Before I describe my problem I figure it might be a little helpful if I give you a brief history of my PWC. I own a 2006 Kawasaki 800 SX-R Jet Ski that I bought new in that year. Since buying it I use it 2 or 3 weekends a summer and that’s it. When not in use I keep it covered and in a garage. I also flush it out with fresh water after every use. In the winter I follow the basic winterizing procedures as laid out by the owner’s manual.
Now on to the problem…When I took it out this past holiday weekend for the first time, the engine would bog-down when I squeezed the throttle. This persisted for a couple minutes but then the problem went away and it ran great for the rest of the day. 2 days later I took it out again and it ran great initially. I ran about a half a tank of gas out of it and then parked it for 30-45 minutes before going out again. As soon as I started it the “bogging-down” problem reappeared. The problem persisted for about 5 minutes and I decided to put it back on the trailer to try to figure out the problem. I hooked a hose to the water inlet and started it while on the trailer and the bogging-down problem was still present.
Here’s what I did to troubleshoot…The cooling system seemed to be functioning properly since there was a steady stream of water coming out of the bypass outlet. I put in new spark plugs but that didn’t help. I removed the air intake cover and inspected the flame arrestor screens and everything looked normal there.
General consensus form friends & family that own PWC’s or that are mechanically inclined is that it’s a clogged fuel filter. (However, if it’s a clogged fuel filter, why would the problem appear, then go away, and then reappear again?) The owner’s manual states there are fuel filter screens on the fuel outlet assembly which I admit I’ve never cleaned which the maintenance chart says I should do. I haven’t done that yet but that will be the next thing I check. It also states there’s a fuel filter in the middle of the fuel line but the owner’s manual doesn’t show you where it is or how to change it and I can’t see it when looking in the engine compartment. Any suggestions on what the problem could be would be greatly appreciated!
Now on to the problem…When I took it out this past holiday weekend for the first time, the engine would bog-down when I squeezed the throttle. This persisted for a couple minutes but then the problem went away and it ran great for the rest of the day. 2 days later I took it out again and it ran great initially. I ran about a half a tank of gas out of it and then parked it for 30-45 minutes before going out again. As soon as I started it the “bogging-down” problem reappeared. The problem persisted for about 5 minutes and I decided to put it back on the trailer to try to figure out the problem. I hooked a hose to the water inlet and started it while on the trailer and the bogging-down problem was still present.
Here’s what I did to troubleshoot…The cooling system seemed to be functioning properly since there was a steady stream of water coming out of the bypass outlet. I put in new spark plugs but that didn’t help. I removed the air intake cover and inspected the flame arrestor screens and everything looked normal there.
General consensus form friends & family that own PWC’s or that are mechanically inclined is that it’s a clogged fuel filter. (However, if it’s a clogged fuel filter, why would the problem appear, then go away, and then reappear again?) The owner’s manual states there are fuel filter screens on the fuel outlet assembly which I admit I’ve never cleaned which the maintenance chart says I should do. I haven’t done that yet but that will be the next thing I check. It also states there’s a fuel filter in the middle of the fuel line but the owner’s manual doesn’t show you where it is or how to change it and I can’t see it when looking in the engine compartment. Any suggestions on what the problem could be would be greatly appreciated!
