Care Tips for your PWC

Warmer weather means more opportunities to get outside, and we all know there’s nothing better to do outside than hit the water! If you have a Waverunner® or any other PWC, you look forward to summer weekends all year. With the adrenaline rush and powerful maneuverability you get on a personal watercraft, how can you not love getting on the water every chance you get? If you want to continue using your watercraft year after year though, there are a few basic maintenance tasks you’ll need to perform regularly. Things like engine preparation, flushing with fresh water, and taking care of your fuel all have a major impact on your ride’s performance and longevity. This guide gives a few tips for taking care of your watercraft, so if you’ve never done any of these small projects, be sure to make them part of your summer routine right away! Some problems do require professional service, though, so if you notice any serious issues while working on your watercraft, bring it into our service department at Cool Springs PowerSports. We serve water near Nashville, TN.

Break in your Engine

Unlike a car or other type of engine, a PWC’s motor needs to be broken in before you can start riding it hard. We know you want to get out there and tear up the water as soon as you launch, but this could do serious damage to your engine. Instead of taking off full throttle right away, run the watercraft at about quarter speed for a few minutes. Then you can take it up a notch and ride in between a quarter and half speed for about 30 minutes. Finally, ride one more hour at three-quarter throttle, and after that you can start making some waves at full speed! It’s hard to be patient, but waiting definitely pays off with increased engine life span.

Flush the Engine

After riding in the ocean, make sure to flush your engine with fresh water before riding again. Even if you don’t ride in the ocean, you should still flush it with clean water every once in awhile. Salt and other water debris will get in your motor and do serious damage over time, so take a few simple steps to clean it out before riding again. First, start up your engine, hook up to a freshwater source, and turn on the water. This will allow it to flush out a little, but engage your throttle to continue pushing the rest of the water out. If you do this after every ride in the ocean or every few trips to the lake, you’ll get a lot better performance and longevity out of your motor.

Freshen your Fuel

If you’re going to store your Waverunner® or other watercraft for a few weeks or more, make sure to fill up your tank so condensation doesn’t form. Adding fuel stabilizer also isn’t a bad idea, since most fuel these days is ethanol blended. When adding stabilizer, make sure you’re careful about the amount you put in. You can get a recommendation from your owner’s manual, or you can talk to someone from our team for guidance.

Waxing your Ride

Cleaning and waxing might seem unnecessary for keeping a PWC in good condition, but these two processes actually fight sun rays, which will seriously damage your paint and exterior. You don’t want to ride around on a dull machine, so make sure to wax at the beginning of any watersports season and wash regularly.

Check your Battery

Finally, when putting your Waverunner® into storage, take the battery out and put in on a tender. Then, when taking it out of storage, check the charge to be sure you’re good before launching off. This will increase your battery’s life span, and could help avoid embarrassing breakdowns on the water.

These few tips are really simple, easy to remember, and they’ll make your personal watercraft perform better and ride harder for years to come. With some attention to the owner’s manual and regular maintenance of the battery, exterior, fuel, and engine, you’ll enjoy a stress free riding experience every summer. If you’re having a problem that can’t be fixed with these methods, though, feel free to bring your Waverunner® or other PWC into Gool Springs PowerSports in Franklin, Tennessee. We also serve watercraft owners from Nashville, TN, so don’t hesitate to stop by!