1987 Kawi 550 jet ski rebirth, maybe

[rlason]

It's been sitting for 15 years. Where do I start? Is it possible to pre-lube the engine prior to start. Are there things I should do before trying to start it besides the obvious (fresh gas, strong battery, water hook up). Or would it be cost effective to have the motor disassembled and gone through instead of trying to take up where we left off. I don't know anything of current parts prices or availability. It ran strong the last time out, but was put away without any storage procedures. Thanks, Rick

 

[The Penguin]

Re: 1987 Kawi 550 jet ski rebirth, maybe

pull the plugs and have a look at the cylinder walls using a small flashlight.

that will dictate what direction you need to take.

if the cylinder walls are clean and rust-free - grab the coupler and try to turn it (with the plugs still out)

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: 1987 Kawi 550 jet ski rebirth, maybe

you will probably need to re do the carbs and clean out the fuel system,, remove the plugs and see if you can turn it over by hand sometimes the pump liners swell up from corrosion due to dissimilar metals and if it sat for a long time it could have locked up the pump ,, however if it didn't do that and the engine turns by hand, you can mix some fuel and extra 2 stroke oil and pour some in the carbs to first start it .

 

[artificialreef]

Re: 1987 Kawi 550 jet ski rebirth, maybe

Do the old transmission fluid into the spark plug holes trick. Let it sit for a week. I did that to a car that sat for 5 years and got 100,000 mile out of it.