98 XP electrical problem hell!

[deckspotter]

So I had my battery on a trickle charger (the kind that stays connected to the battery full time, you just plug it in to the charger). Since my battery was still connected while it was charging, I put my key in to check the fuel. It beeped for a second then went completely dead. I traded batteries with the other ski and checked/replaced all the fuses in the MEPM (they looked slightly corroded, but good) and still the same--dead. I checked the fuses in the coil box as well and they were good too. Since I have two identical skis, I took the MEPM out of the "dead" ski and put it in the other. It beeped when I put the key on, then when I went to start it, THAT ski died too! Fuses on the MEPM box looked good (although the VTS fuse was blown, I replaced it). The second ski seemed like it blew a fuse as you could hear that sort of muffled pop when I hit the starter and it died. I didn't have daylight left to check the fuses in the coil box on that one, but I'll check it in the morning. I think both skis have the same problem--probably a fuse blown somewhere other than the MEPM or coil, but don't know where that could be. Ideas???

 

[deckspotter]

So I checked the fuses in the second ski (the one I tried the other one's MEPM in) and the VTS fuse was blown again. All others look good, including the fuses in the coil box.

 

[popasodatastie]

It may work of it may not?

pull the battery from the dead ski and put a charger on that and let it charge you'll want to do this out of ski becuase so i've heard it can damage your ski and you'll want a full charge on teh ski. next put the MPEM back in the ski and hook it up after the battery is charged put it back in the ski and see what if anything it does. if i does nothing you may have problem with your MPEM you may have fried it. Check it by hitting the start botton 5 times with the lanyard off you should get two beeps now your in self diagnostic mode no beeps no need to continue but if it does then reinstall the lanyard and hit the start botton again and you should get no beeps if you do that and get beeps let me know and well trouble shoot a little more. if you dont get beeps try starting the ski.

 

[timmyboy76]

check the 15amp fuse at relay...where the red fat cables go into. Shouldnt "diagnose" your ski, while charging. Its alright to charge battery, but you need some kind of on/off switch between battery and relay, while charging. You might've dodged a 1000 bill, for 2-new mpems.

 

[popasodatastie]

yeah don't hook the charger to the battery while in diagnostic mode. but i would run diagnostics just to see if you goofed up your MPEMs

 

[deckspotter]

OK, so I charged the battery and pushed the start button 5 times with the lanyard off. I got a kind of half beep, beeeeeeepppp. Then I tried to start it and got beep, beep. No start, but at least now I have electrical power! I'm interested in your thoughts. Thanks for the help so far, I feel like we're getting somewhere!

 

[popasodatastie]

did you pull the lanyard off the ski and try it again to make sure the same beeps were on it? I'm interested in what the beeps do if they change or stay the same? Let me know

 

[timmyboy76]

follow the red cables to the elect. box, where they connect, jump those post (relay). if so, replace it, after you've checked that cable going to starter...

 

[deckspotter]

Just want to be straight before I do this: I'm basically jumpering the starter relay by stringing a wire between the two red cables? Also, how do I check the cable going to the starter? Do I just stick a volt meter on it and see if I get a reading when I push start?

 

[popasodatastie]

test the voltage in the battery. next test the voltage on both sides of the selonid and let us know what the voltage is. it should be about the same when you push the start botton. next take some car jumper cables and jump the to post of the selonid and the starter should spin.

 

[deckspotter]

IT STARTED!!! I looked for the starter forever, couldn't find it so I jumpered the starter relay like one of the earlier posts suggested. IT WORKED!!! Of course, I had to disconnect the battery terminal to get it to stop, but hey, that's progress! Regarding the earlier questions on diagnostic beeps--When I put the lanyard on it would beep once and the ski had electrical power (gas gage and VTS gage came to life and I could here a pump in back), then lose power. When I hit the start button it would beep once, then alternate between losing power and keeping power (again, referencing the gages). When I took the lanyard off and pushed the start button five times I would get the half beep, beeeeppp I got last night. What does that tell everyone?
As I said earlier in the post, I couldn't find the starter so I couldn't check the starter cable (but I'm feeling pretty good about the starter based on the fact I got it to start with the relay jumpered). I'm thinking starter relay replacement, but what am I missing?

 

[popasodatastie]

the half beep beeeep i think it saying its not getting the power i don't have any idea what that is the manual doesn't say anything about short beep and long one.. i would start with getting a new selonid and see if its just not getting power across the poles

 

[charly_timm]

One more thought

Hey double check your fuses by the mpem again cause I have a gtx di and I sorta had the same problem the the starter not turning over I put a 12 volt test light on the small wires of the sylinoid and I was not getting any voltage to it when I pushed the start button but the display and fuel pump would come on it would also beep while pushing the button..also mine was showing the maintanence light while pushing the button..come to find out there was a fuse blown at the mpem..

 

[deckspotter]

I checked the fuses on the MPEM and in the coil box. All are good. I have a new starter relay on order. Funny thing is I took the (probably) bad MPEM earlier in the troubleshooting process and put it in my other identical ski. Now that ski does the exact same thing as the first one! Anyway, I'm at a stoppage until my relay comes in, but I'll try it first in ski#2 (the one where I plugged the potentially bad MPEM into) and see if it fires up as it has its regular (and good) MPEM in it now. Then I'll try ski #1 with the potentially bad MPEM. Bottom line is that I think I fried the MPEM and that fried the starter relay, then I fried starter relay #2 when I put it in the second ski. Thoughts?

 

[popasodatastie]

I would start off with that and it seems your moving on the right path.

 

[deckspotter]

Popasodastie checked back in with me and here's my response:
I replaced the starter relay in ski#2 and I still have the exact same problem. In fact, both skis are showing the exact same problems. They both have good batteries, good power at the starter relay (i.e., I can "hotwire" the skis at the coil box by jumpering the starter relay), but both skis give a solid beeeeep when I plug in their keys, and power seems to drop off line intermittently (based on watching the gauges drop off line). When I take the keys off and push the start button 5 times, they both give the half-beep, beeeep. To refresh everyone’s memory, this started when I hooked ski#1's battery charger up and then pushed the starter. Ski#2's problems started when I took (what I thought was fried) ski#1's MPEM out and put it in #2. Nothing happened, but when I put the good MPEM back in ski#2 I got the problems listed above. To be sure, I've check and rechecked the 3 MPEM fuses and 2 coil fuses and all are good. I'm feeling defeated now and have caused myself more harm than good. I've got a slot at the repair shop next Monday but they're telling me they may not even fix them as they're old (is 1998 that old??). In short, I'm screwed! If anyone's got any other ideas I can try this weekend, I'm still game. As both skis are showing the exact same problems, I think that it's probably NOT just a loose wire, but I'll be happy to defer to better judgement

Pops thought that I may have deleted the keying info on my lanyard. Anyone have thoughts on that? Is there a way I can rekey at home?

 

[deckspotter]

So I cleaned the posts and left the lanyard on, no luck. I'm starting to think it has more to do with the DESS which will require my mechanic to work

 

[deckspotter]

Got it back from the shop. Turned out the starter cable was knocked loose, at least that's what they said (although I could start it by jumpering the starter relay). Anyway, wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the help! I definitely learned something along the way!