2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

[roscottjr]

I recently purchased a 2000 and a 2001 Yamaha XL700 in great condition. We went to the lake this weekend and have experienced a few problems that I cannot seem to diagnose. The skis sat for just over a year so I cleaned the fuel tank, lines and carbs before going to the lake. When we got to the lake both skis ran great. After about 45 minutes or so the 2000 started to act like it was hesitateing getting up to full speed. It would idle fine and at top speed it was fine but it seemed like it was not getting enough fuel to get up to full speed. When starting from an idle speed it would take about 5 minutes or longer to get to full speed. About 20 minutes later the 2001 model started doing the same thing. We were at the lake for 3 days and both got a little better but they are still hesitateing getting up to top speed. Any ideas what this could be?

Second problem. Our last day at the lake the 2000 model seemes to have developed a more serious problem. The ski will idle great but when you give it throttle it will pick up rpms but not really any speed and will start to vibrate. The engine still sounds great. Any ideas on this? I have checked the impeller and intake but do not see anything wrong. Is this vibration caused by cavitation? The best way I can put this is if it were a car then the transmission is slipping really bad but the engine is fine.

Any help with these two problems will be greatly appreciated.

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

Has noone had these problems before or know what the problem may be?

 

[Fireman431]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

Sounds like fuel delivery problems. Perhaps your tank/carb cleaning wasn't sufficient and/or the carbs need to be gone through.

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

Ok, I have about decided to just go through the carbs and tank again to be sure.

As far as my other issue with the 2000 model. I think I have determined it may be cavitating. What would suddenly cause this? We were out riding and other family members were on the pontoon boat. We stopped and shut off the skis to let them catch up. When we started back up the 2000 model would idle fine and pick up a little speed when you give it throttle but then with more throttle the rpms would go up but not the speed of the ski. I checked and could not see any problems, I thought maybe a fish or stick but there was nothing. Any ideas?

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

well I have determined that one of my problems is cavitation. I have removed and disassembled the jet pump but everything looks fine. The only thing I have noticed is the section that actually houses the bearings and wear ring looks like it need to be resealed. It looks as though it was sealed with some sort of silicone but a few areas have a little corrosion instead of silicone. Can this be causing my cavitation? What sort of sealant is used in these areas? Is it just regular marine silicone?

Robert

 

[Fireman431]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

I was just going to post that it sounds like your wear ring needs to be replaced.

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

wear ring is in great condition and within specs.

What happened to all the help on these forums? I remember when in a days time you would get several responses, now in several days time I get one response.

Anyway, I think, or hope, we may have had a fish or sticj or something caught in the intake which was causing this. I am almost sure of this as it was running fine and was cut off to allow the pontoon boat to catch up. When started back up it was suddenly cavitating but I didnt check it again before we left the lake. At any rate, I am resealing the entire drive unit as well as where the unit meets the hull. Hopefully this will take care of the problem. If not then I dont know, dealer I guess.

Robert

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

Good news. Turns out the small amount of corrosion I removed when I disassembled the entire pump assembly must have been the problem. I cleaned all the corrosion and resealed everything with marine sealant. Either this was the problem or there was something caught in the intake that must have come out when we towed the ski back. Either way the cavitation is fixed and no longer a problem.

As far as my problem with hesitation. It turns out the high and low speed needles were set wrong on both skis. This is where I need a little advise from someone who knows about these carbs. The manual says Low Speed ? 5/8 +/- ? High Speed ? 5/8(M), 1-1/8(P) +/- ?. This was a little confusing at first so I set the low speed on both carbs at 5/8 of a turn out and both high speed at 1 1/8 turns out. The skis ran good at this setting but still not right. After looking at these settings in the manual again I am thinking it means the high speed needle on the front side is 5/8 turn out while the carb on the rear is set at 1 1/8 turns out. Can someone please verify this or explain this if I am wrong?

Now for the bad news, we found out one of the skis has a compression issue. It will get a new engine at end of season so no biggie there. After all, we only give $1000 for both skis with double shorelander trailer so we are extremelly happy with them both.

