Help Info needed on 1987 Sunsport skier

[UKsuperskier]

Hi
Any help will be most appreciated!

I purchased a 1987 supra sunsport skier last season. Fantastic boat, but a few niggles!

I starts really hard. Need to pump the throttle to get gas through. Once its warm it will continue to start, untill it has been sat and gets cold again.

Not sure the last time plugs wires etc have been changed. How do I find out out what parts to buy?

Don't actually know what sort of engine it has. I'm guessing a PCM 351. How can I check this and make sure?

thanks for your time!

[Salty87]

UKsuperskier, welcome to the board. good job on going with the sunsport, great boats.

i'm not sure how hard getting parts will be for you. skidim.com has everything you'll need, hopefully shipping won't kill you.

i'd start off with a tune-up kit (spark plugs plus it replaces parts on your distributor), plug wires if they look original or old, and impeller. skidim can walk you through picking out which parts you have or need.

the hard cold starts could be from the choke not working properly. next time you're out there, take the flame arrestor off the top of the carb. you want to make sure the butterfly valves are closed when you turn the key on (or start but that's not necessary for this test). there should be a wire going to the side of the carb. it closes the butterfly until the engine warms up. you might push them closed while you try to start and see if it helps.

bad battery cables or connections are very common too. combine a voltage drop from cables and another problem or 2 and your starter might be struggling. i'd check and clean the ends of your battery cables...especially the ground wire on the engine block.

good luck, let us know how it goes

[UKsuperskier]

Salty87

Thanks for that. Ill check out skidim! Do you think the engine is a PCM 351?

[Salty87]

yep, i think that's all that the sunsports came with. i bet skidim knows that too.

[csuggs]

UKSuperskier -

Welcome to the board! I have an 86 Sunsport Skier and love mine! If the distributor is in the front, you have a PCM 351. If the distributor is in the back, you have the 454. This boat was offered with either a 351 or a 454 in the barefoot model, which also included a different gearbox for higher speeds. Most likely you have a 351 though. Look at the tag located on the back of the intake manifold and get the model number. If the 4th space is the letter "D" the motor is a 351, if the 4th space is the letter "K" then it is a 454. I'm pretty sure these were the only two options. The second space is either an "X" for freshwater cooled or left blank, in which case you will actually be referring to the 3rd space for your motor designation. Check out the attached .pdf for more info.:D

[michael hunter]

Start with a complete tune up as salty suggests. When you take the flame arrester off
Pump the throttle arm forward one time then back to neutral [ you need to pump the throttle before every cold start] look at the top butterfly [choke] plates they should be completely closed. If not this will cause hard cold start. The wire going to the black cap on the side of the carb should be hot with the key in the running position. This is what opens the choke plate as the motor warms up All so if you still have the original breaker
points make sure they are set correctly [Dwell should be 28 to 32 degrees] this will also cause hard starting. If your not following this take it to a mechanic.

If you go to Planet Nautique forum you will be able to download the PCM manual for
your year boat. Supra and Nautique had the same drive train back then.

Welcome to Supra good luck with your project.
Mine is a 89 Sunsport.

[UKsuperskier]

Thanks for all your help!

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Wow they really answered everyhting!

I also have an 87 Sunsport. I hope you like to surf because the wave it huge!!

The engine will say what type it is. Mine also started hard until I adjusted the butterfly on the choke like they say. Now it starts much better. Probably have to do a carb rebuild and recheck the timing. Very very simple things. Contact me if ya wanna talk wake/surf.