Toasted GSX

[OnMorse]

Ok, first I'll admit I'm an idiot and old enough to know better but I bought 2 used Seadoos (99 GSX Ltd and 01 GTX DI) and didn't get them checked out by a technician before buying. Both started out running just great. After a week or so the GSX starting taking on water when sitting still. We live on the lake so it sat for a couple days and I noticed it sitting very low in the back. Checked it out and it was full of water. After that it would not start due to water in the case. Pumped the water out and pulled it out of the water and to a Seadoo dealer. The service dept checked it out and cleaned/oiled the engine so that it ran. At that time they told me they couldn't find a leak but they'd gladly charge me more to take it on the water. I decided I'd take it back for now since we were going on vacation and make sure I ran it every day to keep the water from overtaking it. We went to Lake Cumberland, KY for a week and rode it several times a day with some water getting into the inside overnight. Each morning it cranked fine and bilged the water out. The last day I was running it and it just quit going about 40mph. I tried to restart it but just got a clicking noise, no cranking. When I got it home I had it on the trailer and put water into it and found that it was leaking around the intake grate. I took it back to the dealer and they confirmed that it was leaking from a crack near the grate. They stated that it looked as though it had been wrecked and the fiberglass repair was failing. They tried to get the engine fired up and were unable to do it and were even unable to turn the crank with a breaker bar. They were estimating over $5000 to fix it which is more than it's worth.

Couple questions: Should the shop have been able to prevent this major destruction of the engine? I know they should have been able to figure out where the leak was.

Second: I can likely do the fiberglass work and could rebuild or replace (with a rebuilt SBT engine) the engine. Is it worth it?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[OnMorse]

Re: Toasted GSX


Forget I brought up SBT. I read a post in this forum about them that sent me running the other direction. Also have seen much negative about the 951. Can another engine be used in this machine?

I've got a Ford 302 from a 69 Mustang I could use! d

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Toasted GSX

well the engine isn't blown it is siezed so just rebuild it yourself, as for the hull get it fixed the right way so it won't fail again, best time to do that is with the engine and pump out, that makes it easire for fixing it, I blasted a huge hole in a kawasaki once, had it all fixed in a week poor thing sank in a second when I hit what ever it was that took me out, still don't have any idea what it was but from the square hole I guess it was a piece of someone's dock that floated away and stayed just under the surface, heck it even bent the aluminum plate below the fuel tank and I never felt a thing, I was running one second and sinking the next.

 

[OnMorse]

Re: Toasted GSX

Any recommendations on rebuild kits?

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Toasted GSX

first pull it out and tear it down then see what it needs.

 

[AlanR]

Re: Toasted GSX

Prob needs piston, rings, rods, bearings, Its not an easy job lets put it that way.

 

[OnMorse]

Re: Toasted GSX

I've got the GSX home now and it looks as though the shop took the impeller and pump off and tried to crank the engine to no avail.

Before I really tear into this thing, can someone give me some suggested "tests" or quick fixes that might work before I spend much on it?

I saw a posting from Jeff that suggested stuck pistons and auto trans fluid to unstick. Would I just dump some in the plug holes?

Any suggestions to try first before cracking the case would be appreciated.

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Toasted GSX

you can try a.t.f in the carbs and plug holes but if it was running and just locked up you probably lost a piston or rod or some other internal part, the a.t.f is for when it sits and the rings get stuck on the cylinder walls from a little surface rust, try rotating it backward with a breaker bar and a pto tool on those you can remove the head and see what the pistons look like or look in the plug holes for damage to the piston crown, the plug should have told you what happened, if it had metal or a silver color on the end, or if it was smashed closed. also you can remove the rave valves and see the exhaust side of the pistons if it damaged a piston or metal was pulled up from a bad berring it should be visible from the rave valve opening

 

[OnMorse]

Re: Toasted GSX

It must be on the exhaust side of the piston because the plugs are fouled but not damaged. The techs as the shop used a breaker bar and couldn't budge it.

I'll check the rave valve openings. Thanks for your help.

 

[OnMorse]

Re: Toasted GSX

I removed the rave valves but was not able to see anything that gave me any clue so I went ahead and removed the head. Doesn't look as though the piston banged on anything but the piston near the rear looks swollen. I don't see any debris or much rust although there was some water on the heads. So I guess I need to keep tearing it down to get the real answer.