water in oil?

[Gnommad]

not sure if this is the correct place to ask this, but i have a 1990 bombardier and am having trouble getting it started. it is the first pwc ive ever owned, so i am not extremely familiar with it's inner workings. Let me start by saying that i have basic knowledge of small motors, and have been wrenching on my own vehicles for about forever. ok, to the story. I took my seadoo out yesterday to give it a test drive. i got it free from a friend because it needed a new starter. I put a new starter in and it seemed to turn over fine in the driveway, but i didnt want it to overheat, so i took it out yesterday for a test drive. there are four controll devices on the 'dash' the choke, the start button, the 'key', and some knobby thing. i wasnt sure what the knob does, and the sticker for it is gone, so i just turned the knob to the middle position. apparently the knob is the fuel selector switch, and the middle position is between main, and reserve=off! so, i started it up, and accelerated away from the dock.... after about 2 secondds, it died, because i used up the fuel in the carbs, and had shut off the fuel at the selector. so i used the starter to propell me back towards the dock. got the thing trailered, and brought it home. after some research, i learned that it died because i turned the gas off, simple fix, turn the gas on! now i cannot get it to run at all. when i turn the engine over, it coughs, and sputters, (sometimes even backfires) but never actually starts. This was the first time attempting to run it in a couple years, so i figured i would drain the gas, did that, put new in (premium of corse) but no result. took the carb off, cleaned everything thourally, put it back on, but no result. i dont know if this is relevant or not, but it wont even run if i spray starter fluid down it's throat, and removing the spark plugs/adding a tablespoon of gas to each cylinder doesnt get any result either. i thought maybe there was water in the engine, so i found the manual online, and found how to drain the engine if it gets flooded. tried that, only oil sprayed out when i cranked it with the drain plugs out. all this being said, the whole time, i have been thinking the oil looks too watery. liquidy. definately thinner than car oil, but this is not a car. so, how do i tell if there is water in the oil, or if the oil has gone bad? i would think if there is water in the oil, you would see it floating on top, but i dont see anything like that. the oil in there is just as thin as the gas, that is, when i rock the seadoo, the gas, and oil both slosh equally... ok, sorry about the book, but i just thought i would be as thorough as possible. i look forward to all your guyses advice!!!

David

 

[Spimothy Leary]

the oil would look milky if there was water in it, which anything is possible if ski sat outside for a couple of yrs.

 

[Gnommad]

ok, is the oil supposed to be just as runny as gasoline? would bad oil prohibit the boat from starting?

 

[Spimothy Leary]

i'd say no and no.
but if your just shaking the ski they both should slosh about the same i suppose, generally the oil tank will wiggle out fairly easily, take it out and have a good look, if in doubt, change it out, granted oil is like 4 million years old anyway, but no harm in swapping out for known good oil, why take the chance.

let me back up there and say again, its silly to take a chance even if you think there's a 5% chance the oil is bad., even 1%, pull the tank, get rid of it and put known good oil in there not just any oil either get the right oil.

i'll follow the thread since i'm curious about possible the starting issue, might come in handy some day, is the cap filling up when you crank it ? did you prime it ?

and your sure your not locked up, pto turns and all that good stuff.

have you done a comp test out of curiosity ?

 

[Gnommad]

the cap does fill up, i know because i have taken it off and used gas from it to put directly in the spark plug holes, then i can watch it fill as i crank. did i prime it? not sure what you mean there. pto turns, can turn it by hand easily enough. i took the plugs out, and am hoping that if there was somehow water in the engine, it will dry out, i will change the oil tomorrow, but if that is not something that will keep it from running, while i am sure it is a good thing to do, its kind of fristrating knowing its another task which wont help it run.... i can see good spark when i take the plugs out and lay them on the engine block, but i think i am also going to get new plugs/shorten the wires a tad tomorrow, just to see what happens. keep the advice coming guys, i have three days to get it running before vacation! oh, no, didnt do a comp test, dont have the tools

 

[Spimothy Leary]

well for now i'll defer to a more accomplished tuner to help identify why it won't turn over, I don't see where the problem could lie right now.

assuming battery is fully charged ? and not dropping below minimal voltage when cranking ?

if youthink somehow water got in, you could simply take out the plugs and crank it, if there's water in, it will spit out (don't put your head over the holes, if it sprays it sprays pretty good)

 

[Gnommad]

it does turn over, but just doesnt want to start. ive tried cranking it with the plugs out, and not much of anything sprayed out. ok, i am about to commence with the oil switching and the new spark plug installing, will report with results

 

[Gnommad]

ok guys, so i switched the oil out today, and put new plugs in. fiddeled with the carb settings, and got it to kind of sort of want to start. but didnt want to stay running. i kind of think the spark is weak? what is the best way to test if the spark is as strong as it should be?

 

[Gnommad]

dont know if this is relevant, but when i take the spark plugs out after trying to start the engine, the seem oily

 

[Gnommad]

starting a new thread, found that cylinder 2 has 75lbs of pressure!