New SJ Owner With Questions

[Joshbot007]

not the pipe seal unfortunately and sorry I forgot to attach the photo. Here it is

good idea! If the OE parts aren’t available I will consider doing this!

 

[Joshbot007]

Did anyone ever try something like this to replace those seals? My zxi uses something like this for its steering cable. I’m thinking I might be able to get two of these to work if I find them in an appropriate diameter and length

 

[shockwave538]

I guess any decent rubber parts on there may work. The big thing is you want it to seal snug at both ends to keep water out of your steering cable to minimize corrosion. Costs a good few bucks to replace and can fail at bad times. The OE boots are the perfect diameter and have a lip at one end to fit in a groove in the cable to hold it in place. Plus they don’t fit so tight to add resistance like vacuum caps might, which may accelerate degradation of the seal and cause leakage.

Ask around if anyone has the boots left from a cable they’ve replaced. Different years have different lengths, but I think the boots from any year SJ cable will work. Maybe even Kawi cables??

 

[shockwave538]

All this is why it’s good to make a thorough parts list first like someone mentioned. Do a bulk order and save on shipping, and put everything in one WTB post. I know #JetManiac is good at combining things for cheap shipping and has most everything. Watcon is good too for this, PM on here or FB and he’ll put it together and tell you how to place a special order.

 

[E350]

@john zigler at Watcon.com apparently builds cables, so if you don't want to replace the cable now, or have him rebuild it, maybe he will sell you the steering cable rubber tube caps.

https://www.watcon.com/handling/steer-cables/steer-cable-yamaha-super-jet-sn-sj-90-94

 

[Joshbot007]

Looks like I have everything I need now either on the way or here except for the cable seals. I am going to check with John today to see if he has them. The new hull came with a lot of stuff in it that was probably considered “junk” when it was stripped but is exactly what I needed (exhaust hose, steering cable, water line, intake grate, and more!).

I swapped almost everything over to the new hull last night, if parts come in on time I should be on the water this weekend

Big thanks to everyone on here so far, you have all been a tremendous help! Super cool people on here

 

[Joshbot007]

I had the ski out yesterday and it ran great! No water leaking in the hull and it felt strong. I also found out that my electrical problem was that my meter was physically too close to the spark plug wires and the high voltage was screwing with the meter causing it to show random results. I put the meter in a different spot and was able to see the stator was working good.

I had a small amount of cavitation after a hop and trying to hook up again for the next jump. It would only cavitate for a split second. My ski has an aftermarket SS impeller but I have no idea what it is and pjs ride plate. The pump is in nice condition with little wear on the wear ring. My pump seal or “packing” as it’s called on the parts diagram didn’t really compress at all when I put the ski together last week. I think I am going to start by replacing that and resealing the pump shoe as it was done before and someone did a craptacular job. I made sure my midshaft housing is nice and sealed when I put that in so I don’t think I am getting any air from that. Any other ideas? I plan on taking a picture of the impeller tomorrow and posting it to see if someone can identify it. I really don’t want to take the pump apart just to see the type of impeller.

Thanks!

 

[Joshbot007]

Here are pictures of the impeller. Can anyone identify it? (I know that may be a little much to ask without having it out of the pump but I figured it would be worth a shot)

I resealed the pump shoe and added a new pump seal with no change. It only cavitates after a hop when I try to load it up for another hop. It also happens when the ski is proposing right upon reentry. The more I ride the more I think this is normal because I feel like there has to be air bubbles in the water under the hull when you first reenter the water but I could be wrong. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[shockwave538]

Not really sure about the cavitation. I doubt anyone can pinpoint what impeller that is from there. The hard part is getting the pump out, it’s easy to separate the wear ring from the pump to see what impeller it is. It will either be stamped on the side of the hub behind the blades, which is easier to see, or inside the hub which requires removing the impeller with the right tool.

