Can't find a shop to work on my boat, help.

[thmterry]

I have a 2004 Polaris EX2100 (basically Sea-Doo boat) in Willow Valley, it has a Mercury Optimax 250 jet drive. It has been sitting for a couple years. Changed out all the fuel, filters and spark plugs. Starts right up and runs fine, rev it up and still sounds good. Put it on the water and it cruises at no wake with no problem. The second you try to get on plane (@4000rpm) it falls right on its face and would stall if you didn't bring the throttle back down. It will run on trailer at 2000 rpm all day long. fuel pressure is about 85psi. I have called shops in Fort Mohave, BHC and Premier in Needles, nobody works on them.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[rivergames]

Diamond Marine in Henderson might be able to knock it out

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Im not too sure how the Optimax electronics are, but that is almost identical symptoms to mine when it lost the stator. would run just fine with little to no load. Then as soon as you go to get on plane..... would fall on its face.

 

[Mototrig]

Im not too sure how the Optimax electronics are, but that is almost identical symptoms to mine when it lost the stator. would run just fine with little to no load. Then as soon as you go to get on plane..... would fall on its face.

Like said above I would first check voltage as the rpm increases.

Apples to oranges here but the concept is the same

I've read the electronics in optimax are very particular about voltage being at a steady norm.
The same concept in our family's Sea-Doo direct injected 2 strokes that I maintain for them do exactly what you are describing and the cause was a faulty voltage regulator on 1 and a weak battery on the other.

Hope this helps

 

[Havaduner]

What about Anderson Powersports? Aren't they a Polaris dealer?

 

[SPFRONTMAN]

I have a 2004 Polaris EX2100 (basically Sea-Doo boat) in Willow Valley, it has a Mercury Optimax 250 jet drive. It has been sitting for a couple years. Changed out all the fuel, filters and spark plugs. Starts right up and runs fine, rev it up and still sounds good. Put it on the water and it cruises at no wake with no problem. The second you try to get on plane (@4000rpm) it falls right on its face and would stall if you didn't bring the throttle back down. It will run on trailer at 2000 rpm all day long. fuel pressure is about 85psi. I have called shops in Fort Mohave, BHC and Premier in Needles, nobody works on them.

Any help would be appreciated.

Give Corey a call at B & R, he's on Marina west of Lakeside in Bullhead. He just worked on my Schiada and did an excellent job. 1-928-2999-2928

 

[monkeyswrench]

Like said above I would first check voltage as the rpm increases.

Apples to oranges here but the concept is the same

I've read the electronics in optimax are very particular about voltage being at a steady norm.
The same concept in our family's Sea-Doo direct injected 2 strokes that I maintain for them do exactly what you are describing and the cause was a faulty voltage regulator on 1 and a weak battery on the other.

Hope this helps

Brings up a good question, is the battery good, or just flash charged? Seen car batteries have 12.5 running, but any load from accessories or such would make it drop a cell.

 

[Wedgy]

Not a 2stroke guy, but it sounds like the electrical diagnosis may be correct.
I once had an auction car I built for my Son. A 3.0 Nissan Maxima V6. Had a condenser taped into the harness that was bad. Just like the Kawasaki 100 I built for my wife. Bad condenser? You're not going anywhere...

 

[stephenkatsea]

Just Money Motorsports in LHC recently worked on my wife’s Waverunner. Good work, in a timely manner at a fair price. Pretty sure they’d work on your Sea - Doo boat.

 

[Shlbyntro]

I have a 2004 Polaris EX2100 (basically Sea-Doo boat) in Willow Valley, it has a Mercury Optimax 250 jet drive. It has been sitting for a couple years. Changed out all the fuel, filters and spark plugs. Starts right up and runs fine, rev it up and still sounds good. Put it on the water and it cruises at no wake with no problem. The second you try to get on plane (@4000rpm) it falls right on its face and would stall if you didn't bring the throttle back down. It will run on trailer at 2000 rpm all day long. fuel pressure is about 85psi. I have called shops in Fort Mohave, BHC and Premier in Needles, nobody works on them.

