FX-1 Broke College Kid FX1 Build

[E350]

You may be more experienced at this than me, but it was recommended to me and worked good for me, to put a sheet of emory paper on a flat surface such as a thick piece of glass or I used a 1/2" piece of aluminum plate, and "adhere" (i.e., by surface tension only) the sheet of emory cloth to the flat surface with motor oil and then move the manifold back and forth to sand and to true it. Works well.

 

[kawa js550]

Got the new oem crank seals installed today and got the cases back together. Going to wait until tomorrow and let the liquid gasket cure inside the house before I reassemble in the cold garage.

 

[mikidymac]

Make sure you pressure test it before you drop it in.

 

[kawa js550]

Make sure you pressure test it before you drop it in.

Yes sir, have learned that the hard way...

 

[kawa js550]

Ok so pressure tested the motor and after spending all day chasing down a air leak, I found out it was the back side of the intake manifold. I am waiting on gaskets from JM so working on a few other things before the motor goes in. I cleaned the pipe and polished it up. Also cleaned up my bilge wiring and made a jumper cable to use my 62t cdi with my 61x electronics.

 

[kawa js550]

After replacing all the gaskets on the engine, I still had a leak.... Turns out my vacuum pressure gauge was leaking... Hooked up the electronics and fired up the engine on bench. Dropped the motor in today and tried to start it, and no spark. Tested the stator and tried two sets of coils and spare voltage regulator and still no spark. Pretty sure its the cdi, waiting on a buddy to loan me his. In the meantime I started to get everything else in the engine bay done and get water lines routed.

https://imgur.com/a/nwo4nQG

 

[kawa js550]

Got the rest of the ski put together today and put in a new cdi and she fired up. Ran it on the hose and checked for leaks and seems to be good. Waiting on my f/a to come in, so I just put on a temporary one. Seems to be running rich right now, but still need to water tune it.

61x 701
170psi ada head
Carbon tech reeds
Coffman sizzler
Aftermarket f/a

Carb specs

145 main
120 pilot
2.0 n/s
28psi pop off

Let me know what you guys think is a good starting point for my carb settings, this is what I have now.

https://imgur.com/a/lb6vQqZ

 

[kawa js550]

Took the ski out for the first test ride yesterday. Ski was running a little lean, but overall ran pretty good. I tried to go to a bigger pilot, but it didnt like it. I just lowered the pop off today to around 21 and it already sounds better. I will have to wait till next week to water test it again, due to the orings on the head. I have alot of exhaust coming out from the pisser that goes directly to the head, which makes me believe the orings are bad.

https://imgur.com/a/lGxzOIt

 

[kawa js550]

Put the pop off to 21 and put the new head orings in and motor runs very strong. Ski rides much better with a extended ride plate to keep the nose down a little bit. The stock prop in it needs to go. The ski cant hookup at all and cavitates like crazy. Thinking about putting a 08+ prop in it.

 

[kawa js550]

Just installed an Adonis 13/17 prop in my fx1. So far very impressed on how this prop is handling. Huge difference over stock and keeps me hooked up in the chop. Very similar performance to my solas concord 13/17.

 

[Random?]

Ahh I really wanna snag a fx1 to keep in the stable. Nice find! Pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. A builder. How do u like the ride compared to your superjet? I have only ridden a buddies once years ago. It was fast. And kinda sketch from what I remembered.

 

[kawa js550]

Ahh I really wanna snag a fx1 to keep in the stable. Nice find! Pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. A builder. How do u like the ride compared to your superjet? I have only ridden a buddies once years ago. It was fast. And kinda sketch from what I remembered.

My brother has a all stock fx1 and it rode way better then mine. I just put a prop intake grate and ride plate on with my 144pump and now it rides just as good. Night and day difference between this and my round nose. They get pretty sketchy at high speeds. It pretty much acts like a 550 with a 701 in it.

