1996 GTX won't crank

[Lothsahn]

5 months ago, I did a carb rebuild and replaced the oil tank grommet on my 1996 GTX. Fired it up out of the water and it ran great. Then winterized it with fogging oil.

Took it out today, and it had some oil in the bilge from the repair, so I took it to the car wash and gave the interior a nice rinse, being sure to stay away from spraying the battery, electronics boxes, or air intake with the wash hose.

Got it all cleaned up and took it to the lake. Put it in the water, got on it, attached the lanyard, and got 2 beeps and the display lit up. Hit the start button and... nothing. Tried again, nothing. Display stayed lit, but no click, no crank, nothing. Tried 5-6 times, decided I guess I wasn't going to get to play today, got off the seadoo, and then decided to try one more time. It cranked!

Got back on and started it. Had to crank it 6-7 times before it finally started, as it'd crank, fire once and then quit. Once it cranked once, it cranked perfectly fine every time I tried. Once it finally started, it ran great, and I had a great 1.5 hours of fun out on the lake.

So now I'm trying to figure out what to do. I don't want to find myself stranded out on the lake if it decides to not start again in the future. I'm assuming the problem is either the starter motor, relay, or start/stop button. I bought the sea doo last year, and I know that immediately before selling it to me, the previous owner replaced the starter with an Amazon special. I wish he hadn't, as I know non-oem starters are horrible, but he already threw away the old starter.

What would people recommend I do? Just replace the starter, or should I be looking at the relay and button too?
Where would you recommend I order an OEM starter, and how do I make sure I'm getting an OEM and not a fake?

 

[Ckrawiec]

Pheeeww....slow down there......one issue at a time:

1) Press Start button, no DESS key......ski wakes up (guages respond) - Check...you have some electric power....Good
2) Plug in DESS key - 2 beeps - Check - DESS key is recognized - Good, buzzer works too.
3) Press Start button.....NOTHING.......check fuses....could have blown something
4) Keep trying the Start button...ski eventually cranks and starts.....probably water/condensation in a connector somewhere (you did pressure wash the interior, so water gets everywhere no matter how careful you are).
5) Ski starts in water and runs for 1.5 hours.....GOOD, you probably dried everything out. Assuming power and acceleration are all there....sounds like the carbs are OK.

Now philosophically speaking, OEM starters are best and AM starters are considered junk....AGREED.....however, I personally have a AM starter in my '96 and it's been doing the job for 2 seasons now [I have since re-built the OEM starter and it's in the bullpen - ready if necessary]. I had also made new power cables from battery to solenoid and solenoid to starter, so I know my wiring pathway is solid. I've also replaced the solenoid, ignition coil, plug wires & boots, fitted all the grounds, checked ALL the wiring and connectors for continuity and corrosion, etc, etc.....

IF you can acquire an OEM starter [DENSO], that's the best option......OEMs can be acquired from "retired" skis through various trustworthy sources.....Westside Power Sports comes to mind. OEM starter rebuild kits are available....it's usually just the interior carbon brushes that wear down

 

[Lothsahn]

Pheeeww....slow down there......one issue at a time:

1) Press Start button, no DESS key......ski wakes up (guages respond) - Check...you have some electric power....Good
2) Plug in DESS key - 2 beeps - Check - DESS key is recognized - Good, buzzer works too.
3) Press Start button.....NOTHING.......check fuses....could have blown something
4) Keep trying the Start button...ski eventually cranks and starts.....probably water/condensation in a connector somewhere (you did pressure wash the interior, so water gets everywhere no matter how careful you are).
5) Ski starts in water and runs for 1.5 hours.....GOOD, you probably dried everything out. Assuming power and acceleration are all there....sounds like the carbs are OK.

Now philosophically speaking, OEM starters are best and AM starters are considered junk....AGREED.....however, I personally have a AM starter in my '96 and it's been doing the job for 2 seasons now [I have since re-built the OEM starter and it's in the bullpen - ready if necessary]. I had also made new power cables from battery to solenoid and solenoid to starter, so I know my wiring pathway is solid. I've also replaced the solenoid, ignition coil, plug wires & boots, fitted all the grounds, checked ALL the wiring and connectors for continuity and corrosion, etc, etc.....

IF you can acquire an OEM starter [DENSO], that's the best option......OEMs can be acquired from "retired" skis through various trustworthy sources.....Westside Power Sports comes to mind. OEM starter rebuild kits are available....it's usually just the interior carbon brushes that wear down

Thanks for the help! Yes, power and acceleration are all there.

I'll get an OEM starter as a backup should I need it. Do you think I should be running new cables? The battery terminal connectors and the connectors inside the MPEM box all are corrosion free, but I haven't checked every connection.

 

[Murph2j9]

5 months ago, I did a carb rebuild and replaced the oil tank grommet on my 1996 GTX. Fired it up out of the water and it ran great. Then winterized it with fogging oil.

Took it out today, and it had some oil in the bilge from the repair, so I took it to the car wash and gave the interior a nice rinse, being sure to stay away from spraying the battery, electronics boxes, or air intake with the wash hose.

Got it all cleaned up and took it to the lake. Put it in the water, got on it, attached the lanyard, and got 2 beeps and the display lit up. Hit the start button and... nothing. Tried again, nothing. Display stayed lit, but no click, no crank, nothing. Tried 5-6 times, decided I guess I wasn't going to get to play today, got off the seadoo, and then decided to try one more time. It cranked!

