Waverunner Problem!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 29, 2005
Messages
879
Location
Ozark Mountains
My neighbor/friend just purchased a used 2007 Yamaha FX1100A High output Cruiser. It only has 47 hours on it. He bought it from a local marina along with another Waverunner and a dock slip rental for a year. Don't know the rest of the history of the machine.

He knew the machine has a problem. It blows smoke out of the oil fill and the air cleaner has oil all over it. It drives fine he says but goes into the limp mode after 4 or 5 miles. He thinks it is supercharged.

He took it in to a non-dealer repair shop and they tested the compression. In the 160's except for #4 cylinder is at 60. Shop says rebuild the engine, maybe just the #4 cylinder.

Anyone have any ideas about what is causing the problem and how to fix it?

Thanks a lot!

The shop ran something through the gas to see of they could unstick a stuck ring.
 
I have not worked on wave runners, but an engine that is down 100 psi on one bore is probably going to need a teardown inspection. Provided you can verify that the valve train is working first.

If its the cylinder furthest away from the oil pump, someone may have run it hard while low on oil.
 
Last edited:
It's a 4-stroke I presume? Could be a head gasket.

The last Yamaha PWC I had was a Pro VXR. 2-stroke, 650cc IIRC. Well built, reliable machine. I'd hate to think of the costs associated with a super charged 4-stroke. Yikes.
 
Cylinder 4 is hurt for sure with those comp numbers. The only way to fix it is to pull the engine rebuild it.
 
They didn't used to be money pits. I bought a new Polaris SLT700 in 1995, ran it exclusively in salt water from the beach for 5 years and never spent a nickel on it. Sold it to my neighbor for 66% of the original price. It was unsinkable, and ran fast enough to deepwater barefoot behind, about 55 mph.

My best boat for sure!
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
They didn't used to be money pits. I bought a new Polaris SLT700 in 1995, ran it exclusively in salt water from the beach for 5 years and never spent a nickel on it..


That was my point above. My 1994 Yamaha Pro VXR and my 1997 Kawi 750ZXi never cost me a dime in repairs. They were simple and very well built. My ~1989 Sea Doo cost me. I was constantly chasing electrical issues, but it was old and I bought it well used. A few of the people I ran with at the time had Polaris machines and they were tough as nails at that time too. Those inline 3's always sounded great too.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
They didn't used to be money pits. I bought a new Polaris SLT700 in 1995, ran it exclusively in salt water from the beach for 5 years and never spent a nickel on it..


That was my point above. My 1994 Yamaha Pro VXR and my 1997 Kawi 750ZXi never cost me a dime in repairs. They were simple and very well built. My ~1989 Sea Doo cost me. I was constantly chasing electrical issues, but it was old and I bought it well used. A few of the people I ran with at the time had Polaris machines and they were tough as nails at that time too. Those inline 3's always sounded great too.


Yes, all I see today is a great increase in complexity with turbos and DOHC 4 strokes. Just more stuff to break.
 
My 2013 Kawasaki STX 15f has been dead reliable. The only repair it's needed was the glovebox liner because the dealer overtightened the screws during an oil filter removal (easier to reach through there). My parents' 2012 Sea Doo GTI limited 155, zero breakdowns in at least 50 more hours than our machine. The plastic gauge cluster bezel is cracked and will eventually take out the cluster (it will be an expensive repair), but the mechanicals have been solid. We even had great luck with our family's previous '05 Sea Doo GTX supercharged (which didn't have the greatest reputation). That one required zero repairs.

Our previous '01, '99, and to a lesser extent, '96 Sea Doos required far more repairs...though I loved driving the '01 GTX-DI the most...

The turbo/supercharged units are less reliable, have a shorter lifespan before overhaul, require more maintenance, and use premium fuel. In exchange for all this you get a (out of the box, stock) ~68 mph machine vs a 53-60 mph one. Now, we like buying naturally aspirated models that have been out for a while, with engines and horsepower ratings that aren't at the "bleeding edge" of sanity.
 
Run hard beat to a pulp and never maintained. Just like I bought this car and like magic the engine started to smoke I have to add a qt of oil every 500 miles and the engine is full of sludge . What oil will clean out the sludge?
 
Never owned one. Since this is a 4-stroke and I'm familiar with Yamaha bikes, what is the valve clearance check interval? Is this engine a DOHC with shim and bucket? I wonder if it had ever been checked?
 
I've only had two stroke SeaDoo's...but with that much compression drop, time to yank it out and get rid of the demons once and for all.
 
anyone read about the lawsuit where the jet stream "cleaned" some folks plumbing ?
 
Jet skis are just like cars, boats etc. Give them good care, and they will live a long life. Even the Force inducted units.

I have a 2006 Honda R12X Turbo bought new. It has 615 hours, and running very well all while pushing 16 PSI. Stock boost is 13 psi.
I also have a 2014 Seadoo RXP-X. 260HP 1.5 liter 3 cylinder. 183 hours with zero probs.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top