- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Alright sir, so I have two thoughts right now. I have experienced this only once but as Lumberjack just mentioned, if you have not swapped it out, try a different fuel tank valve. I had an old JS300 many moons ago that would do much like what you are experiencing. The tank valve stopped allowing air into the tank and after a few minutes of run time the tank would implode. It would take a few seconds to get the tank to release just enough for the engine to draw fuel and run again. But it would run only for a few more minutes then back to barely running. When I opened the gas cap after the ski died like that, I heard a huge gasp of air rush into the tank and the tank walls made a "bung" sound as they popped back out to shape. The Kawi dealer took a little drill bit and hand twisted it through the center of the valve, that solved the issue entirely. It could be that easy. My other thought is a lot more complex, given that the ski is older than 96 when going by the description, it may be time to do a crank seal replacement. I recall you mentioned something about one seal but if it was not changed or only one was changed, then it would be a highly recommended thing to do anyway. Those seals, if original, are 20+ years old. There is a very good chance they are going soft and gummy or are just wearing out. If you have to go this route, you will need to pressure test the crank anyway. Instead of using block off plates you can also use section of rubber, perhaps a lawn tractor tire tube. Cut out pieces to go in between the carb and manifold, then bolt the carb down over top of it, and the same for the exhaust side. Remove the easiest to access portion of the pipe that will still allow the cases to be sealed, put a section of rubber in between and re-fasten the pipe. Then going through the pulse fitting, gear clamp on a decent length of 1/4" fuel hose and attach your pump/gauge setup.
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