Any help would be appreciated.

85psi?? you sure youre not putting your gauge on the air rail?

 

[stokerwhore]

if it isnt electronic then it sounds like a clogged fuel filter

 

[thmterry]

Brings up a good question, is the battery good, or just flash charged? Seen car batteries have 12.5 running, but any load from accessories or such would make it drop a cell.

New battery

 

[thmterry]

if it isnt electronic then it sounds like a clogged fuel filter

new filter

 

[YeahYeah01]

I had a Sea-Doo boat with the same engine and had a hell of time finding someone to work on it. One of the main reasons I sold it.

No help on this one unfortunately but good luck!

 

[monkeyswrench]

I'm not familiar with the fuel system on those. Does it run a return fuel system, and does it have a water separator? How did you drain the tank?

Most newer boats are a pain to get a view into the actual tank. I've run a borescope in the filler before, and found water beads sloshing around in the tank. If it sat for a couple years, our new fuel sucks. I think the term is "hydroscopic", the ethanol in the fuel holds moisture. I've just recently pulled a fuel sender in a vehicle, and the "fuel" looked like a tequila sunrise. Three distinct layers of yuk. All smell like gas, but won't ignite the same. If the tank still had some water, or water-fouled fuel near the pickup, it may be able to ignite it, but has real difficulty under load.

Same may go for corrosion on the main engine ground. If it doesn't have a good connection, it will struggle to make spark, even though it is charging fine. No load won't take much to run.

 

[Orange Juice]

I have a 2004 Polaris EX2100 (basically Sea-Doo boat) in Willow Valley, it has a Mercury Optimax 250 jet drive. It has been sitting for a couple years. Changed out all the fuel, filters and spark plugs. Starts right up and runs fine, rev it up and still sounds good. Put it on the water and it cruises at no wake with no problem. The second you try to get on plane (@4000rpm) it falls right on its face and would stall if you didn't bring the throttle back down. It will run on trailer at 2000 rpm all day long. fuel pressure is about 85psi. I have called shops in Fort Mohave, BHC and Premier in Needles, nobody works on them.

Any help would be appreciated.

Fuel pump?

 

[Shlbyntro]

I'm not familiar with the fuel system on those. Does it run a return fuel system, and does it have a water separator? How did you drain the tank?

Most newer boats are a pain to get a view into the actual tank. I've run a borescope in the filler before, and found water beads sloshing around in the tank. If it sat for a couple years, our new fuel sucks. I think the term is "hydroscopic", the ethanol in the fuel holds moisture. I've just recently pulled a fuel sender in a vehicle, and the "fuel" looked like a tequila sunrise. Three distinct layers of yuk. All smell like gas, but won't ignite the same. If the tank still had some water, or water-fouled fuel near the pickup, it may be able to ignite it, but has real difficulty under load.

Same may go for corrosion on the main engine ground. If it doesn't have a good connection, it will struggle to make spark, even though it is charging fine. No load won't take much to run.

the fuel systems are crazy on these. they are direct injection 2strokes that use air from a high pressure air rail to ram fuel into the cylinders from the fuel rail. fuel pressure should be about half of what he's claims to be seeing but the test ports for the air rail and the fuel rail are very close to eachother and are the same size shraeder valve. Beyond the funky craziness going on with the air rail, the fuel system is a traditional VST style FI system. if he truly has 85 psi on the fuel side, then he should be pulling the FPR to check for blockages

 

[monkeyswrench]

the fuel systems are crazy on these. they are direct injection 2strokes that use air from a high pressure air rail to ram fuel into the cylinders from the fuel rail. fuel pressure should be about half of what he's claims to be seeing but the test ports for the air rail and the fuel rail are very close to eachother and are the same size shraeder valve. Beyond the funky craziness going on with the air rail, the fuel system is a traditional VST style FI system. if he truly has 85 psi on the fuel side, then he should be pulling the FPR to check for blockages

Do they run a return line style regulator? I wouldn't think a factory pump could do that, even with a restricted return.

