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Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

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  • Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

    Driving back from a client meeting, I noticed a For Sale sign along the road. There sits a 2000 Waverunner GP1200R Mellenium Edition on a very nice trailer. The sign says it's got a "bad cylinder", which I can only guess means a blown motor.

    There are several after-market and racing stickers on the boat, indicating either "wanna be", there's been some mods added, or it's been raced (or at least ridden) hard.

    Looking up the back end, I noticed that the impeller is eaten away on the leading edge on all three blades. The rest of the pump looks good.

    An NADA printout is on the sign, indicating that it's worth between $5,400 and $6,000 (without the blowed up motor, of course). He's asking $1,800 on the sign.

    Is it worth pursuing? Does this beast have the power valve problem or is that another motor and year? Things to look out for. What's a good price to hand him cash money and not get hurt?

    I've swapped engines on my 91 and 93 Sea-Doos a lot, and fiddled with my other two 91 Waverunners and 89 Jet Ski, but this is a new boat. How hard could it be?

  • #2
    Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

    Where is it? I'll take it. For about 2k you can drop an SBT motor (Which I think has updated power valves), impeller, and pump ring in it and have a great ski for less than $4000.00. I'll bet you can even talk him down to $1300.00 :emoticont Good Luck

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    • #3
      Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

      Check on what mods were done and call SBT to see if motor core is eligible for trade. If the motor is bad and its been sitting for long while, it could be very likely that the crank and bearings are rusted, eliminating the possibility of just replacing the top end.

      For around $1500-$1800 it may still be wort it. Price out replacement engines.
      James
      1997 gp1200
      2000 gp1200r

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

        Called the number on the sign. Talked to the owner. Said he'd only owned it about 6 months. Bought it from a neighbor who bought it from a friend who bought it from a guy in a town 25 miles away, etc. Didn't seem to know much mechanically about the ski, so I pressed further.

        Said that on Father's Day they were riding it at 60 mph and then it bogged down to 30 or so, took it home and took out the spark plugs. Said that therre were "bearings or pins or something" in the #3 cylinder combustion chamber. Again, didn't seemt to know much mechanically.

        Still don't know if this ski had powervalves or not. Anyone know? That makes a big difference in the engine price from SBT, so I want to make sure.

        Also, since the prop seems to be eroded, how big a deal is a pump rebuild?

        Thanks, everyone. I'm an old ski driver (2 91 Waverunners, 91 Sea-doo, 93 Sea-doo, 89 Jet Ski) (too many kids, but hey, just a Dad), trying to give the kids something to do besides drink beer and hang out, if you know, you know...thanks.

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        • #5
          Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

          dtd696's reply to your original post is right on target. The motor does have power valves and you can replace it with an SBT motor and rebuild the pump for about $2,000 if you do the work yourself. Plus you get a 1 yr. no-fault warranty on the motor.

          If you decide to pass on the ski, there are plenty of members of this forum who would be interested in it...
          "Helping you make smart choices about your money - so you can live a better life."

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          • #6
            Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

            Thanks for the clarification. I'm a' negotiating.....

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            • #7
              Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

              Looks like I'm going to get one crack at this, so I have a few questions. If you were me, what would you inspect/look at/try out before making an offer. I was thinking of
              • Looking in the #3 cylinder to see what might be deposited there. I suspect it's the remnants of the powervalve. What are the chances that I can "save" the motor by replacing a jug alone? What are the common destructions when a power valve goes out?
              • Doing a compression check. Hopefully the battery's still in and charged.
              • Checking the dashboard for full functionality. How does one check the hour meter? Is there a "hidden" code or sequence that tells total time?
              What else should I check? I have a thought that the engine might not be destroyed, only the #3 cylinder. Wouldn't that be a coup?

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              • #8
                Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                You may find this link interesting.

                http://www.groupk.com/y1390.htm

                $1800.00 for the GPR
                $2500.00 to Group K
                $700.00 To cover unforseen problems

                $5000.00 for a reliable 72 mph PWC. Can't beat that.

