. Like doctor honda said above it probubly has some to do with the fuel lines if they are the gray ones. We always recommend getting rid of those to gain rpms

 

[ljhedrick]

You have a few probs

1) Cavitation. That's the "Spinning your tires" issue. You need to check over the pump, wear ring, and you probably need a new carbon seal if it's that bad.

2) The engine not coming up to full RPM can be:

a) Fuel: Do you have gray Tempo fuel hoses?
b) RAVE valves, and water regulator: When was the last time they were cleaned?
c) Engine is getting tired: What's the compression?

1: I have not checked anything on the pump. I've never pulled the pump myself so checking it, the wear ring and carbon seal will be a new experience but I have the service manual so I can follow the steps.

2a: I still have the gray lines. I've heard they tend to break down over time and should be replace but I haven't done so yet.

2b: I cleaned the RAVE valves a few weeks ago. It actually ran great right after this. I let the ski sit for a few weeks then discovered this issue.

2c: I checked the compression. I honestly don't remember the reading but I do recall both being exactly the same.

A little more information. At the beginning of the season I had trouble with it running rough. I took it to a local repair shop and had the carbs rebuilt. It still ran rough after that but due to a bad experience with the shop I decided not to take it back. I instead cleaned the rave valves and checked the fuel filters. It ran better but still not quite right. I lastly replaced the spark plugs and it ran great. Pretty dumb not to think about the plugs to begin with but you know how that goes. If something isn't working I immediately think the worst. Anyway, after that it ran well the next time I took it out for 10 minutes or so then started this new issue. The first symptom was the slightly lower idle when I slowed down. Keep in mind this was after a period of WOT. I didn't think anything about it and pushed on. That's when the cavitation started upon takeoff so I headed back to the ramp. Pulling it on the trailer I noticed the idle was pretty low.

 

[ljhedrick]

I will add I was at the ocean when I stated having this problem. I was getting ready to head from the waterway through an inlet to the open ocean when the cavitation started. I thought I caught a wave which was foaming which is why it didn't bite. I turned around and it seemed ok so I again headed for the open ocean when it started to cavitate again. I felt like someone was trying to tell me something so I didn't push my luck. I wondered if I had sucked something into the impeller. Maybe I did and that somehow gouged the wear ring. I'm not that mechanical so maybe this is not possible. I'm trying to think of the most simple cause before I start tearing this thing apart.