Kind of odd, they run air kind of like an HPOP runs oil? Funky, I'll stick to truck motors in my boats

 

[Shlbyntro]

pressure regular just recirculates excess fuel to the low pressure side of the VST

 

[thmterry]

the fuel systems are crazy on these. they are direct injection 2strokes that use air from a high pressure air rail to ram fuel into the cylinders from the fuel rail. fuel pressure should be about half of what he's claims to be seeing but the test ports for the air rail and the fuel rail are very close to eachother and are the same size shraeder valve. Beyond the funky craziness going on with the air rail, the fuel system is a traditional VST style FI system. if he truly has 85 psi on the fuel side, then he should be pulling the FPR to check for blockages

Thanks, I didnt realize that is how the system worked. It probably was air pressure, I will go look for a different test port and check fuel pressure.

 

[lbhsbz]

Thanks, I didnt realize that is how the system worked. It probably was air pressure, I will go look for a different test port and check fuel pressure.

Based on your symptoms…I would say your fuel line from the tank is collapsing….fuel pressure test should prove it

 

[Shlbyntro]

Based on your symptoms…I would say your fuel line from the tank is collapsing….fuel pressure test should prove it

or fuel pump itself since it's been sitting

 

[lbhsbz]

or fuel pump itself since it's been sitting

Optis are above my pay grade…all I can afford is carbureted junk. Is the low pressure pump the same style?…just a pulse pump?

 

[Shlbyntro]

Optis are above my pay grade…all I can afford is carbureted junk. Is the low pressure pump the same style?…just a pulse pump?

Yes, standard double sided diaphram pulse pump. I believe his particular engine model will have 2 of them feeding into the VST where the high pressure fuel pump is located.

 

[YeahYeah01]

or fuel pump itself since it's been sitting

Or 3 pumps lol. From memory I think these have 3.

 

[Shlbyntro]

Or 3 pumps lol. From memory I think these have 3.

I haven't touched one in 8 years. My memories a little rusty too lol

 

[monkeyswrench]

Yes, standard double sided diaphram pulse pump. I believe his particular engine model will have 2 of them feeding into the VST where the high pressure fuel pump is located.

Oh crap! So it's high tech, and stupid all at the same time I was thinking electric pump this whole time...damn you marine engineers! Then it's just like an old SeaDoo, and the diaphragms may be shot from sitting. No different than a carb setup...
Sometimes this learning crap makes my brain hurt...I need to get my coffee!

 

[YeahYeah01]

I haven't touched one in 8 years. My memories a little rusty too lol

Lol mines about the same. I battled fuel issues for a while. Replacing pumps and then finally the pick up tube in the tank was cut flush and would lock up.

 

[thmterry]

Not sure what this means but...... When I checked fuel pressure(air pressure) the boat was not starting, it was right after I replaced fuel filter. It started before filter was changed. I just thought I lost prime in fuel system. When checking what I thought was fuel rail we heard air and thought it had run out of gas. Fuel Gauge said just less the 1/4 tank. Went and put in 25 gallons (50 gallon tank) fuel and gauge still said 1/4 tank and boat started. Did I just run out of fuel at the same time I changed filter or?

This thing is driving me crazy.

 

[YeahYeah01]

Not sure what this means but...... When I checked fuel pressure(air pressure) the boat was not starting, it was right after I replaced fuel filter. It started before filter was changed. I just thought I lost prime in fuel system. When checking what I thought was fuel rail we heard air and thought it had run out of gas. Fuel Gauge said just less the 1/4 tank. Went and put in 25 gallons (50 gallon tank) fuel and gauge still said 1/4 tank and boat started. Did I just run out of fuel at the same time I changed filter or?

This thing is driving me crazy.

Did you accidentally mess up a ground for the sending unit for the gauge?

 

[thmterry]

Did you accidentally mess up a ground for the sending unit for the gauge?

I Wasn't near tank, didnt touch any grounds unless the main battery has a damaged ground hooked to it.

