Was given a 550 The General Lee

[Ryan Declark]

Long story short, when i try to start it, it sounds like it has a dead battery and its slow to turn over, i had a 1000 cca battery hooked up. By hand the motor turns over but feels "stiff"

My assumtion is that it sat so long that either the crankshaft bearings are seized or the piston rings are also frozen, either way ill post pictures as i might break down the engine today to find out.

 

[Kohldanielzimmer]

Turns sluggishly without plugs in? Check pump for impeller wear ring contact. Perhaps the issues you suggested. Or, a bad starter or cables with significant resistance.

 

[Ryan Declark]

Turns sluggishly without plugs in? Check pump for impeller wear ring contact. Perhaps the issues you suggested. Or, a bad starter or cables with significant resistance.

I actually figured it out, it had a bad power contact. Thanks for the help. Also i did throw a dab of oil down the cylinders. Just to give it a little love on the rings. After it had been sitting for so long i figure it was a decent idea.

 

[spinyard]

If it’s not a Reeded 550sx get rid of it the piston ports are junk

 

[WFO Speedracer]

GIVE IT BACK, IT;S NOT TO LATE TO STOP THE MADNESS

 

[Ryan Declark]

GIVE IT BACK, IT;S NOT TO LATE TO STOP THE MADNESS

What do you mean?

 

[Ryan Declark]

If it’s not a Reeded 550sx get rid of it the piston ports are junk

Iv heard that getting this motor is nearly impossible to get ahold of and the parts to rebuild are the same.

 

[flgliderpilot]

I rode an old piston port 440 and a 550 for years. Got me into standups. Had a great time on them. Simple engine to work on. Its the electronics in the kawasaki that always needed work if riding in salt water.

 

[Sparkplug]

Good ski to learn on. Everyone gets a superjet and thinks they are a master mechanic.

First thing I do to piston port engines is pull them out and completely reseal the engine. I don't even try and pressure test them. Once they are sealed up good. Clean the carb and go by the manual. Pretty simple to get going good. This isn't the best site for them tho. Pwc today is better for kawi and older skis

 

[bird]

1. Pull Spark Plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders. How hard is it to turn over by hand or starter?
still hard...report back
2. Pull the engine and check how hard it is to turn over, 1 the engine and/or 2 the driveshaft bearing and pump...
still hard...report back
3. Pull the 550 driveshaft/ 440 pump.
Some 550s had 440 pumps installed. 440 pumps have impellers screwed onto the driveshaft. 550 had splines and will simply allow the driveshaft to be pulled in the engine bay.
Check if the pump or driveshaft bearings are hard to turn over....report back.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

There is a new saying that totally applies here:
F around and find out

 

[hornedogg79]

There is a new saying that totally applies here:
F around and find out

Go start another project.

Built a piston port in 16 and it's one of my all time favorites. Lots of help and cool history on the 550 Facebook group page.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Go start another project.

Built a piston port in 16 and it's one of my all time favorites. Lots of help and cool history on the 550 Facebook group page.

It's not that I am anti 550, I had a reed valve 550 for years and ride the piss out of it, but I also worked at the dealership back in 85-92 and I spent most of my time sorting out 86-91 model 550's , back then there were no SBN carbs , we were stuck with the crappy stock starters and single ring pistons, with an SBN carb and a newer model starter and double ring pistons a PP 550 would do fairly well, but you are still stuck with the cast iron cylinder and really high piston to wall clearances though.

As far as projects I am too busy fixing other peoples projects right now, no thanks.

 

[Ryan Declark]

1. Pull Spark Plugs and spray some fogging oil in the cylinders. How hard is it to turn over by hand or starter?
still hard...report back
2. Pull the engine and check how hard it is to turn over, 1 the engine and/or 2 the driveshaft bearing and pump...
still hard...report back
3. Pull the 550 driveshaft/ 440 pump.
Some 550s had 440 pumps installed. 440 pumps have impellers screwed onto the driveshaft. 550 had splines and will simply allow the driveshaft to be pulled in the engine bay.
Check if the pump or driveshaft bearings are hard to turn over....report back.

Its funny because i quite literally just pulled a 440 apart that was given to me and i totally know what your talking about with the shaft,
1 i actually did end up throwing a little oil down the cylinder after i pulled engine, once i let it sit for a few mins it actually got significantly easier to turn by hand.
2 shaft turns free, its definitely a 550 pump because midshaft is on splines not threads.