Actually if you pull up the rubber nose cone from the impeller, it may narrow down what brand your impeller is. Each has their own shape of tool so you need to get a close up of what the fitting on the front of the impeller looks like. Though you still won’t know what pitch it is.

 

[Joshbot007]

how sharp should the leading edges of the impeller be? Mine had slight dings in them so I cleaned them up with a file but they might be a little sharper now then they should. Still curious as to Why it will only do it after the intake leaves the water and at WOT right at reentry to the water

Also does anyone know what the tabs are for as shown in the picture? I was looking at a parts diagram and they are not called out specifically but it does call the part they are bolted to a “PAD”

Thanks!

 

[shockwave538]

On the stock bars, the pad has a bumper of sorts. Looks like you’re missing the bumper. That won’t matter though once you buy aftermarket bars. Long (27-28”) or stock length, 0° or 4°, your preference. They are all more enjoyable than stock bars, and won’t break near as easy. I liked my 0° Blowsion, but tried 4° and like it more (as it seems many do), and found a good deal on ADA bars from Pro Watercraft Racing.

Don’t know about impeller troubleshooting much, but they shouldn’t be highly sharp to easily cut yourself. More importantly, you want a smooth edge and tight tolerance to the wear ring.

 

[Joshbot007]

On the stock bars, the pad has a bumper of sorts. Looks like you’re missing the bumper. That won’t matter though once you buy aftermarket bars. Long (27-28”) or stock length, 0° or 4°, your preference. They are all more enjoyable than stock bars, and won’t break near as easy. I liked my 0° Blowsion, but tried 4° and like it more (as it seems many do), and found a good deal on ADA bars from Pro Watercraft Racing.

Don’t know about impeller troubleshooting much, but they shouldn’t be highly sharp to easily cut yourself. More importantly, you want a smooth edge and tight tolerance to the wear ring.

Awesome thanks for the help! The impeller actually looks great besides the small nicks on the leading edge I cleaned up. I guess I will try to go over them again to smooth them out a little more before the lake this weekend

 

[Joshbot007]

Found out the impeller is a solas YB-SC-S, I have no idea if that’s good or not lol. I am going to clean it up a bit more and seal the wear ring area and hope I can kill this cavitation for the weekend. I bought a helmet so I guess you can say it’s starting to get serious

 

[shockwave538]

Looks like it’s a 14/17 pitch. I know a good number run Solas props. I don’t know much about them though besides the Hookers. You can search and find plenty of threads about different prop models and pitches for different ski and riding combos.

https://impros.com/store/solas-yb-sc-super-camber-impeller.html

 

[Collussus]

I've had the impros 9-17 hooker, the Skat Super Slim line 14-18, and the Solas in the photo. I like the Skat best. The Skat hits better than the Solas and is about half the weight. Everyone raves about the impros. I thought it hooked up a bit better on the bottom but fell off midrange, and went back to the Skat. If you are running a mod ski, then you probably have a different outcome, but for a stocker, old school is the best school. Likewise, the deep scoop grates are too aggressive...go with jet dynamics or an older Riva Tri loader. Make sure the back of the prop isn't bent, if it ate a rock, sometimes it will bend a prop on the way out. Impros or Skat will rebuild-re weld a rocked prop so it isn't fatal and cheaper than new. I've used both and the rebuilt prop is a-ok.

I've become prop paranoid over the years...my ride area isn't a pretty sand beach, there are lots of rocks, so my ski never hits ground any more.

 

[Joshbot007]

Thanks for the info! I am going to stick with the impeller I have now because I want to keep it low budget for the time being, I am probably going to look for a 701 in the winter and then start changing things like the impeller. I cleaned up the nicks and dings on the impeller along with the veins in the pump housing and rvt gasket for the wear ring to the housing. Hoping that clears out my little cavitation problem, otherwise I am stumped because everything seems just about optimal now.

 

[Collussus]

Understood the budget part, you did a good job cleaning up, but a sharp and straight prop makes all the difference. You can occasionally catch someone selling the stock 2008 impeller here for low $.