davyboy04

I just bought 2 kawasaki 900 stx jet skis. They came with a really nice trailor to haul the both of them. I paid $2300.

Both of these skis are in pretty rough condition. They say outside their whole life. However, they only have 70 hours on each of them. Is that good? Under the seat the engines look pretty clean..

One of them runs. But maxes out at about 37 mph. I was under the impression these things went a little faster than that. It also spits a good deal of smoke out the back: Im not sure if that is normal or not.

The other one just won't start. I emptied the gas and put fresh 93 octane in it but it just keeps cranking. No Start. I looked at the fuel filter and it is only half full, whereas the one that runs has the filter all the way full of fuel. Im not sure if that is relevant or not. The guy I bought it from said they were on the water running around and they were both working fine. Then the one died. I checked the gauges and the display said it had a half tank of gas.. but it was empty when I checked the bow. I was hoping it would start right up when I put some fresh gas in it. No such luck.

My questions are:

Did I overpay?
What kind of oil do I put in these?
Why is the one that runs so slow?
What are some good ideas to troubleshoot what might be wrong with the one that won't start.

THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME AND PATIENCE. I am a mechanic for the navy but I am just not familiar with these types setups... or any boats for that matter ironically.

Outlaw

Ok so you just got into jet skiing thats cool. they say a good deal is in the mind of the beholder. since you didn't say what year they were it's hard to say if was a good investment of funds. If they are not money pits then it is an ok deal.

Assuming that these are two strokes you should buy TCW-3 two stroke oil. It is supposed to be an ashless oil.

Low hours can be both good and bad depending on how & where they stored. Things can dry rot corrode real bad, rust never sleeps.


More than likely the carbs need a complete rebuild. Thats is the reason it won't open up. Take plenty of plugs with you as a fouled plug will cause terrible performance.

As far as the other ski goes take the plugs make sure you have spark. Then pour a shot of gas in each jug replace the plugs quickly and crank over. If it still doesn't fire last resort is a shot of ether in the air intake and crank don't overdue the ether. Clean the carbs in this one too.

Well good luck

Catch Ya on Flipside

__________________
2006 RXT with RIVA STAGE THREE KIT 295 HP

2009 RXT-IS 255 HP

2008 GTX 215 HP



Land Rocket - 2003 Z06 Corvette, Chevy

davyboy04

THANKS. I got the oil you suggested and seems to be great. Any suggestions on where to get a carb rebuild kit? Or any idea how much an average shop would charge to rebuild them for me? I'd love to tear it apart myself.. but i want to spend my time off work on the lake! Not in the garage

kawasaki650sx

I wouldn't recomend doing the carbs yourself carbs are tricky especially since you have never done one so probably wouldn't hurt to get them done by someone with experience... I know carb cleans cost around $85 a carb rebuild done by someone will be about and just guessing i would say about $150... Or go on ebay and buy a kit and take a risk doing it yourself.