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1998 xp won't crank or nothing

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89standup

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Bought this seadoo from a guy, he said it started fine the day before. I believed him.

Tried starting it and now nothing will work. I get the beep when I put the key in.
Bought a brand new battery
Cleaned the positive and negative terminals and wires.
He has two wires running from the bottom of that "black box"(not sure whats it called), one is red and one is black. The black one runs all the way to to negative side of the battery, and the red one is just sitting there. I don't have a clue where the red one goes?

-Spark plugs are fine.

What may be the problem? Hints? suggestions? THANKS!!
I am new to this guys so take it easy on me :)
 
Welcome to the seadoo forum 89standup. The Red + cable goes to the starter solenoid in the box. Without the Red cable it isn't gonna start. You should get 2 beeps, but without the positive red cable I doubt you'll get anything to work. Connect the positive cable.

Karl
 
Karl
Im not talking about the positive wire that goes from the battery to the solenoid, nor the red positive wire that goes from the solenoid to the block either.

Looks like he drilled a hole in the bottom of the "black box" and put two 18g wires, one red and one black, ran the black wire to one of the sides of the solenoid and then ran the rest of the black wire to the negative side of the battery. He also put the other red 18g wire onto the same spot where he put the black wire on the solenoid. But the red wire runs nowhere after that!

Sounds confusing =(
 
Do you have a picture that could possible help me? I am tottaly new to the whole PWC.

I get no clicking or anything from the solenoid either when i hit the start stop button.
 
I have no idea why that is wired that way. I only know how it should be wired and that isn't it. I would call the ex owner and have him explain why he did it that way...You never heard it run, and bought it anyway?...yeks! There is no reason to run 2 wires to anything in the boat like that. Tell the ex owner to get it straighted or or it will be expensive to start replacing shorted electrical components.
 
yeah it was really stupid of me to not start it.
live and learn i guess...

Okay i have another question. When i hit the start button it doesn't click over or anything, would that be the solenoid or the starter when in sequence? Im trying to figure out what to replace first.
 
Honestly I would figure out where the 2 wires go to. If you surge the MPEM( Multi Purpose Electronic Module) it could be an expensive problem. First the switch...than the solenoid than the starter. If you jump across the solenoid it will turn the starter over.

Karl
 
Use a 14 guage insulated wire and touch or jump across the 2 heavy wires on the solenoid. This by passes the switch and the solenoid. If it turns over the starter...the starter is good so it could be the switch or the solenoid that is bad.
 
okay so i touched the two red wires together on the solenoid with the 18g.
The starter spun.
So do i have a bad solenoid?
 
yikes!

Okay we've really got to get those wires sorted out... did you mention this to the previous owner or did he just wash his hands of it? Starter spins but no crank... is your battery fully charged? Weak battery can cause the starter not to engage...OR it could be your solenoid seeing as it turns the starter when you bypass it by crossing over the two wires... a component of the starter or the starter itself.. make sure your battery is fully charged to eliminate this problem first... some pics would be helpful too if possible. Seems the extra wiring was done to bypass a faulty component maybe? Of course check all your fuses too.. replace them if you can it doesn't cost much and eliminates that problem too... they can look good but crumble when you apply pressure to them.. very deceiving indeed. By the way the red positive wire from the solenoid goes to the starter motor not the block. I know it's hard to see under there but thats where it goes... by what you are saying i think that he has created a circuit from your battery to your solenoid.. again... my guess is that that red wire thats not attached to anything goes to your positive side of your solenoid.. or directlyto your starter motor hard to tell without a pic... you have to be really careful here because your MPEM could get fried if you start mucking around with all this wiring... if you can't get any info off the previous owner or can;t get us some pics then i suggest a dealer might be worth the $$ for the wiring problem anyhow. Go from there... Becoming a premium member gives you access to the seadoo workshop manuals which gives you all the information you'll ever need on troublshooting and fixing problems with your ski.. wiring diagrams .. the lot. Will save you big $$ and provide you with a world of knowledge.
 
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I have a fully charged BRAND new battery. I will try to get you picture today. And yes thats correct; my starter spins but does not crank the motor.
I don't know if this helps out at all either but, when I put the key(lanyard) onto the post on the handles bars, I get the normal two beeps, and my VTS gauge goes sky rocket, when I hit the VTS button I only hear clicks.

I will get a couple pictures today of what we are trying to look at :)
 
I had a question about the fuses as well.
I did notice there was a fuse missing right in the middle.

From top to bottom, what order of amperage fuses you guys are running. (ie, 5, 15, 5, 15)

Thanks!!!
I will get pictures tomorrow!
I think im going to go buy a new solenoid and maybe a starter as well.
 
spending $$$

Ok new solenoid and starter sounds good.. also replace the old fuses with the same amperage new fuses.. not sure of the correct amperage for the middle one though so start with a 5 amp. Where is the clicking coming from with the vts ?? From the vts motor i presume?..
 
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okay we are testing the starter right now to see if the jet drive is working properly. I believe thats what its called, correct me if im wrong.

If the jet drive(bendix?) is working then the guy told me to start off by buying a new solenoid.

And yes the VTS clicking noise is coming from the motor in the rear. The VTS doesn't move at all though.
 
UPDATE!
So i bought a new relay for the solenoid. Got a couple new fuses.
Tried to start it and the motor tried to turn over. Kept trying and it finally turned over but when i gave it gas it just bogged down.

Now when I try and starter it again all i hear is it clunk once and does nothing....
 
yes we checked them, i used the volt meter and checked the battery. All we get is a simple clunk.

Its just funny how it ran, and now we can't even get it to run again
 
A volt meter will not check it under load. It will show 12 volts but under load it could have only 8 or 9 volts if it has a bad cell or 2. Put the battery under load and check it. Bring it to like AutoZone... they do it for free. How old is the battery if it is more than a year it is probably the problem.

Karl
 
Well i just checked it again, and now the battery is dead once again. This is going to be the third battery already. lol
 
uh...are these all brand new ones or used ones laying around? Get a new battery and I'm sure it will solve you problem. Your problem isn't unique...

Karl
 
Is it a 19 amphr battery? It shouldn't go dead that fast...unless you have a major draw someplace.
 
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