SX/SXi/SXi Pro overheating!!! help

[650beater]

I went out riding yesterday on my 88 650sx and rode for about 45 mins and the motor got really hot! the head was hot enough to were it made the lime green engine paint turn black. it seems like it wasn't getting water into the motor. what could cause this problem?

 

[5810]

clogged cooling lines, check them

 

[650beater]

check the inlet tub on the intake side?

 

[650beater]

anybody else?

 

[5810]

maybe running lean, hows the ski running

 

[ger87410]

Check the lines first. Just pull the line off at the pump and try to blow into it. Air should flow unrestricted.
U probably sucked up something. Sounds like you ruined the engine paint job. Hopefully nothing else.

 

[650beater]

the ski is running great! at times it seems a little tough to start when it gets warm though. but i pulled head off and looked and everything looks fine, put it all back together and it runs great. just worried to go back out on water because of overheating

 

[ger87410]

How'd the line check out?

Another possibility would be the head is full of sand/dirt. Have you been flushing or at least tried it?

 

[650beater]

i blew out all the lines and took the head off and cleaned it. i just ran a flush for about 15 mins and it all worked great. which line is the inlet line just to make sure?

 

[ger87410]

It's marked 'Ref Cooling'. There's a elbow screwed into the side of the pump that the hose connects to..

EDIT: So are you saying that you checked the line already? Notice any restriction?

 

[650beater]

yea i checked them and they all came out clear

 

[ger87410]

Have you tried it after flushing the system and making sure the lines are clean? If it's got a hose connector on the intake side, you can test it without leaving home.

Don't run it for too long as the bearing is normally cooled by water the ski sits in.

 

[650beater]

i hooked the hose up to the exhaust head line were the factory flush line is and everything was going good. at least seemed to be, how does that hose that is the back in the pump housing suck up water to get to the motor?

 

[ger87410]

How long did you run it without the engine getting too hot?

It may be worth throwing in the lake and giving it a real test then.

 

[650beater]

when it over heated the other day? or with the hose on?

 

[ger87410]

i hooked the hose up to the exhaust head line were the factory flush line is and everything was going good. at least seemed to be, how does that hose that is the back in the pump housing suck up water to get to the motor?

It doesn't work on a suction system like the bilge does. It's pumped by the jet.

So, are you saying you ran it on the hose for a bit and it seemed to be OK? If so, how long did you run it on the hose before shutting it off and did you notice an increase in engine temp during this test to where you couldn't touch the engine anymore?

 

[650beater]

o ok so water is just forced in from the prop then? and i ran it on the hose for about 5-6 mins and it barley got warm at all

 

[ger87410]

Go give it a REAL test on the lake. Stay close to shore and only run for a few minutes at a time till you're sure everything is OK.

 

[650beater]

yea were heading out to the lake in about a hour thats why i was asking so many questions. one more question tho if you dont mind? it will run great until i turn it off then it wont want to start unless i use the primer to get it to fire. when you shoot the primer shot in it will run on that then die. you do that about 3 times and it will finally get its prime back and run great until you shut it off again. any ideas what could be causing this?

 

[ger87410]

Check your fuel system for leaks. The entire fuel system.