Got back on and started it. Had to crank it 6-7 times before it finally started, as it'd crank, fire once and then quit. Once it cranked once, it cranked perfectly fine every time I tried. Once it finally started, it ran great, and I had a great 1.5 hours of fun out on the lake.

So now I'm trying to figure out what to do. I don't want to find myself stranded out on the lake if it decides to not start again in the future. I'm assuming the problem is either the starter motor, relay, or start/stop button. I bought the sea doo last year, and I know that immediately before selling it to me, the previous owner replaced the starter with an Amazon special. I wish he hadn't, as I know non-oem starters are horrible, but he already threw away the old starter.

What would people recommend I do? Just replace the starter, or should I be looking at the relay and button too?
Where would you recommend I order an OEM starter, and how do I make sure I'm getting an OEM and not a fake?

I just put 2 pistons/rings in my 1996 GTX. DESS key beeps but when I try to start it, it engages but won't turn over. I took the plugs out and it turns over fine. The battery was at 12.5V, I tried to jump it to give it an extra boost but it still wouldn't turn over. Is all this pointing toward the starter? Can it be strong enough to turn it over wo/the plugs in but too weak with them in? I can't find a good video on replacing the starter. Is it a hard job?

 

[Lothsahn]

NEVER EVER BOOST. You'll fry your mpem ($900)

Sounds like starter to me, but others may have ideas. Could also be bad contacts at the solenoid or wiring.

Don't get a new one, rebuild your OEM with a rebuild kit from OSD. Aftermarket starter quality is junk.

Starter is fairly easy to replace. Have to remove air intake black box and then there's 3 bolts that hold it in.

If you need a new starter and rebuild won't work, buy a used oem 8 gear. The 8 has more torque than the 9 gear and should be less likely to wear out for the larger engine (787) you have.

 

[Murph2j9]

NEVER EVER BOOST. You'll fry your mpem ($900)

Sounds like starter to me, but others may have ideas. Could also be bad contacts at the solenoid or wiring.

Don't get a new one, rebuild your OEM with a rebuild kit from OSD. Aftermarket starter quality is junk.

Starter is fairly easy to replace. Have to remove air intake black box and then there's 3 bolts that hold it in.

If you need a new starter and rebuild won't work, buy a used oem 8 gear. The 8 has more torque than the 9 gear and should be less likely to wear out for the larger engine (787) you have.

Thanks Lothsahn. What is the mpem?

 

[Lothsahn]

The mpem is the computer that controls spark, starting, dess key, etc. Multi purpose electronic module, I think.

It's designed to run off a 12v battery, so you can jump a seadoo, but never a boost pack or lithium battery starter or start kit or alternator. If you do jump a seadoo, make sure the car is NOT running.

 

[Ckrawiec]

Thanks Lothsahn. What is the mpem?

MPEM = Multi Purpose Electronic Module = Brain of the ski

 

[Ckrawiec]

If the ski cranks but won't catch to start....try puting a little squirt of pre-mix into the spark holes, re-install the plugs and wires then try to fire her up.....if she starts even for a moment....you're looking at fuel delivery issues to the engine....namely carbs....when you did the carb re-build....original MIKUNI carb rebuild kits??????? did you follow the Carb rebuild sticky post (at top of the forum page).....

 

[Ckrawiec]

I just put 2 pistons/rings in my 1996 GTX. DESS key beeps but when I try to start it, it engages but won't turn over. I took the plugs out and it turns over fine. The battery was at 12.5V, I tried to jump it to give it an extra boost but it still wouldn't turn over. Is all this pointing toward the starter? Can it be strong enough to turn it over wo/the plugs in but too weak with them in? I can't find a good video on replacing the starter. Is it a hard job?

Replacing the starter is not that hard....but you'll be working BLIND and by feel for a good portion of the job.....getting the air box and carbs out of the way will certainly help......

 

[Murph2j9]

If the ski cranks but won't catch to start....try puting a little squirt of pre-mix into the spark holes, re-install the plugs and wires then try to fire her up.....if she starts even for a moment....you're looking at fuel delivery issues to the engine....namely carbs....when you did the carb re-build....original MIKUNI carb rebuild kits??????? did you follow the Carb rebuild sticky post (at top of the forum page).....

I had the carbs rebuilt at a dealer, so hopefully they did it right. Still having an occasional issue with the other ski. When starting out and applying the throttle, it sometimes bogs out at about 2000rpm. If I shut if off and start it again, that usually solves the problem - for a while. I thought that was a carb issue, but now it still does it occasionally.

 

[Ckrawiec]

I had the carbs rebuilt at a dealer, so hopefully they did it right. Still having an occasional issue with the other ski. When starting out and applying the throttle, it sometimes bogs out at about 2000rpm. If I shut if off and start it again, that usually solves the problem - for a while. I thought that was a carb issue, but now it still does it occasionally.

From my experience...the carbs on the older 2 strokes are VERY finicky beasts......just because a "dealer" rebuilds them doesn't necessarily guarantee that they used 100% MIKUNI carb kits/parts. I have gotten my ski to run on an aftermarket carb rebuild kit BUT it was never quite right......once I bit the bullet and used the genuine MIKUNI parts....much more JOY!