Newbie questions before you rebuild or buy a ski.

[LudjakR1]

Where u from?- Jacksonville, Florida
what kind of ski - 2000 Yamaha GP1200r
what year- 2000
what kind of engine- 2 stroke
how many hours on the meter? - 187
how long did it sit- 3 months
any new/modified parts on it- No
recent tune-ups or rebuild - per seller, recent service was done. Although i want to still do a service myself
general history of the ski if you know- per seller has been in salt and fresh water, tune ups done on time no major services or repairs.
price- 3300 for 2 of them same color and hours.
comes with trailer?- yes
live on water?- No on trailer
did the ski run on saltwater or normal lake water- both
compression numbers?- Don't know. 1 ran fine first day the 2nd one died due to battery I am guessing. Bought new battery today plan to instal tonight.
does it run?- both ran fine on day of purchase and when i brought them home both run. After taking to water 1 died due to battery. Sounder like battery could not turn it over.
Pictures,videos?- not yet
mechanical knowledge- Worked on Yamaha sportbikes for a while- basic mechanical issues. I dont have any knowledge of the Skis. I do have service manual and keep reading that.
tools- Basic tools and Impact Drills, wrenches etc

[bowsniper]

I would go into the Yamaha section and start a thread about your skis in general and ask for the pros and cons of these skis. those guys know a TON about gpr's and can point you in the right direction. average cost, what goes wrong with them, how they handle, top speed, ride,mods, price for mods and anything else you can think of.

[jcgalantvr4-244]

Im from Iowa

Have to many ski's and not enough know how...

Looking to sell some 785's or part them

great thread Ill be staying around as I also have

1 1995 sl650

1 1995 sl750

Thanks,
JC

[Sean0913]

Where u from? Texas
what kind of ski. Polaris SLTX
what year 1999
what kind of engine. Polaris Domestic (Red)
how many hours on the meter? 13.1
how long did it sit? Week or so since I took it to the lake
any new/modified parts on it? Carb Kit
recent tune-ups or rebuild? Carb Kit on 3
general history of the ski if you know. Previous owner appears to have kept it real clean, I don't know if it was salt water run, because you cannot tell. He had it a year and selling to build a house (he's selling lots of his toys)
price? 2800
comes with trailer? Yes, given to me for free by a friend.
live on water? No
did the ski run on saltwater or normal lake water? Salt unknown? and Lake for sure with me
compression numbers? even on all pistons
does it run? Yes
Pictures,videos? Picture
mechanical knowledge? I can follow directions, but limited mechanical knowledge. Hands on learner, good with step by step approaches.
tools. General sockets, pliers, drivers, etc?
I looked up and watched YouTube videos and tried to learn as much as I could before I took it on the water. It was a lot of fun and my family enjoyed themselves thoroughly. I ran it in lake water and the fastest I ran was 52. It may run faster but that's as fast as I felt comfortable.

When I got home I took a Water hose and sprayed the back and underneath and took out any debris/grass that I could see from the rear jet and intake. It's been about 12 hours, since. Are there any other things I should do? When I opened the seat I saw some standing water and so I was thinking I should take my wet vac out...it was raining/sprinkling here when I got home last night.

I appreciate that this forum is here and I hope that I can learn to really care for this Pwc.

For the immediate moment, I'd like to hear what else should I do to this now that it's back. I don't want to destroy this craft due to my ignorance. It's a lot of fun and I'd love to keep it that way. It will run for years, because mechanically its been kept in really great condition.

Best,

Sean

[K447]

For new arrivals, click here;

http://polarispwcknowledge.shorturl.com/

[notorious01]

Where u from? North Jersey
what kind of ski? 2004 Polaris Virage 701 cc
what year?2004
what kind of engine...2 cly 701
how many hours on the meter? 67.00
how long did it sit? 3-4 years
any new/modified parts on it? Battery 12+ volts & Spark plugs
recent tune-ups or rebuild...^^
general history of the ski if you know....Salt water driven for four years 60 hours in 8 years
price? 1200 with trailer
comes with trailer? yes
live on water? 2 miles away
did the ski run on saltwater or normal lake water... Predominantly salt little fresh
compression numbers? N/A
does it run? Yes after a battery change and new sparks
Pictures,videos? yes



mechanical knowledge? Not a crazy amount but i do mod my truck here and there
tools? plenty
ALWAYS DEALER Maintained!!!

Owned By In laws through our family.

Any Tips would be great i was a little weary with only 95 horses but i think its a good price and for a first itll do i have never owned one but have rented for multiple years when available..
Thanks guys!

[bowsniper]

Nice ski for the money.

Salt water rides need to cleaned inside and out every time after you ride.

Salt can also corrode the Zinc anode located on the wear ring base against the hull where it bolts up to the transom. check and see what condition thats in. If it sat a long time.

You could have some corrosion in the black box. check the ground wire for corrision.

Also check the intake grate for being tight along withe ride platgrease the thru hull bearing and the coupler if its metal.

You may want to rebuild the pump with new bearings and gaskets.

I would also change the filters and gas lines.

Take a peek at the tops of your pistons and tell us what they look like. Some clean spots are good. all black is too lean. all clean is too rich.

Lube the steering cable and linkages,trim rod movement ete..

A strong battery is a must. Maintenance is a must do. Congrats! Looks like you have a great looking ski



Welcome to the HULK!

Polaris has put out service bulletins on various skis thru the years. You may want to find out if any pertain to your ski..

