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Been a while since I posted out here... Did some major mods to my 2001 ZXi 1100 over the winter:
Ski runs awesome now, minus a bit more tuning.... but my question pertains to whether I have cavitation or not:
With both skis on the trailer at the ramp, backed way down into the water and both running in clear water with nozzles all the way down, I can see that there's a TON of whitewater on the ZXi propulsion cone of water, where my 2001 XP has nearly a solid stream of water with only an occasional streak of white indicating air/bubbles.
The ZXi does seem like it "slips" or hangs up a bit out of the hole when compared to my XP, then catches and she really goes. But my wonder is where all these bubbles are coming from? I assume because I do not have all the edges and seams sealed properly with silicon on the intake grate and up into the prop shoe? There didn't seem to be that many gaps or areas that would cause cavitation, if this is indeed cavitation. Just seems like the force of the prop pulling water into the intake is causing bubbles to form, thus decreasing the effectiveness of the pump and the initial "slip".... or is this a normal trait of a Kawasaki pump design? Is this cavitation or "ventilation" where it's getting air from somewhere else?
NOTE: I have rechecked the tolerance of the blades to the pump wall, which is only about 0.025" all around and there are no nicks or gouges to speak of. There is a slight "step" to a larger diameter where the shoe and the pump meet, and not sure if that should be siliconed smooth.
I'm just trying to understand the difference between cavitation and ventilation, and if there's a way to correct it to get a solid stream like the XP. I feel like the ZXi should be doing more in the hole shot department with all the mods I've been able to do, and having all the bubbles in the stream obviously reduces the force/effectiveness of the thrust...
As always, thanks for any insight you guys may have....
- Replaced original carbs with CDKII carbs, full Keihin rebuild kits
- Stinger mod, tuned to open @ 5000RPM
(.20 carb jet in stinger with Jetworks flow control. .15 carb jet in top of exhaust where stator return went. Blocked stator off) - Waterbox mod
(1" hole drilled into back of waterbox) - Shredmaster Ride Plate
- R & D Intake Grate
- Solas 13/19 SS prop
- Dual cooling mod
(T fitting to feed jetworks flow control) - Dual high-flow clear bowl italian strainers with SS screens
Ski runs awesome now, minus a bit more tuning.... but my question pertains to whether I have cavitation or not:
With both skis on the trailer at the ramp, backed way down into the water and both running in clear water with nozzles all the way down, I can see that there's a TON of whitewater on the ZXi propulsion cone of water, where my 2001 XP has nearly a solid stream of water with only an occasional streak of white indicating air/bubbles.
The ZXi does seem like it "slips" or hangs up a bit out of the hole when compared to my XP, then catches and she really goes. But my wonder is where all these bubbles are coming from? I assume because I do not have all the edges and seams sealed properly with silicon on the intake grate and up into the prop shoe? There didn't seem to be that many gaps or areas that would cause cavitation, if this is indeed cavitation. Just seems like the force of the prop pulling water into the intake is causing bubbles to form, thus decreasing the effectiveness of the pump and the initial "slip".... or is this a normal trait of a Kawasaki pump design? Is this cavitation or "ventilation" where it's getting air from somewhere else?
NOTE: I have rechecked the tolerance of the blades to the pump wall, which is only about 0.025" all around and there are no nicks or gouges to speak of. There is a slight "step" to a larger diameter where the shoe and the pump meet, and not sure if that should be siliconed smooth.
I'm just trying to understand the difference between cavitation and ventilation, and if there's a way to correct it to get a solid stream like the XP. I feel like the ZXi should be doing more in the hole shot department with all the mods I've been able to do, and having all the bubbles in the stream obviously reduces the force/effectiveness of the thrust...
As always, thanks for any insight you guys may have....