Low 12v, 1998 GSX Limited

1998 GSX Limited. New battery, kept on “Battery Tender”. Just after it starts, buzzer sounds and display shows “Low 12v”. Doing some lake testing this weekend, after bring this thing back to life, the buzzer sounds about every minute and displays “Low 12v”. Then the display clears. Someone on FB suggested maybe a rectifier. Beyond that, the ski lives again. Thoughts? Thank you.

There are some simple tests to try to find out what may be wrong. In the shop manual for your ski there is probably a voltage test for the regulator/rectifier. Put a voltmeter on the battery, start and rev engine to 5500 RPM. My manual for a 96 says if the voltage is above 15V dc replace the regulator. At idle it will probably read a little over the static voltage of the battery, around 13V dc. Additionally, even though you have a newer battery that was on a tender, make sure it is fully charged and take it to an auto supply store for a load test. Even a new battery can show up defective and if still under warranty you could get it replaced.

Another thing to mention for ARTR's post is the low side of the test. When you rev up to 5500 RPM you should see the voltage jump up into the mid/upper 13Vs to the mid/low 14Vs. If you stay in the 12V range of low 13V range the rectifier is not performing correctly. Most people see low 14V range. This is the common problem with a LOW 12V display.