550 sucks!

ColeW

ColeW

X2
Location
Tellico Lake, Tn
i have a big problem with my 550.....it doesnt run......i took it to the lake last sunday and first i had a dead battery.....went to advanced auto and took care of that problem.... then i went back to the lake and it ran on the trailer backed into the water.......it ran except it smoked a ton and spit lots of unburned oil ( i know 2 strokes do this but this was an extreme amount )....... when i would take it off the trailer it would not pull up to plane at all..... it would barely rev..... i tried to tune it and i finally got it to pull on plane and i rode it long enough to bust my face twice.... both times it started back up and would get back on plane...after a little while it started bogging down and barely idled back to the ramp.... after that it would hardly start and if it did barely got above idle (it was so slow i couldnt even ride on my knees).....after that it would not start at all..... i just bought the jet ski this winter and put a west coast pipe and manifold on it....this was the first time i had ever ridden it.................does anybody know what this could be.....................oh and does anybody have a 44 carb they would like to part with
 
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Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
ColeW said:
i have a big problem with my 550.....it doesnt run......i took it to the lake last sunday and first i had a dead battery.....went to advanced auto and took care of that problem.... then i went back to the lake and it ran on the trailer backed into the water.......it ran except it smoked a ton and spit lots of unburned oil ( i know 2 strokes do this but this was an extreme amount )....... when i would take it off the trailer it would not pull up to plane at all..... it would barely rev..... i tried to tune it and i finally got it to pull on plane and i rode it long enough to bust my face twice.... both times it started back up and would get back on plane...after a little while it started bogging down and barely idled back to the ramp.... after that it would hardly start and if it did barely got above idle (it was so slow i couldnt even ride on my knees).....after that it would not start at all..... i just bought the jet ski this winter and put a west coast pipe and manifold on it....this was the first time i had ever ridden it.................does anybody know what this could be.....................oh and does anybody have a 44 carb they would like to part with
Click to expand...

There is a thread like two below this one about a 650sx that has the exacty same symptoms, id follow it aswell as this. Also, New plugs and wires can solve some problems
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
Have you checked your cables? our seadoo was having some problems and it was caused by corroded spark plug cables. All we did to fix it was trim an inch of the end. Although we ended up getting all new cables.
 
jetpilot08

jetpilot08

Location
Kennewick, WA
Do you have a way to pressure check the motor. When I bought my 550 it ran but ran like chit!!! Rebuilt the carbs, news plugs, good fuel...just won't run right no matter how far I would turn my high and lows in/out. Finally I said f it and pieced a 650 motor together and did a conversion ski.

My friend bought my 550 motor and when he tore it down he said the front seal looked like shredded wheat! So he fixed that, put new rings and pistons in it and it runs like a champ.

By the way 650 ran great...it fired up every time. Then the bolts for the engine plate came loose and ripped the threads out of the bottom of the case. So I said F it again and bought a superjet. Best investment I've ever made! :Banane01:
 
jetpilot08

jetpilot08

Location
Kennewick, WA
no i'm talking about pressure testing the cases. you'll need to check for air leaks or f'ed crank seals... apparently this is a common problem on older skis.
You need to pull the carb and exhaust an plug the manifolds with a rubber plug. I think they are called plumbers plugs.

Then put a little air to cases via the pulse line and make sure it holds air for a while...you only need about 3-5 psi i think.

It's kind of a pain in the a$$ to do but it will save you from many headaches if you now for sure you have a sealed case. You'll have to pull the motor if it leaks and spray the cases with soapy water to find the leaks. I know if I ever buy another used ski or motor this it the first thing I will do regardless of how well it runs. Especially if its an older ski.

Do you have the sbn carb or the piece of crap round body carbs?
 
djkorn1

djkorn1

kidkornfilms
Site Supporter
Location
Cleveland Ohio
Start it up with the hood off and look for exhaust leaks. This'll choke it right out.

Next, take apart the carb and clean it.

Pull the boots off of your spark plug wires and cut them back an inch...
 
Talsivar

Talsivar

X-
Location
oregon
the 550 rev limiter is crap it dumps excess fuel into the carb to kill the rpms. they malfunction and just dump gas into the carb making it hard to start or run like crap. cut the wires to it and block it off. but you will still need to run the return line through it unless you can find a restrictor, or upgrade to a sbn.
 
Maxumflux

Maxumflux

Location
Knoxville, TN
ColeW said:
i have a big problem with my 550.....it doesnt run......i took it to the lake last sunday and first i had a dead battery.....went to advanced auto and took care of that problem.... then i went back to the lake and it ran on the trailer backed into the water.......it ran except it smoked a ton and spit lots of unburned oil ( i know 2 strokes do this but this was an extreme amount )....... when i would take it off the trailer it would not pull up to plane at all..... it would barely rev..... i tried to tune it and i finally got it to pull on plane and i rode it long enough to bust my face twice.... both times it started back up and would get back on plane...after a little while it started bogging down and barely idled back to the ramp.... after that it would hardly start and if it did barely got above idle (it was so slow i couldnt even ride on my knees).....after that it would not start at all..... i just bought the jet ski this winter and put a west coast pipe and manifold on it....this was the first time i had ever ridden it.................does anybody know what this could be.....................oh and does anybody have a 44 carb they would like to part with
Click to expand...


cole my ski was having the exact same problems.:eek:uch: like litteraly.

turns out i had my fuel lines to the carb back words... don't ask how, i just did. also with the sbn carb i just cut the fuel lines and routed one as return and one from the reserve in the tank. now it runs like a champ! If you want, you can bring her over and i can see what i can do.:wavey:

i hope to see you next weekend on loudon... :bananapowerslide:
 
ou812

ou812

Location
Peoria, AZ
I went through almost exactly what your talking about. Ran around in circles trying to figure it out. It ended up being the front crank seal was destroyed. you can pull the flywheel/stator cover off and see if there is any gas/oil residue in there (mine had a small pool of gas oil in the bottom of the cover). If you find that, pull the flywheel and replace the crank seal. Could be one of the other crank seals also.

But yea I did everything your trying so far. Plugs and caps, cut the spark plug wires back, I bought a SBN carb, and rebuilt the top end, with no results. Changed the seal and it ran great and started much easier.
 
ColeW

ColeW

X2
Location
Tellico Lake, Tn
okay.....thanks to all......i just fixed lots of exhaust leaks today..............and i also replaced the 4 month old gas.....i will check the plug wires and see what they look like
 
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