300/440/550 550, how to make it more reliable?

C

Canadian_driver

Location
Canada
hey there, first post, been trying to read over a bit before posting.

i have a 84 550

SD530014-1.jpg


i completely rebuilt the motor 2 years back but I'm having a heck of a time keeping it running well. was have battery issues but fixed that, now it seems like its not getting a strong or consistent spark and there is a lot of carbon build up. is there anything i can do to make my ski run better and be more reliable?

oh and excuse all the nascar stickers the guy before me had on it, haven't had it running well enough yet to leave time to paint it
 
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cattledog

cattledog

EH TEAM RACING
Location
toronto canada
welcome, you should check the ohm readings on your coils in the stator could be the problem with the spark, but it could be a lot of things, i live in toronto bring it to one of our local rides or wasaga and we will look at it for you , i have a 550sx for16 years runs great, do you have a shop manual
 
C

Canadian_driver

Location
Canada
where is the easiest place around Toronto to get parts manuals etc? I'm from Goderich (north of grandben) but come to Toronto once or twice a month.

also as far as the carb, I'm pretty sure i have the smaller carb (35mm?) so wouldn't adding a larger carb just make the small spark issues worst?
 
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infamy

infamy

Westside Freeride
Location
Sacramento, California, United States, 10598806276
i have a 93 550 that is bullet proof. i let friends beat the snot out of it and it always starts right up, no mods not even primer. they sink it all the time and i just blow the cylinders out and she starts right back up. maybe its just the reed motors that are reliable, idk.
 
SuperJETT

SuperJETT

So long and thanks for all the fish
Location
none
MSD total loss (analog) ignition, a good battery (Jetworks, Odyssey, etc), Sea-doo starter, and a Mikuni SBN 44 carb will do wonders. My 550 ran ~48-49mph which is fairly quick and was rock solid reliable.
 
C

Canadian_driver

Location
Canada
x2ryder said:
That cannot be an 84. They started putting the exhaust out the right side in 86.
Click to expand...

the ownership i have for it says 84, i remember because it was the same year as my ex girlfriends birth year(she broke up with me because i said the ski was better looking:lmao:)

SuperJETT said:
MSD total loss (analog) ignition, a good battery (Jetworks, Odyssey, etc), Sea-doo starter, and a Mikuni SBN 44 carb will do wonders. My 550 ran ~48-49mph which is fairly quick and was rock solid reliable.
Click to expand...

yeah i have a odyssey battery, that thing is amazing, have a goki starter that is almost new, the starter doesnt seem to have an issues cranking the ski, the ski just wont stay running. i am currently looking for the sbn 44 carb. i am interested in the MSD system, i called MSD up last year seeing if they had anything that would work for it but they said nothing off the shelf.
can you direct me to a list of parts/instructions/kit/whatever about the item your talking about?
 
SuperJETT

SuperJETT

So long and thanks for all the fish
Location
none
You'd have to find a used system here/pwctoday/ebay. You need a stator plate, pickup, flywheel, brain, and coil. The pickups/brains/coils are fairly universal from other 2-cylinder systems, the stator plate and flywheel are the specific items for a 440/550 you'd need.

Or, stick a 750 in there...

Canadian_driver said:
the ownership i have for it says 84, i remember because it was the same year as my ex girlfriends birth year(she broke up with me because i said the ski was better looking:lmao:)



yeah i have a odyssey battery, that thing is amazing, have a goki starter that is almost new, the starter doesnt seem to have an issues cranking the ski, the ski just wont stay running. i am currently looking for the sbn 44 carb. i am interested in the MSD system, i called MSD up last year seeing if they had anything that would work for it but they said nothing off the shelf.
can you direct me to a list of parts/instructions/kit/whatever about the item your talking about?
Click to expand...
 
C

Canadian_driver

Location
Canada
my vin has been filled with paint i cant check the one on the back unfortunatly. had a friend do some looking over the ski.

he said the pulse line was cracked
the fuel sediment bowl was full
but the compression is at 137 and 141
he said my charging coil is a little off.

i'm not sure what the pulse line is and how the charging coil can be off. would these alone be enough to be causing my issues

i was thinking about the MSD system, but i cant really justify spending $500 on a system for a ski that i spent $600 total, including rebuilding the motor once.

should i replace my charging coil?

also can anyone recomend somewhere i can get the adapter plate/intake for the sbn 44 carb (i do need it to swap carbs, right?)
 
Crab

Crab

thanks darin...noswad!
Location
Seattle
Save yourself aggravation and get a SJ, any year......550's make good outdoor beer coolers.
 
Conquistador

Conquistador

B-Saw
Site Supporter
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
the pulse line runs from the carb to the motor. It's super simple to replace. Just pull the one one off & put a 1/4id hose back on. Not even any clamps required.

replacing the coil is easy too & I'd just get another stock coil, but make sure the new one is good. Maybe buying one new is better than used, but I've always bought used. I've also had my fair share of headaches with them. jetskisolutions.com may be a good place to look.

I also drilled a hole in the bottom of my sediment bowl this year & no issues with it so far. That was a suggestion taken from the Larry Rippenkroeger vid from about 20 years ago. Also, make sure your one way valve going to the tank from the sediment bowl is working properly too.
 
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