What to look for when buying used waverunner?

brick75

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Been thinking about buying a waverunner this year and I believe there are enough differences between them and boats to ask what specifically I should be looking for so I don't end up with something that I'm going to have to sink my life savings into for repairs.

I know the obvious things like does it start right up, run smooth without any odd sounds or loss of power, cosmetic condition etc. But do any of you PWC veterans have any more specific things to watch for or confirm when shopping for these things? I'm probably not looking to spend more than $3500 on one, so it's looking like I will be limited to maybe 2002 and earlier models. Don't really want a gas guzzler either, so probably will focus on the 700cc to 900cc options.

Many thanks for your input!
 

Ernest T

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

You are talking about 2 stroke engines in that price range, so a compression check is mandatory before you buy the ski. Once you find a specific model you can post back and someone can give you what numbers to look for. If you don't know your way around a ski, I'd let a PWC mechanic check it out before you buy. I'd take a real good look for signs of corrosion......often indicates a poorly maintained ski, and if it looks rusty on the outside it is usually bad on the inside. You specified "Waverunner", which is a Yamaha trade mark, and there are some specific questions that would need to be ask depending on the model (power valves, catalytic converter, etc..), again once you find a specific model it will be easier to tell you what to look out for...........they all seem to have their specific little quirks.

Best advice I can give you is to be sure and ride the ski before you buy. That is the only true way to test the engine and pump system, plus it gives you an idea of how stable the ski is, how wet/bouncy the ride is, etc..
 

brick75

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

Thanks Ernest T for the info. I have heard that the compression ratings are an important one, and I'll probably pick up a tester to use once I find one to go after. Will definitely test ride it as well.

One of the things I've been noticing in the ads is that the registration stickers are often times a year or more old. This tells me that it's probably been sitting unused for quite some time. Outside of the potential for it having bad gas in the tank, is this something to be overly concerned with? I know in general it's not good to leave engines unused for long periods of time, but wondering if I should stay away from these completely?
 

Ernest T

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

I know in general it's not good to leave engines unused for long periods of time, but wondering if I should stay away from these completely?

It all depends on whether it was winterized (prepared for storage) properly or not. Some of the worst damage I've seen to PWCs has been on very low hour skis that were improperly stored. The piston rings and valves rust in place, as well as the pump, etc.. Usually you can pick those problems up with a compression check. Other problems are that the carbs gum up, rubber parts deteriorate, and you can even have mold develop inside the ski. On skis that were stored properly, you can find some really good buys on low hour skis if you know what to look for, so I would still consider these skis, just check them out thoroughly.

The one thing that I have found when buying a PWC. If the engine will hit its rated maximum rpms and speed at full throttle on the test ride, then you are 95% sure that the engine and pump are sound. That combined with good compression check numbers makes it close to 100% that you have a good ski.
 

brick75

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

Thanks again, some great advice.

I was wondering how to go about finding what the compression rating should be for a given PWC? I've seen a couple of 1999 Yamaha XL760's for sale in may area. So I tried pulling up the manual for it on Yamaha's site, but I don't see the optimal compression rating listed. Is there a good source for this information?
 

bently

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

What you really want to see is eqaul compression across all cylinders, guages read different between each other unless you are willing to buy and certify your compression guage.
 

brick75

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

What you really want to see is eqaul compression across all cylinders, guages read different between each other unless you are willing to buy and certify your compression guage.

But what if the cylinders are equally bad? Isn't there a way to know what they "should be" at? I'm assuming the values would vary across different motors. If that's not the case, is there a standard acceptable range to go off of?
 

Ernest T

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

A general guideline for PWC engines is for 2 cylinder engines you would like to see compression around 140 to 150 psi per cylinder with no difference between the 2 of more than 10%. On 3 cylinder engines you generally would like to see numbers around 120 psi per cylinder. Engines will still operate pretty well with a 10 psi drop from those numbers, but much more than that is bad news. There are some exceptions, for example, I think the 2 cylinder Yamaha 800 cc motors tend to run a little lower compression numbers............maybe 130 psi.
 

86 century

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Re: What to look for when buying used waverunner?

My seafood 657x motors have 150-/+
Yamaha 650 was 165

Kawasaki 650 was 210/205 not sure what had been done to this one.

All performer as they should

The test ride and compretion test will tell you what you need to know.

For example our 95 seafood gtx did run out to a top speed of 45mph(gps) after a less than smart run into shallow water it now tops out 40 and cavitates on take off a bit.
 
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