1999 Malibu Sunsetter VLX Restoration

[wakesetterDD]

PerfectPass was causing me some issues last year.  Would surf fine but wakeboard speed it would set but then slow and bog down right away, even when I added throttle.  Worked with Mark@PerfectPass and figured out there is a kink in the PP Throttle cable which kind of skips a good distance quickly (not smoothly) once the servo motor pulls on it.  Got a new cable- arrived in less than 48 hrs.  As I played with the setup I discovered that unless I placed the servo motor bracket pretty far to the port side the cable always caught on my fuel rail and didn't allow for smooth movement.  But the control wiring isn't long enough to reach the servo motor bracket when it's that far to port.  So I looked at moving it to the starboard side.  But I had no where to mount it.  So I figured something out (see photos) and got everything working smoothly- both by hand and on the servo motor test.  I did also notice a freeze and then skip in the cable near the neutral point; I discovered that the cord that is glued into the PP knob sticks out from the nob and rubbed against the incoming cord as the motor turned the knob.  I adjusted the knob so it was higher up on the motor shaft (rather than closer to the motor/bracket).  This eliminated the issue and now it's perfectly smooth.  Hoping this means I can wakeboard  again with PP!

[Slurpee]

As I recall, I had mine mounted to the hose going to the pump with strong zip ties. Worked great for 13 years. 

Yours should last even longer. Very thorough. 

[wakesetterDD]

Straightened my steering wheel.  Centered my rudder.  Undid the 6 hex bolts around the center of the steering wheel.  Rotated the steering wheel about two bolts to port, re-installed the bolts.  Now I won't be so confused when steering... maybe!  No photos,  sorry.

[braindamage]

15 hours ago, wakesetterDD said:

Straightened my steering wheel.  Centered my rudder.  Undid the 6 hex bolts around the center of the steering wheel.  Rotated the steering wheel about two bolts to port, re-installed the bolts.  Now I won't be so confused when steering... maybe!  No photos,  sorry.

You’ll find that the steering wheel sometimes can be moved when the steering cable is at its max extension, so the wheel will get out of alignment again. I have no idea why this happens, but it’s my experience that it’s just true.

[wakesetterDD]

Pressure washed seadek flooring yesterday; very fine grain so some stains remain but a lot of dirt came out.

[wakesetterDD]

Spring startup.  First time, no issues, small leak from starboard side engine block drain plug (old hot water shower source).  All my new gauges work.  Temp got up to 160 or so and stayed there.

V-drive oil level good but warning light at dash does not turn off above 1200rpm- maybe this is because the boat had the transmission disengaged (knob beside the throttle).

Perfect pass RPM didn't register any RPM values (just showed 0)... at least not when I had the boat running and the PP was "on."  Not sure why.  Ron Tanis, skiboatpartsonline.com,  says PP and the rest of the gauges are totally independent so I'll have to look for a loose wire. 

Topped up engine oil (was about 1/4 into the "Safe" zone) i.e. above "add."

Topped up ATF (automatic transmission fluid).

Hoping to head out to the lake soon!

Edited May 8, 2021 by wakesetterDD

[wakesetterDD]

Sold boat.  

[UWSkier]

Well that's a pretty abrupt end to this thread...  What now?

[wakesetterDD]

True.  Best deal I think I could ever get, so, she gone!  Gonna miss her, but, happy she has a good new home and I don't have to stress about the next thing that breaks.  Keeping a look out for an upgrade, but not jumping on covid pricing.

[John I.]

On 5/12/2021 at 12:05 PM, wakesetterDD said:

True.  Best deal I think I could ever get, so, she gone!  Gonna miss her, but, happy she has a good new home and I don't have to stress about the next thing that breaks.  Keeping a look out for an upgrade, but not jumping on covid pricing.

Best of luck on your search for a replacement.