I ended up throwing the engine with the mounting plate clamped to my work area with the electronics hooked up and got it to zing zing one time. Really it looks like i didnt have a good enough connection to a battery to give the starter the cranking amperage it needed. Im fairly certain it works.

I still have a couple questions, what should the compression test read, should i completely reseal the engine, and how does one know if the shaft needs to be resealed or seeviced?

 

[Sparkplug]

120 psi will run fine. I think they are supposed to be 135 stock? Not sure. I'd re seal the engine. It's cheap and will be a blessing down the road when it comes time to tune it. It's cake to do. And you'll get to look inside the engine and spt any other issues before they turn ugly.

 

[bird]

going from memory, I believe 550s had 130-150psi compression stock?(Reed motors were 175?)... Anything above 120 and cylinders match +-5psi run it.

Leakdown test

if the engine is turning over and has "even" compression, run it. You got it for free?

 

[hornedogg79]

Some js550 motivation.

 

[Ryan Declark]

going from memory, I believe 550s had 130-150psi compression stock?(Reed motors were 175?)... Anything above 120 and cylinders match +-5psi run it.

Leakdown test

if the engine is turning over and has "even" compression, run it. You got it for free?

My buddy compulsively bought an unfinished, unregistered ski, and has about negative experience with any watercraft or just wrenching alone. the guy who sold it to him at the time basically said he didnt have time to do anything with it and bought it just how we saw it at the time. He got that along with a unregistered 440 that ran. His plans were to take that skis to Havasu unregistered, and i advised strongly against that because the Arizona sheriffs don't enjoy people with unregistered craft. Anyway he bought them for like 8 hundred bucks while i walked back to my truck. i had no idea he bought them till they started wheeling them out to my truck. they sat in has back yard for about a year and a half or 2 years.

i had initial interest with the 550 as something i knew i could work on but left it at that when i dropped them off as it showed potential for a decent ski with most all the parts on it {excluding a tank and a few straps and a battery). Then a year and a half or 2 years later i get a phone call asking if i want the skis for free. i told him id grab the 550 but he said i had to take both.

Ended up completely disassembling both skis to trash the hulls that was unregistered. The 440 engine and parts are on the marketplace now.

For giggles i looked for a 550 hull only that was registered and to my surprise someone was selling one with a pump, tank and some other cool bits like handlebars, drive cables, throttle cables. 300 bucks. is basically what im into it right now. starting to get some tire kickers on the 440 parts but ill easily make my money back on that 550 hull.

i was thinking today that i was gonna also re route the exhaust gas through the back like an SX reed model due to the noise, Im a diesel boat mechanic and iv never done any fiber glass, what kind of glass do people use in the PWC world?

 

[Ryan Declark]

Some js550 motivation.

epic!

 

[Sparkplug]

My buddy compulsively bought an unfinished, unregistered ski, and has about negative experience with any watercraft or just wrenching alone. the guy who sold it to him at the time basically said he didnt have time to do anything with it and bought it just how we saw it at the time. He got that along with a unregistered 440 that ran. His plans were to take that skis to Havasu unregistered, and i advised strongly against that because the Arizona sheriffs don't enjoy people with unregistered craft. Anyway he bought them for like 8 hundred bucks while i walked back to my truck. i had no idea he bought them till they started wheeling them out to my truck. they sat in has back yard for about a year and a half or 2 years.

i had initial interest with the 550 as something i knew i could work on but left it at that when i dropped them off as it showed potential for a decent ski with most all the parts on it {excluding a tank and a few straps and a battery). Then a year and a half or 2 years later i get a phone call asking if i want the skis for free. i told him id grab the 550 but he said i had to take both.

Ended up completely disassembling both skis to trash the hulls that was unregistered. The 440 engine and parts are on the marketplace now.

For giggles i looked for a 550 hull only that was registered and to my surprise someone was selling one with a pump, tank and some other cool bits like handlebars, drive cables, throttle cables. 300 bucks. is basically what im into it right now. starting to get some tire kickers on the 440 parts but ill easily make my money back on that 550 hull.

i was thinking today that i was gonna also re route the exhaust gas through the back like an SX reed model due to the noise, Im a diesel boat mechanic and iv never done any fiber glass, what kind of glass do people use in the PWC world?

If it's fiberglass you can use ester. But most people use epoxy nowadays.

I'd hold off on Glasswork to a 550. Just get it running good and reliable. Don't cut it up. It won't really be worth it. And even those it's a old kawi. They are getting harder to find in original or stock shape. And sooner or later. The value is going to climb. If that at all matters to you.