How to Service Your 1997 Seadoo GTS for the Summer

Getting your 1999 Yamaha GTX ready for the summer boating season is a process you begin when you’re ready to store your GTX for the winter. If done as part of that process, you needn’t repeat them. It requires little more than visual inspections of the fuel and electrical systems and applying a rust-preventative to the engine. You also check the engine’s lube system, making sure things don’t shake loose and drain the cooling system.

  1. Inspections

    • Remove the seat from the jet ski. Spray all metal parts of the engine with a water-excluding spray, such as WD-40 or similar. As you do this, inspect and lubricate the throttle and choke cables. Inspect the fuel and vent-line pressure relief valve. Inspect and clean the engine drain hose. Inspect the water-tank trap drain. Inspect the bailer pick-up. Inspect the battery's physical condition. Inspect the water intake grate and wash away any vegetable matter or mud that plugs the grate. Inspect the driveshaft boot and spline connection.

    Tightening and Torquing

    • After you finish spraying down the engine’s metal parts, you can begin the light mechanical work necessary. Tighten the electrical connections throughout the craft. Flush the cooling system. Replace the oil filter. Tighten all fasteners, including those for the engine’s flame-arrester support, the carburetor and the exhaust system. Torque the engine head bolts to 18 foot-pounds with a torque wrench. Replace the engine's fuel filters. Adjust the oil pump, if necessary.

    Battery, Lubrication and Impeller

    • Check the battery's charge with a digital multimeter and charge it, if necessary. Check the oil level in the jet pump oil reservoir. Check the water pump impeller. If you find that the vanes on the impeller are damaged, worn or cracked, replace it with a new impeller, part no. 271 000 920 or, if you use your Sea Doo GTX in higher elevations -- above 5,000 feet -- part no. 271 000 929.

    Cooling System Flush

    • Remove the dust cap from your Sea-Doo’s flush fitting spigot and attach a Sea-Doo coupler hose, Sea Doo part no. 295 500 258, to the spigot. Install a hose pincher on the water outlet hose. Attach a garden hose to the opposite end of the coupler. Start the engine and turn on the water. Run the engine at fast idle, remove the pull plug in the center of the air intake silencer and spray fogging oil through the hole, into the carburetor. Wait 30 seconds. Continue spraying and close the engine's fuel valve. After 30 seconds, turn off the water before shutting the engine down. Remove the coupler and the hose pincher from the water outlet hose. Wipe the engine down with a shop towel, to pick up any excess water.