hi i also have a 98 slth and mine was a nightmere too it wouldnt start battery had had it 150 then some ballbearings from somewere decided to go for a trip in the piston chamber witch riped the pistons apart so a rebuild cost us 2000 and then it ran great but now the carbs are running to rich or too lean so we gotta sort that out but other than that great ski !!!

Own 3 cylinder SLT780 and experienced breakdown when PTO connecting rod bearing on crankshaft seized. These PWCs have press-fit crankshaft pins which require specialized equipment to service. Very few mechanics will work on the crankshaft due to the fact that the connecting rods cannot be removed easily. Reason for seizure is probably lack of lubrication due to failure of oil pump linkage connection to throttle rail. There is a thin stainless steel rod that links the throttle to the oil pump. A tiny plastic part worth about two cents holds the linkage in place on each end of the linkage. If the linkage vibrates loose from the plastic fitting, then the oil pump does not provide the proper amount of lube oil to the crankshaft at high throttle settings and the result is a seized PTO connecting rod bearing. The bearing galls the crankshaft pin and the bearing rollers disintegrate and send small pieces of steel into the engine case and up into the cylinder. The next step is that the piston and combustion chamber head get embedded metal, scoring the piston and the cylinder wall. Another dirty little secret about the flawed design of these crankshafts is that they torsion under load when the jet repeatedly hooks up and unhooks with the water. This twisting and untwisting of the crankshaft causes ignition timing differences between the first cylinder spark and the third cylinder spark. An industry work-around is to change the fuel mixture jetting on the third cylinder to make it run richer than the other two. Really wish these were designed better; how much more reliable these would be and easier to work with if the connecting rods could be removed without completely dismantling the crankshaft with a multi-ton press.

Ihave a 1999 Polaris SLTH. I purchased this ski from a friend w/ 42 hours. All in fresh water. My first trip out resorted in the engine not turning over. At the dealer I was told the stater was bad. 300.00. Second trip it still was not running correctly. Stater and flywheel were incompatible, new flywheel=300.00 Ran great in 02, however in 03 the starter and other incidentals=600.00. Over 1,200 dollars in repairs in less than 2 years. I had planned on a 3 y/o Polaris watercraft being more reliable.When it runs, it's a great time on the water, when it breaks down it's those high dollar service techs that are having a great time.Anyone else have the same problem or I am the lucky one.