Best PWC Maintenance Practices

Between improper storage, poor riding practices, and the overall wear-and-tear that occurs while riding, there are a lot of things that could seriously damage your PWC. Whether you just purchased your personal watercraft or have been using it for a while, you’ll need to be careful and treat it properly if you want it to perform well. And obviously, after investing so much time and money into one of these vehicles, you definitely want to get the most out of it. With this guide from Sky Powersports of Lakeland, we’ll tell you a little about best practices, maintenance techniques, and suggestions for storing your PWC properly. Of course, you can do most of these yourself, but if you need any assistance or have more complex issues, feel free to bring it into our service department in Lakeland, near Orlando, FL.

How to Break in the Engine

All PWC have sensitive engines that need to be treated properly in order to perform well. In fact, from the very start, if you don’t break in a new engine the right way, you could do serious, long term damage that requires expensive repairs. This means that you can’t hit the water full throttle on your first time out, or at least not for a couple hours. Instead, start by taking it slow, around 25% of max throttle, for about five minutes. Then you can pick it up a little, alternating between quarter and half throttle for 30 minutes or so. After that, go ahead and hit 75% speed, and continue alternating for another hour. While this might not be how you want to spend the first couple hours on the water, it’s absolutely vital for a high-functioning engine like you find on these PWC. Once the warming up is done, you can finally open up the throttle completely, and enjoy full speed riding at last!

Flush out Damaging Particles

The salt in the ocean is harmful for a PWC engine, but even freshwater contains weeds, dirt, and plenty of other particles that can damage the motor. Because of this, we recommend that you don’t take any chances. Flush your engine after every ride, whether you came out of saltwater or a lake. Thankfully, this process is pretty easy. All you need to do is pull your personal watercraft onto dry land, turn on the engine for a couple minutes, and hook up a freshwater source. Then, empty the water and turn the throttle to push out remaining water. This will flush out any harmful particles, which would otherwise corrode your engine’s components and lead to poor performance.

Keep Your Fuel Fresh

During storage, another important factor to consider is fuel quality. Over time, ethanol will separate from the gasoline, and this can cause serious problems in your engine and fuel system. This means you’ll need to top off your tank with low-ethanol gasoline before putting it in storage for more than a couple weeks. It also doesn’t hurt to add fuel stabilizer, but just make sure you check your owner’s manual to see the recommended mixture.

Battery Care

Finally, the battery in any vehicle can lose charge during storage, so you’ll need to take care of it during the off season. Before putting your PWC away, disconnect the battery and put it on a tender. This way, it’ll hold the charge and be ready for use when you take your personal watercraft out for the next riding season.

PWC are important vehicles for all of us, so if you want yours to last, make sure you follow these basic maintenance and performance practices. With a little bit of diligence and knowledge, you can keep your personal watercraft running for years to come! Also, if you need any additional repairs or parts, feel free to stop by our service department at Sky Powersports of Lakeland. We’re located near Tampa, Orlando, and Brandon, FL.