- Location
- Chicago
Hi everyone,
Figured what better way to introduce myself to the forum than to start a thread for my WetJet restoration! I recently picked up a WetJet 428 for a price I could not pass up. It is in great condition and still has the original hood shield (but spray painted black). I have always loved the look of these machines and with winter approaching, thought it would be a neat project to complete in the off-season.
Luckily, the previous owner had a copy of the original service manual which has helped tremendously. I could tell the machine had some electrical issues in the past not only from the previously removed (and now missing) flywheel cover, but also there being a bookmark in the manual at the electrical troubleshooting..
My first goal was to locate a flywheel cover in order to be able to ground all the electrical connections and stabilize the starter. A quick search on the internet lead me to a local contact that was parting out his old WetJet and passed along his flywheel cover. Here are some photos after bringing it home as well as what the engine compartment looked like. I quickly learned that I have the "difficult-to-source-parts" Cuyuna engine..
After sourcing the flywheel cover it was time to tackle the electrical issue. Using an in-line spark tester, the lack of a spark was confirmed. Pulling out the Ohm meter and using the service manual for reference, I localized the issue to the black CDI box located behind the external coils. Thankfully I found a contact for the electronics who supplied me with a newer CDI unit. Viola! We have spark! The only issue now being the newer CDI unit no longer incorporates and connects a single yellow wire in the kill-circuit. In other words, the machine will start but the "stop" switch as well as lanyard are no longer functional. The yellow wire coming from the kill-switch circuit to the old CDI must be somewhat important
In the meantime, my OCD kicked in and I decided to polish some of the metal components in the engine bay.. Much better!
Here is a breakdown of what has been done since acquiring the WetJet:
Still on my list of to-do:
Overall I am ecstatic about the build and have been finding ways to improve the overall performance and look of the machine. Coming across a couple WetJet threads on this forum have been super helpful as well. Once the mechanical side of things are dialed in, my goal is to focus on the body work. There is evidence of previous work done to the hull in certain areas. In addition, the bottom of the hull appears to be rather thin due to previous "beaching" of the machine.
I apologize for the long post, but figured it gives everyone a good read as to where I am currently in the build. Feel free to comment/post or offer suggestions. This is my first "true" restoration/rebuild so bear with me.
Rich
Figured what better way to introduce myself to the forum than to start a thread for my WetJet restoration! I recently picked up a WetJet 428 for a price I could not pass up. It is in great condition and still has the original hood shield (but spray painted black). I have always loved the look of these machines and with winter approaching, thought it would be a neat project to complete in the off-season.
Luckily, the previous owner had a copy of the original service manual which has helped tremendously. I could tell the machine had some electrical issues in the past not only from the previously removed (and now missing) flywheel cover, but also there being a bookmark in the manual at the electrical troubleshooting..
After sourcing the flywheel cover it was time to tackle the electrical issue. Using an in-line spark tester, the lack of a spark was confirmed. Pulling out the Ohm meter and using the service manual for reference, I localized the issue to the black CDI box located behind the external coils. Thankfully I found a contact for the electronics who supplied me with a newer CDI unit. Viola! We have spark! The only issue now being the newer CDI unit no longer incorporates and connects a single yellow wire in the kill-circuit. In other words, the machine will start but the "stop" switch as well as lanyard are no longer functional. The yellow wire coming from the kill-switch circuit to the old CDI must be somewhat important
In the meantime, my OCD kicked in and I decided to polish some of the metal components in the engine bay.. Much better!
Here is a breakdown of what has been done since acquiring the WetJet:
- New flywheel cover
- New NGK spark plugs
- New NGK spark plug boots (original boots were no longer reading any Ohms)
- New cooling lines
- New fuel lines
- New fuel filter
- Rebuilt/cleaned the carburetor
- New CDI unit
- Cleaned out the fuel tank
Still on my list of to-do:
- Identify how to incorporate a kill switch into the new CDI circuit
- After rebuilding the carb, there appears to be a fuel leak at the upper return choke line.
- Complete some fiberglass/gelcoat body work
Overall I am ecstatic about the build and have been finding ways to improve the overall performance and look of the machine. Coming across a couple WetJet threads on this forum have been super helpful as well. Once the mechanical side of things are dialed in, my goal is to focus on the body work. There is evidence of previous work done to the hull in certain areas. In addition, the bottom of the hull appears to be rather thin due to previous "beaching" of the machine.
I apologize for the long post, but figured it gives everyone a good read as to where I am currently in the build. Feel free to comment/post or offer suggestions. This is my first "true" restoration/rebuild so bear with me.
Rich
Yikes.