 

[E350]

I would like to hear how both you and also your brother compare the stock 142 pump to your conversion to 144 pump when riding with both pumps actually hooked up.

My FX-1 is totally stock. I am finding that for a particular water condition, there is a particular place in the tray to put my body weight through the base of my feet to get the pump to hook up.

There is just wide open throttle, which is sketchy enough -- like dusting crops.

Then there is wide open throttle with the pump actually hooked up where my balls shrivel up -- which is like Millennium Falcon's Jump to Hyperspace:

 

[kawa js550]

I would like to hear how both you and also your brother compare the stock 142 pump to your conversion to 144 pump when riding with both pumps actually hooked up.

My FX-1 is totally stock. I am finding that for a particular water condition, there is a particular place in the tray to put my body weight through the base of my feet to get the pump to hook up.

There is just wide open throttle, which is sketchy enough -- like dusting crops.

Then there is wide open throttle with the pump actually hooked up where my balls shrivel up -- which is like Millennium Falcon's Jump to Hyperspace:

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Mine would never hook up in any sort of chop until I got a scoop grate. My brothers all stock fx1 hooks up good but its similar to what your talking about. I would get a scoop grate first and then maybe a prop.

 

[jetfreak78]

I would like to hear how both you and also your brother compare the stock 142 pump to your conversion to 144 pump when riding with both pumps actually hooked up.

My FX-1 is totally stock. I am finding that for a particular water condition, there is a particular place in the tray to put my body weight through the base of my feet to get the pump to hook up.

There is just wide open throttle, which is sketchy enough -- like dusting crops.

Then there is wide open throttle with the pump actually hooked up where my balls shrivel up -- which is like Millennium Falcon's Jump to Hyperspace:

OEM FX1 pump diameter is 140mm

 

[schicks]

Oem fx1 pump is actually 122mm i believe.

 

[tomski]

OEM FX1 pump diameter is 140mm

That is incorrect.

 

[E350]

Is the OEM FX-1 pump really only 122mm?

I replaced the OEM 3-bar intake grate with the Pro-Tec "scoop"-type intake grate about a month ago. I have been riding the Pro-Tec Extended Ride Plate since I bought the ski last year. I think maybe it hooks up better with the Pro-Tec intake grate, but whether or not the pump hooks up at WOT and when is still very dependent upon where I put my body weight in the tray. I weigh 195 lbs. 5' ~11". Arms extended butt back knees really bent kinda like doing a squat but butt behind knees seems to hook up the pump for the jump to hyperspace.

So, again how does the 122mm pump compare with a larger pump?

If the pump is about "pressure" then clearly a smaller diameter pump will create more pressure for the same amount of fluid being force into it (e.g., garden hose vs. garden hose with nozzle).

If the pump is about "volume" then obviously it is better to have a larger diameter pump (and to take the nozzle off the garden hose).

Will someone explain this to me please? Because the FX-1 was designed with the pump it has for a reason. I don't know the reason. But I know that the designer of the FX-1 was no slacker.

And I could be (and often am) wrong, but it seems to me that allot of skiers modify their skis just to do it and then, with all due respect, "think" that it skis better because well because of time and money they have invested into the modification. And maybe it is better in some respect but maybe not is others, because these skis are a system and all the parts have hopefully been balanced with the other parts to create the best compromise for the system.

I am not attacking anybody or their modifications. I am just here to learn. And I really, really, really don't understand this stuff and am asking for help.

@Big Kahuna
@JetManiac
@tom21

 

[JetManiac]

Stock FX1 pump is way too small for a 701, and the stock prop is a cavitating piece of crap. Who knows why Yamaha put the small pump in the FX1?, but a pump swap to a SJ144 or Kawi 140 is needed for any FX1 to be capable of any performance upgrades. Nothing new here, this is well known among the FX riding crew.

 

[E350]

@JetManiac Thank you! I will research SJ144 vs Kawi 140.
Do you have prop recommendation?