 

[YeahYeah01]

I Wasn't near tank, didnt touch any grounds unless the main battery has a damaged ground hooked to it.

Dam. This brings back bad memories of my Sea-Doo boat bro.

For sure check the battery cables for corrosion and any and all grounds you can find. These boats are hyper sensitive to power. Check fuses as well just in case.

Check the fuel tank vent for clogs, I've clogged one before with wax.

Pull the fuel lines and makes sure no small blocking. Pull the pick up tube in the tank and inspect for blocking and or a potential sealing issue on the tank floor. That what a main problem with mine, the pick up tube. Ran well after I corrected that but then a few trips later it started similar issues again. I ended up selling cheap disclosing the issues.

 

[chadzilla]

I do not know of any dealers in your area. I can tell you this though. Optimax's are interesting beasts, having worked on many myself. Couple things here. Do not think you can fix it yourself without extensive knowledge and a factory manual plus all of the diagnostic tools. You will only cost yourself money in the end replacing parts not needed. I mean no disrespect by that statement. Your fuel psi, if checked correctly, is low. Yes, I said low. Depending on your serial number, it should either be 95psi or 109psi. The system MUST make air psi before making fuel psi. The fuel psi must be 14psi more than the air. Because of this, you could very easily misdiagnose it. Again, these are very complex systems. I would try looking for a bass boat dealer as those guys love the opti"s. There is one thing that you can check for only if you are completely comfortable disassembling the VST (fuel pump tank). There is a small rubber grommet that seals the high psi fuel pump to the outlet port inside that splits over time. In a pinch, I used a piece of high psi fuel line, 5/16 I think, once on a service boat we had. The part is only a few dollars and most bass boat dealers should carry it in stock.

 

[thmterry]

I would love to take it to a mechanic that knows about these things.

 

[lbhsbz]

Not sure what this means but...... When I checked fuel pressure(air pressure) the boat was not starting, it was right after I replaced fuel filter. It started before filter was changed. I just thought I lost prime in fuel system. When checking what I thought was fuel rail we heard air and thought it had run out of gas. Fuel Gauge said just less the 1/4 tank. Went and put in 25 gallons (50 gallon tank) fuel and gauge still said 1/4 tank and boat started. Did I just run out of fuel at the same time I changed filter or?

This thing is driving me crazy.

I ran outta gas once and the starter solenoid decided to fail all the same time….was chasing a major electrical issue for a while before I figured out what had happened. The only time I’ve ever been towed in. Coulda switched tanks and jumped the solenoid posts with the hook on my anchor line…lol.

Strange things can happen.

 

[YeahYeah01]

I would love to take it to a mechanic that knows about these things.

That was my problem.

I finally found a shop in lake Havasu to work on it. They had it for 2 weeks after saying they would diagnose it right away. Then called and told me o need a new motor and some crazy price to go with it. That I had low compression on a "couple cylinders". Went to pick it up because I was not trusting them, I asked for the compression report or at least to tell me what the compression was and he could not provide anything or even tell me what cylinders were low.

Took it home to verify, don't get me wrong a couple cylinders were a bitch but they left half the plugs loose. And surprise surprise my compression was fine. That's when I tracked it to the pick up tube. But 5he next season had similar issues and was over it.

 

[Taboma]

Just Money Motorsports in LHC recently worked on my wife’s Waverunner. Good work, in a timely manner at a fair price. Pretty sure they’d work on your Sea - Doo boat.

After hearing so much good about that shop my wife and paid them a visit recently just to get acquainted in consideration of future service for both our wave runner/jet skis and or SxS.
The man behind the desk was preoccupied on the phone, the lady at the other desk did not score a single customer service point with either of us.
When I mentioned we had older 2 stroke skis and have since they were new, she went off on some rant about them not wanting to bother with anything that's been stored for any length of time as it wasn't worth the hassle or their time.

This wasn't welcoming a new potential customer vibe, this was, more a consider yourself lucky if we choose to work on your shit kinda vibe.