[glhodnett]

Hey all. I am in the market for a ski, never owned one but grew up riding an slt 780 on steriods. Great ski. Looking at a msx 140 as I am having difficulty locating a good condition older ski. Nt many polaris boats around me. Could you give me some input on mwhat to watch for on the msx 140. Parts availability. Links to recommended maintenance, etc. I have checked kbb for price and it is putting retail at $3250 for the high end. Is there another guide I can use to make sure I don't get ripped. Thanks in advance. See my answers to the newbie questions below.

Where u from: Sacramento, CA
what kind of ski: 2004 Polaris MSX 140
what year: 2004
what kind of engine: not sure
how many hours on the meter: 125
how long did it sit: ran last weekend
any new/modified parts on it: nope...stock
recent tune-ups or rebuild: new plugs...that's it
general history of the ski if you know: 2 friends went in on the purchase. I believe thy purchased it new. It's been run by one of the friends, the other doesn't know how to swim...
price: asking $4000
comes with trailer: Yes...single
live on water: no...lives in Reno...runs it at Tahoe
did the ski run on saltwater or normal lake water: Lake...no salt
compression numbers: haven't checked, but will
does it run: Yes
Pictures,videos: check the link...http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/3133609627.html
mechanical knowledge: I'm handy
tools: got what I need

[K447]

See my signature links for a starting point.

[burtonrider10022]

Will this compression tester be sufficient?

http://www.amazon.com/Wilmar-W80580-300-Compression-Tester/dp/B000N35MV6/ref=pd_rhf_pe_p_t_1

[BlueFishCrisis]

Better off getting the screw in type. This is the one I have. http://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP7827-.../dp/B0006V2BRS I think its even a couple bucks cheaper at Autozone.

[notorious01]

Nice ski for the money.

Welcome to the HULK!

Polaris has put out service bulletins on various skis thru the years. You may want to find out if any pertain to your ski..

Thank you sir brought it upstate ny and it ran well with little problems my oil sensor plug isn't staying put causing oil to spill but other than that it's very nice... There wasn't much maintenance time since we literally hot it the day before vacation (kinda fell in our laps) but I will sure start looking at all the stuff you listed!

[burtonrider10022]

Where are you from: Orland Park, IL (Southwest suburb of Chicago)
What kind of ski: Polaris SL 750
What year: 1993
What engine: Fuji Blue - 750
How many hours: No meter
How long did it sit: 3 years (in a garage)
Any new/modified parts on it: None
Recent tune-ups or rebuild: Top end rebuild in ~'08. Uncle claims the carbs got new diaphrams then also, but not a full rebuild.
General history of the ski: Purchased new by my Grandparents in '93. Ridden by my family since then. Kept out of water on a lift in the summer, always covered, and garage kept in winter.
Price: Free
Comes with trailer: 1993 ShoreLand'R Trailer, also free
Live on water: Above it, and not in winter
Did the ski run on saltwater: Lake water only
Compression numbers: Bad: MAG 120, CEN 10, PTO 120
Does it run: Allegedly, but I want to fix the fuel system and piston before doing any further damage from starting it
Pictures, videos: See my INTRO thread
Mechanical knowledge: Enough to accomplish almost anything on this ski, built a turbo Audi A4 pretty good and have also restored 1.5 early 90's Yamaha FZR motorcycles
Tools: I either have it or can get it usually


Names James BTW.

[twtcad]

Where u from? Deltona, FL (between Orlando and Daytona Beach)
what kind of ski (2) Polaris SL650's
what year 1995
what kind of engine Polaris Fuji engine (blue painted engine)
how many hours on the meter? I have not seen the meter yet, but now I will be looking
how long did it sit 2009-present (4-5yrs)
any new/modified parts on it unknown
recent tune-ups or rebuild nothing recent

general history of the ski if you know The history as he sold it to me--.his uncle purchased brand new, he acquired in 2002, in 2007 he paid a guy $3000 to completely go thru both skies and rebuild them like new mechanically, enjoyed them a few times and sometime in 2009 parked them and never touched them again until now when he put them up for sale. It was obvious to me one was in better shape than the other; first thing we did pre-purchase was pull all plugs and soak each piston w/ wd-40 and let them set for a few minutes, hooked up jumper cables from my truck and hit the starter, the cleaner one turned over right away-.I was sold on that one. So far we have cleaned this one up and have water tested it (fresh water) and she is running great-..have not done a compression test yet, but plan too. Didn't really ride it as the throttle broke right away-so I've order a replacement one already. As soon as it gets here we are taking it out in fresh water!

The other one now looked rough, like it was rode hard and put away dirty. Positive they rode it up to shore (saltwater) and beached it as there is grass still in the grate underneath. This one will not turn over at all and the steering linkage is broken and the nozzle is frozen in place. So my plan is to pull the starters in both skies and swap, this should tell me if one starter is good/bad and hopefully be able to turn the motor over. Can the motor be turned over by hand? I'm really hoping this one isn't toast but I'm not holding my breath. Any suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated!

price $850.00 cash
comes with trailer? Yes ÔÇô dual ski
live on water? no
did the ski run on saltwater or normal lake water saltwater
compression numbers? Have not done yet
does it run? One does great and the other has not turned over yet.....plan to begin troubleshooting as early as this sunday
Pictures,videos? Yes some pics
mechanical knowledge very mechanically inclined-I fix everything around our house, cars American, Japanese and German and do all the work on my 7.3l diesel Truck-..but first time owning a watercraft of any kind
tools most everything or have access to what I do not have

[K447]

Welcome twtcad

See my signature links for lots of stuff you need to check and do, even on the 'running' machine.

Do the maintenance work up front, BEFORE you 'test ride'. You can do real damage to these engines in minutes or seconds at full throttle, if things are not the way they should be. Pay particular attention to the fuel system and the carburetors.