OK.....i know...the SIX MILLIONTH post from me ......i have a question about power valves....i have the STAGE II form RIVA with stock powervalves.....now....say i get modified powervalves from somewhere....who do you reccomend i buy it from (company wise).....what differences does it make on a jetskii (top end???, acceleration?????), is it worth it.....what could be the downfalls of it???? I'd really appreciate the input...thanks alot guys...peace
-M3 PILOT-

Do a search on this forum for powervalves and all your questions will be answered. As to who to buy from, that depends on a couple things.
1. Can you do the work yourself?
2. Where do you live?
3. Do you want replacement valves or gas valves?
I have read some of your other posts and you sound like me last summer. I'm not very mechanical and wasn't to sure who to trust. If you can do the work yourself, no doubt buy them from Riva. I live in PA and have only dealt with two people, my dealer and Brian at WPP Racing in Maryland. I was happy with both outcomes. Although I may have a prop done this summer by Carl at Island Racing in New York.

You should do something about the powervalves. If one drops it could cost you more in the long run, ie. piston, rings, new valves anyway...on and on.

It's not a cheap sport

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

hey RobGPR...i appreciate your reply....i did check out the search for power valves and i saw RIVA and R&D as two companies.....i have a RIVA STAGE II and "might" sticj to RIVA for now.....as for the fittings...there was somethjing about bolts being to short or too long???? what is that all about...hjas riva come up with a solution for that.....i live in the U.A.E...United Arab Emirates incase you dont know whta the abb. is.... out here there is ALOT of money flowin around but the problem is that there aint really any PROS out here who truly and cleanly know their stuff....there are some DUMB *** guys who think they know their stuff and then when you aske e'm a question the look at you like ......i need PROS dammit.......to tell you the truth the only pro advice i have rally recieved was fromall of you on this forum but to bad there is no physical contact with you guys and my SKI...i'm graduating soon and moving to the USA...California to be exact...maybe then i can truly start to play around with my jet....for now i really appreciate your reply and ill look into it some mor...thanks...peace
-M3 PILOT-

M3--- there are a few options when it comes to upgrading your powervalves--- it could range from $60 to $600+ depending how involved you want to get. At the bottom (60 range) you can add billet actuator arms) in the middle you can upgrade to complete billet PV assemblies from Riva or R&D and retain your OEM cable operated system----OR if your looking to go "ALL OUT" you can step up to the Riva Gas Powervalve System complete, ready to go with modified #1 cap and #2 retainer clip for a single pipe application.

i checked the RIVA Gas-Operated Powervalves....
the mod consists of:
>>>>Powervalve SD Parts Kit ($119.95)
>>>>1200 Powervalve Adapter, 1 valve ($112.50) (what does 1 valve mean....does it mean you have to order 3 or what???)
>>>>Replacement Bellow, 1200 Powervalve Adapter ($32.50)

Is this the ALL OUT kit you were talkin about or is it something else....i prefer top of the line!!

oh by the way (to ISLAND RACING)...what is the difference between gas-powered valves and reed valves??? Which one is better....I checked on-line on R&D and saw the reed valve kit??? .....one more thing...there is this one mod. i wanna get from R&D.....it is the GP1200R Sound Supression Removal Tube (Pt.# 332-12001)...what do you think should i get it...it suppos. gives you a "punch" on lower end and better free flow of exhaust???? I'd like an opinion on both if you can...thanks in advance...peace
-M3 PILOT-

get your check book out if u want top of the line oh and don't worry about the budget

Save your dollars. The only thing you really need is a set of RD billet Power valve levers. $60 bucks, and maybe a new set of gaskets for the covers for about $15.

IMHO power valves need to be removed and cleaned every 60-75 hours. At 40 hours your almost due for a valve cleaning.

Have you ordered that service manuel yet?

Those vavles in the 2002 can fail in two ways.

#1 the pin at the top vibrates out and allows the vavle to drop to the bottom of the vavle chamber. At the bottom of the valve chamber there is a vavle stop that prevents it from actually going into the cylinder. BUT... the vavle bounces up and down on the stops and little grooves start to wear into the vavle itself, after awhile the grooves have worn down enough to allow the vavle to contact the piston.

#2 The head of the vavle shaft breaks off from over tightening the valves cables.

I figure that an engine will fun for about 2 hours with a bad vavle, after 2 hours the grooves on the valve have worn enough to contact the piston.

Your only real indication of a failed valve will be a slight decrease in max RPM.

First thing to do is to remove the vavle covers and look at the pins and shafts.

You can pull the head and look at the leading edge of the vavle, if it is shiny or polished, it is making contact with the piston already.

If you got money burning a hole in your pocket you could check out the Riva Gas Valves.

If I were you I'd go for the $60 option for now. Buy a shop manual for the ski and the actuator arms from R&D. I did this myself and believe me when I say, if I can do it ANYBODY can do it. When you get to the U.S., spend the money for the gas valves. I'm sure someone on this board can point you to a good shop in California.

Best of Luck.

well one of my problems is a light dop in top end rpm.....im just gonna buy the gas-powered powervalves.......ill see...but thanks for the input...peace
-M3 PILOT-

M3---exhaust valves and reed valves are entirely different--- the reeds are on the intake side of the motor---- the stock ones work good so i wouldnt be concerned with them.
the Riva Gas Valve Kit comes with the SD parts and the adapter/guilotine parts seperately,as youve already seen--- this is for each cyl so you would need 3 "kits" for your ski.--- The #1 cap and the #2 retainer clip has to be modified for use on a single pipe due to exhaust pipe clearance.

ISLAND RACING said: The #1 cap and the #2 retainer clip has to be modified for use on a single pipe due to exhaust pipe clearance........so you are saying that me having a STAGE II w/ single pipe is going to be a problem if i just install it......so do i have to do something about the engine...exhaust...or what???? This is **** confusing!...its all good. Thanks ISLAND RACING....i appreciate your reply...peace
-M3 PILOT-

M3--I tried sending you an e-mail---got returned
Get in touch.

the gas valves are great once they are properly set up. They have small 'issues' that are hard to explain to someone unfamiliar with them.
The first issue I addressed was the bellows. the ones sold with my valves were green and did not allow the valve to travel fully up. Group K sold me upgraded black bellows with more travel. teh nuts that hold down the gas valve seat are a little high and prevent the valve from traveling all the way down. I used phillips head screws to sort that. I also had to dial in the valves using the adjustor in the cap of each valve. that is worth half a day! I ground material off of the exhaust for the #1 cyl and off the manifold fore the #2 cyl valve cap clearance. I can easily remove the valve caps with the exhaust in place now. I will try to post a pic or 2. Carl of Island can help u.
I would just get the $60.00 caps though. they eliminate the issues of dropped valves. THere is no significant performance gain from the aftermarket valves.
The sound suppression tube is a bit of a wasteed effort. It reduces operating temp. and Peak rpm. Better off looking at a CDI and spark plug indexing for more responsiveness. Fly Flame arrestors give better response too. This is all assuming you are staying withn a single pipe.

For 60 bucks you can also look into the clips that Waveeater sells. Thats what I am going with!

Is the SBT lever arms trustworthy like the R&D? Its aluminum. Is the R&D aluminum too?

they are both fine, it is not the material of the arm that is important, it is the improved design that prevents the pin from falling out

SBT copied R&D actuator arms.

It is not just the pin falling out that causes a problem. Cable tension can lead to broken valves and damaged pistons and cylinders

chrisbda,

how are you saying that you switched from green to black valves ??? when all forum members use green seadoo bellows instead of the black ones supplied with the kit