 

[monkeyswrench]

After hearing so much good about that shop my wife and paid them a visit recently just to get acquainted in consideration of future service for both our wave runner/jet skis and or SxS.
The man behind the desk was preoccupied on the phone, the lady at the other desk did not score a single customer service point with either of us.
When I mentioned we had older 2 stroke skis and have since they were new, she went off on some rant about them not wanting to bother with anything that's been stored for any length of time as it wasn't worth the hassle or their time.

This wasn't welcoming a new potential customer vibe, this was, more a consider yourself lucky if we choose to work on your shit kinda vibe.

That sucks to hear about any shop. When times are good, there's more work than people can handle. A service provider should still be courteous, regardless of what the project is. When times get lean, you'll remember who wanted to help you out, and who you want to give your money to. It may not be an MTI or a DCB, but someone wants to pay you to work on it.

 

[Taboma]

That sucks to hear about any shop. When times are good, there's more work than people can handle. A service provider should still be courteous, regardless of what the project is. When times get lean, you'll remember who wanted to help you out, and who you want to give your money to. It may not be an MTI or a DCB, but someone wants to pay you to work on it.

Having read of so many positive experiences with Just Money, could be we walked in at a bad time, bad day ? I've run into a lot of testy mechanics over the years, my own BIL is a perfect example. Certainly none of the RDP ones are likely to win any blue ribbons for personality. either so there's that Well except for possibly one, but I hear he could be a Russian sleeper that's been awaiting activation since the 70's.

As a rule boat builder/ service techs and a vast number of their pwc counterparts are infamously serious primadonnas and a quirky lot for sure.

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Have a buddy that’s a professional jet ski rider out here. I text asking him, here’s his reply, this is a guy in Bullhead City.

(928) 201-6599

My buddy Scott owns scoots ski and atv and he specializes in Seadoo and Seadoo boats

 

[stephenkatsea]

Taboma - Sorry to hear of your experience. Mine was just the opposite. After talking to a number of LHC shops, including Anderson, none wanted to work on my wife’s 2002 FX140 Waverunner, which had been stored for a while. When I spoke with Just Money, Janelle (?) they were very responsive and professional. Very helpful when I dropped it off. Received a call from their mechanic, Will, that afternoon. I verbally approved the work he suggested. Will called the next morning and said it was ready. Drove over paid and Will hooked it up. Noticed hitch latch pin was missing. They immediately retrieved it. Truthfully, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Actually received a text from them yesterday, Jeff. He said they were unable to find a glove box compartment assembly I’d asked them to try to source out. I do feel comfortable recommending Just Money Motorsports. Appeared majority of the work in their yard were nice SxS.

 

[Taboma]

Taboma - Sorry to hear of your experience. Mine was just the opposite. After talking to a number of LHC shops, including Anderson, none wanted to work on my wife’s 2002 FX140 Waverunner, which had been stored for a while. When I spoke with Just Money, Janelle (?) they were very responsive and professional. Very helpful when I dropped it off. Received a call from their mechanic, Will, that afternoon. I verbally approved the work he suggested. Will called the next morning and said it was ready. Drove over paid and Will hooked it up. Noticed hitch latch pin was missing. They immediately retrieved it. Truthfully, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Actually received a text from them yesterday, Jeff. He said they were unable to find a glove box compartment assembly I’d asked them to try to source out. I do feel comfortable recommending Just Money Motorsports. Appeared majority of the work in their yard were nice SxS.

Holy crap, that's a crazy 180 regarding working on old skis that hadn't been run / running recently. Not sure the lady's name, but maybe she was just having a bad day ??
After having my wife's '99 Yamaha 1200 laid up over last summer during our absence, she had one carb and fuel pump acting up. Took it to Tech One Racing last Oct and the service tech (Younger guy, don't recall the name) got it repaired and running great by the next afternoon.
Then we noticed last winter, Tech One's lot was empty and they'd seemingly vanished. Both our skis are running fine now (Or were in May) but we just figured while we were there we'd scout out a new place. Also looking for somebody to do service on our Wildcat XX now that Anderson bought up all the retails shops in the Tri-city area.