Any help with the carb needle settings will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Robert

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

It turns out the high and low speed needles were set wrong on both skis. This is where I need a little advise from someone who knows about these carbs. The manual says Low Speed ? 5/8 +/- ? High Speed ? 5/8(M), 1-1/8(P) +/- ?. This was a little confusing at first so I set the low speed on both carbs at 5/8 of a turn out and both high speed at 1 1/8 turns out. The skis ran good at this setting but still not right. After looking at these settings in the manual again I am thinking it means the high speed needle on the front side is 5/8 turn out while the carb on the rear is set at 1 1/8 turns out. Can someone please verify this or explain this if I am wrong?

Now for the bad news, we found out one of the skis has a compression issue. It will get a new engine at end of season so no biggie there. After all, we only give $1000 for both skis with double shorelander trailer so we are extremelly happy with them both.

Any help with the carb needle settings will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Robert

Could someone please verify these settings on the carbs? Also, I am rebuilding the engine in one of the skis, what is recommended for the gasket maker on the lower case halves? I normally use black RTV sealant but not sure if it would be appropriate for this. I have checked the manual and all I can find that gives any clue what to use is the symbol that stands for gasket maker.

Thanks
Robert

 

[frozenokie]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

I run a 1997 GP1200 and rebuilt it last year. According to my manual, there is no need for sealant on the cylinder-to-crankcase connection. The gasket should make its own seal.

For the carb settings: The (M) and (P) are signifying which carb to set 5/8 and 1-1/8 turn. Without looking at a manual, and having an older machine than yours, I wouldn't begin to guess. But on my machine, which is a triple cylinder, the rear cylinder high setting is set fewer turns out than the other two. So, if it were mine, I would set the rear carb (toward the rear of the craft) to the lower setting and the front carb to the higher. Give it a short whirl on the water. It won't take but a quick try and you'll know if you have it backwards. If so, just reverse the settings. That should fix you up

Let us know if that helps...

 

[roscottjr]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

I run a 1997 GP1200 and rebuilt it last year. According to my manual, there is no need for sealant on the cylinder-to-crankcase connection. The gasket should make its own seal.

For the carb settings: The (M) and (P) are signifying which carb to set 5/8 and 1-1/8 turn. Without looking at a manual, and having an older machine than yours, I wouldn't begin to guess. But on my machine, which is a triple cylinder, the rear cylinder high setting is set fewer turns out than the other two. So, if it were mine, I would set the rear carb (toward the rear of the craft) to the lower setting and the front carb to the higher. Give it a short whirl on the water. It won't take but a quick try and you'll know if you have it backwards. If so, just reverse the settings. That should fix you up

Let us know if that helps...

Yes, there are gaskets that will make their own seals for the cylinder to crankcase connection. The section I am referring to is the lower crankcase where they join together. There is no gasket here and the manual states to use gasket maker. I normally use black rtv sealant on everything I do but this is a little different as the sealant needs to seal the case and also be resistant to oil and gas. Also, because these case halves are basically the main caps for the main bearings I dont want to use anything that would cause any play as far as the bearings are concerned. I am sure Yamabond 4 will work just fine but it is a little expensive so I was just curious as to what others have used.

As far as the carbs, basically what I can tell is "m" is magneto side and "p" is pto side. I am sure it wont hurt anything if I have them reversed for a short twirl on the water. I just like to clarify things when I am unsure of what it means. I am actually beginning to wander if the manual I have is a good one or not but other than these seemingly minor things, it seems to be a good manual.

 

[ArtMaybee]

Re: 2000 and 2001 XL700 Waverunner problems

I know the original post is a little old but figured I'd throw an answer out anyway.

For case sealing, I like to use Yamabond or Suzukibond. Suzukibond probably seals the best but can be a pain to remove later. A lot of people like to use Threebond 1211. Silicone is not a good substitute for an actual case sealant. It isn't worth risking failure since it would cause an air leak. An air leak can cause problems as simple as carbs that are impossible to tune properly all the way up to seized cylinders from excess air causing a lean condition. Using silicone isn't worth burning up a motor. If you are taking the the motor apart you should NEVER re-use crank seals either for the same reason.

When looking at the carb settings, the (M) stands for Magneto or the front of the motor where the electronics are. The (P) stands for PTO or the rear or power take-off side. The rear carb on several skis run a larger jet and have the screws adjusted out further from the factory. This is to prevent seizures in the rear cylinder.