                I might make them an offer :D

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                • #9
                  Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                  Wow, wouldn't that be smokin'? Well, gotta get past the inspection and purchase, and I don't want to buy a bigger problem than I need...thanks.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                    Originally posted by kscycler
                    Looks like I'm going to get one crack at this, so I have a few questions. If you were me, what would you inspect/look at/try out before making an offer. I was thinking of
                    • Looking in the #3 cylinder to see what might be deposited there. I suspect it's the remnants of the powervalve. What are the chances that I can "save" the motor by replacing a jug alone? What are the common destructions when a power valve goes out?
                    • Doing a compression check. Hopefully the battery's still in and charged.
                    • Checking the dashboard for full functionality. How does one check the hour meter? Is there a "hidden" code or sequence that tells total time?
                    What else should I check? I have a thought that the engine might not be destroyed, only the #3 cylinder. Wouldn't that be a coup?
                    If there is "stuff" inside the cylindar, it's not likely it is worth doing a compression test. It would be a lot less trouble to just take the head off and look at the engine carnage yourself.

                    The 'jug' question would depend on the amount of damage. It's difficult to say without taking the engine apart. The issue you have have is that if bits of metal or aluminum have contaminated the crank case, you may have crank issues. Aluminum bits would grind up the crank and bearnings, metal will rust and sieze them. It's possible that a single piston and jug can be replaced, but it's a bit of a gamble.

                    On the 2000 'R', the total hours should be displayed after the ski is started and the computer goes through it's diagnostic sequence. I don't know if there is a way to check this without starting (or fooling the computer to think a start was successful). Anyone else have this info? I have the service manual, and I didn't find any specific reference as to how to bootstrap the multifunction display without starting the ski.

                    There's a lot you can check, but it takes work. The cat con is likely one other item you will need to replace. Other than that look for evidence of hull damage/repair. If the hull is in great shape then you might have a good working base. If there is also hull damage I would walk away.
                    James
                    1997 gp1200
                    2000 gp1200r

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                      Thanks for the note. I hadn't considered the cat con, but I will. I guess I need to get a shop manual and read up before I make my move. Thanks...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                        In any case it will be gamble unless the previous owner lets you work on the engine before you buy (very unlikely). You can't strategize cost savings without knowing exactly what you are working with.

                        Current mods and SBT swap will be one issue to price out. if you assume the drive shaft and bearings are good then a new impellar isn't a big deal. The LCD display is $500 new but salvage parts are available. You might call some salvage yards and price out a used CDI box. Most exhaust components seem to stand up but check rubber couplings for rupture where you can (there are rubber pieces behind the battery box that are impossible to see without removing it).

                        I never removed the engine of my '00 R, but I can say that working on it is tough. The engine compartment is very tight. Just about anything short of spart plug replacment requires taking apart the exhaust and sometimes the battery box. Removing the air cleaner is hard, but once it's out carb removal isn't bad. I have a much easier time working on my '97 gp1200.

                        Good luck! For about $1500 I would probably do it just to learn something new. ;)
                        James
                        1997 gp1200
                        2000 gp1200r

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                          Great suggestions, although I've had my fill with tight compartments. It's so much easier to pull the engine on my Sea-doo's than to work on them in place. I'll take a look at the rubber components as you suggested. Thanks for the note. And I'm thinking $1,500 is probably the right number...

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                          • #14
                            Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...$1,500!

                            Went to look at the boat last night. Here's what we found out:

                            • Took out the #3 spark plug. There appears to be two very small bits of metal embedded alongside the spark plug electrode. Doesn't look like bearing, but something more like a small rock or chunk of metal. No definite shape to it. There's also a small nick in the top of the piston, and the area is bright metal. Small nick, though, about 1/32 in diameter and offset from the hole. Can't see anything else in the cylinder..
                            • The boat has had the cat con removed and a Riva exhaust installed. Don't know to what extent, as I'm not familiar with this boat (yet). Coming out from the exhaust header, there's a large Riva collector and s straight pipe goin to the back of the boat. Doesn't look stock by any means.
                            • There are Riva carb covers over the carbs, so I'd imagine some type of Riva aftermarket setup there as well. Thoughts?
                            • The owner said that someone had removed the buzzer from the system, so I'm guessing that the exhaust was either modified before the chip was available, or they didn't take the time or energy to install the chip to fool the systerm.
                            The price is now $1,500, and I'm thinking I'll jump on it. Any last thoughts before I take this risk?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Sittin' by the side of the road...worth?

                              I would probably go for it myself...I like big projects.

                              Sounds like you could probably get it,and get it going for around $4000 total.And you are getting the 'nice trailer' with it...right ?Sounds like a good deal,but ti may prove to be a bit of work.

                              I would also ask him if he has any of the stock parts for it.Maybe he has the stock exhaust laying around somewhere...get it if he does.

                              Get it home and tear it down and get some pics up.
                              Visit www.pwctoday.com for techical help

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