As warmer weather approaches, it’s a great time to take your PWC out for a day of fun on the water! If you’re like most PWC owners, you look forward to summer weekends filled with sunshine and watersports all year long. In order to get the best performance out of your PWC each year, you need to make sure you’re performing regular and proper maintenance. Just like owning a vehicle, performing routine maintenance tasks on your PWC can give it a longer life and prevent any serious issues from occurring.
At Bright Power Sports, we know that learning how to maintain your PWC can be a bit overwhelming at first. We’ve put together a few essential tips to help you get started. If you have questions, feel free to visit us at our dealership in Lincoln Park, Michigan near Detroit, Wayne County, Oakland County, Livingston County, and Macomb.
For beginners, it’s important to know that your PWC’s motor needs to be broken in before you can think about hitting full speed. If you don’t take time to gradually break in your engine, you could cause permanent damage. Start by running the watercraft at about ¼ speed for the first few minutes, then you can ramp it up to half speed for an additional 30 minutes. While you’re doing this, you should alternate your speed frequently but never exceed 50% speed. The last step is to ride for an hour at 75% throttle and after that, you can finally let her rip to full speed!
After taking your PWC out for a spin, be sure to flush your engine with fresh water. Even if you don’t take it out into the ocean, you should still flush it clean with water every now and then. Salt and other debris will build up in your motor and this can do some serious damage over time. In order to flush your engine, you’ll first need to start it up and hook it up to a freshwater source, then turn on the water. This allows it to flush out a bit, but you can engage your throttle to continue pushing the rest out. If you follow these simple steps after every ride in the ocean or trip to the lake, you'll get much better performance and life out of your motor.
If you plan to store your personal watercraft for a few weeks or more, make sure you fill up your tank so condensation doesn’t form. It’s also a good idea to add fuel stabilizer since most fuel these days is blended with ethanol. When you’re adding stabilizer, be extra careful about the amount you put in. You should always refer to your owner’s manual for the recommended amount, or you can reach out to our team if you need some guidance.
It might not seem like a necessity to clean and wax your PWC, but by following these two simple steps, you’ll be fighting sun rays that can cause long-term damage to your paint and exterior if you don’t do proper upkeep. Surely you don’t want to be riding around on a dull machine, so take some extra time to wax your PWC at the beginning of watersports season and always wash regularly.
An important part of proper PWC maintenance is taking good care of your battery. You’ll want to do regular inspections for any corrosion, loose connections, acid levels, and to clean the terminals out of any grime. You also need to take good care of your battery before putting it into storage by hooking it up to a battery tender. This ensures that your battery will be fully charged for your next ride and also maximizes its lifespan. When you take it out of storage, make sure it’s fully charged before hitting the water to avoid a breakdown.
Following these simple practices on a regular basis will provide your PWC with high-quality performance as well as heightened engine and battery life. If you’re ever unsure of anything specific to your model, always refer to your owner’s manual. If you run into any issues while performing routine maintenance, come on over to Bright Powersports in Lincoln Park, Michigan near Detroit, Wayne County, Oakland County, Livingston County, and Macomb so we can help you out!