OK, well that's great news, so if we need some repairs, I'll just ignore the bad-tude first impression and take the ski in like I never heard otherwise --- Fixer up boys

 

[stephenkatsea]

Holy crap, that's a crazy 180 regarding working on old skis that hadn't been run / running recently. Not sure the lady's name, but maybe she was just having a bad day ??
After having my wife's '99 Yamaha 1200 laid up over last summer during our absence, she had one carb and fuel pump acting up. Took it to Tech One Racing last Oct and the service tech (Younger guy, don't recall the name) got it repaired and running great by the next afternoon.
Then we noticed last winter, Tech One's lot was empty and they'd seemingly vanished. Both our skis are running fine now (Or were in May) but we just figured while we were there we'd scout out a new place. Also looking for somebody to do service on our Wildcat XX now that Anderson bought up all the retails shops in the Tri-city area.

OK, well that's great news, so if we need some repairs, I'll just ignore the bad-tude first impression and take the ski in like I never heard otherwise --- Fixer up boys

Totally understand. Hope it works well for you. IMO - it seems LHC has experienced recent various doses of questionable/bad fuel. I’m told Parker Oil and their Non Ethanol fuel options are the way to go. Especially after seeing the attached, yesterday’s post about Mavericks south side location. WTF? Lol.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Seriously, it looks like those of us keeping skis and boats in storage for extended periods, will not do well with today’s fuels. I’ve recently heard of ‘sour fuel’ after only 3 months. I know there are many on RDP much more knowledgeable on this topic. Can’t imagine any improvement in fuel quality in the near future.

When handling large quantities of diesel, 180K + gal. there were/are fuel polishers. They’d purify the fuel back to its original status if contaminated by water etc. Are there similar local services for gasoline? Never needed them in the past. But, times have changed.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Holy crap, that's a crazy 180 regarding working on old skis that hadn't been run / running recently. Not sure the lady's name, but maybe she was just having a bad day ??
After having my wife's '99 Yamaha 1200 laid up over last summer during our absence, she had one carb and fuel pump acting up. Took it to Tech One Racing last Oct and the service tech (Younger guy, don't recall the name) got it repaired and running great by the next afternoon.
Then we noticed last winter, Tech One's lot was empty and they'd seemingly vanished. Both our skis are running fine now (Or were in May) but we just figured while we were there we'd scout out a new place. Also looking for somebody to do service on our Wildcat XX now that Anderson bought up all the retails shops in the Tri-city area.

OK, well that's great news, so if we need some repairs, I'll just ignore the bad-tude first impression and take the ski in like I never heard otherwise --- Fixer up boys

I’m really not into jet skis. But, my wife, and now our grandkids, really like her PWC. So, it’s a 2002 FX140 Waverunner. I’ve learned that was one of Yamaha’s first 4 stroke jet ski engines. Reportedly built like a tank. It does seem to be well put together. When running right, it’s quick per GPS, nearly 60 mph. WTF? Plenty enough for the wife and grandkids. So the mech at Just Money said we needed spark plugs. No BS. Those plugs were, per service records in hand, 14 years old! ! They served us well. No complaints! For my wife and our grandkids, it works. And it can pull a tuber or a skier legally. it’s a certified 3 person watercraft. Works for us. It’s my wife’s. I just try to keep it running . . . .

 

[Taboma]

Seriously, it looks like those of us keeping skis and boats in storage for extended periods, will not do well with today’s fuels. I’ve recently heard of ‘sour fuel’ after only 3 months. I know there are many on RDP much more knowledgeable on this topic. Can’t imagine any improvement in fuel quality in the near future.

When handling large quantities of diesel, 180K + gal. there were/are fuel polishers. They’d purify the fuel back to its original status if contaminated by water etc. Are there similar local services for gasoline? Never needed them in the past. But, times have changed.

I'm not aware of any gasoline cleaning or restoration methods similar to what's available for diesel. We've been fortunate not to suffer any problems that could be directly associated with ethanol gasoline either at Havasu or at home. I use Stabil stabilizer in all the Havasu water and offroad toys, I also use it in my garage queen Hennessey Camaro and yard equipment fuel here at home.

The problem with my wife's ski wasn't so much fuel as simply a 24 year old jetski having it's first parts (Fuel pump) failure repair.
Other than spark plugs every few years, both our jetskis, which were massaged when brand new, for more HP by the great Klemm Bros @ Group K, have been 100% problem free for over 20 years. I've yet to read or hear of any newer 4 strokes with such a stellar repair rating and ours don't require a $ 300 a year annual servicing either.

I will say I do put reasonable effort in managing and especially rotating fuel after about 6 months. Our toys are all garaged, so this helps with moisture absorption, although only a rare problem in Havasu anyway. With the 36 gallon tank on my gas truck, I use my fuel transfer pump setup to pump gas from my toys into my truck, then I burn it on our return trip to San Diego, when we're ready to use a toy again, they get new gas with more stabilizer. My trucks have never minded having this older gas mixed with fresh premium, although I don't mix if I'm going to tow up to our ranch where I'd be putting far more load on the engine and it needs the higher octane.

 

[lbhsbz]

I've yet to read or hear of any newer 4 strokes with such a stellar repair rating and ours don't require a $ 300 a year annual servicing either.

I've got a 20 year old Honda F12X turbo that has had nothing but plugs and oil changes....runs like an appliance (not a Samsung fridge)

 

[Taboma]

I’m really not into jet skis. But, my wife, and now our grandkids, really like her PWC. So, it’s a 2002 FX140 Waverunner. I’ve learned that was one of Yamaha’s first 4 stroke jet ski engines. Reportedly built like a tank. It does seem to be well put together. When running right, it’s quick per GPS, nearly 60 mph. WTF? Plenty enough for the wife and grandkids. So the mech at Just Money said we needed spark plugs. No BS. Those plugs were, per service records in hand, 14 years old! ! They served us well. No complaints! For my wife and our grandkids, it works. And it can pull a tuber or a skier legally. it’s a certified 3 person watercraft. Works for us. It’s my wife’s. I just try to keep it running . . . .

Damn, you've got a keeper ski right there
Wife and I truly enjoy our skis, at one time we had two in Havasu and two we were using offshore San Diego.
The early morning ocean rides out of San Diego bay up or down the coast were amazing, with a flat glassy surface and large rolling swells, it was often hard to fight the urge to just head straight out and keep going --- of course reality strongly objected to that fantasy notion and we'd turn and head back in. Well those two jet skis burned up in the wildfire, so that ended our offshore riding.

We've continued to use and enjoy our two skis in Havasu, so much so, the boat remains under it's cover and garaged. Been so long now, it's officially classified as a "Garage Find", and soon will be in the hands of and become the property of my son and undergo a restoration of sorts.

 

[Taboma]

I've got a 20 year old Honda F12X turbo that has had nothing but plugs and oil changes....runs like an appliance (not a Samsung fridge)

Can't recall ever hearing anything negative in terms of reliability about those early 4 stroke Hondas, glad you've confirmed and enjoyed 20 problem free years.
The newer ones seem so damn overly complicated with safety and convenience systems, AKA, stuff that breaks down.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Damn, you've got a keeper ski right there
Wife and I truly enjoy our skis, at one time we had two in Havasu and two we were using offshore San Diego.
The early morning ocean rides out of San Diego bay up or down the coast were amazing, with a flat glassy surface and large rolling swells, it was often hard to fight the urge to just head straight out and keep going --- of course reality strongly objected to that fantasy notion and we'd turn and head back in. Well those two jet skis burned up in the wildfire, so that ended our offshore riding.

We've continued to use and enjoy our two skis in Havasu, so much so, the boat remains under it's cover and garaged. Been so long now, it's officially classified as a "Garage Find", and soon will be in the hands of and become the property of my son and undergo a restoration of sorts.

Those offshore San Diego early morning runs sound great. Bet a guy could pull in close to the Point Loma kelp and catch a couple nice Calico Bass.