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Finally got around to looking at the 1997 GS someone gave me.

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Jaycen

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Quick history.....1997 GS I saw sitting on the side of a friends house last year. Finally asked about it, said he let a friend use it and it hasn't run since. He thinks the starter is burnt out of it. Pretty much gave it to me. I told him if it didn't cost me a fortune to fix I'd give him a few hundred bucks.

Right now the Ski is a mess. Pulled the battery and tried to charge it, it junk, no surprise. There is oil all over inside the engine compartment. The Flywheel cover is garbage. There was something pink that looks like silly string all over inside the engine compartment. All the gray fuel line is still in it....

I'm getting a spare motorcycle battery from my father to see if it will even crank. I'm not sure where to even start with this thing...... I'm thinking its gonna turn into a parts ski this winter and find a nicer one for myself.....
 
Before you condem this ski check a few things. Remove the plugs and pto guard and see if you can spin the drive shaft by hand or if the motor is locked up. Throw a good battery in and see if the gauges come on and the mpem is still alive. Post up some pics
 
OK, I have already pulled the plugs, and spun the engine over my the drive shaft. Its not locked up. New battery going in at some point today to see if the MPEM is still alive.
 
Coastiejoe said:
That and a compression test will tell us enough to steer you in a good direction.
Click to expand...

:agree:

If the electrics and compression are good, it would probably be a keeper. Check out some of the Restore threads in the 2-stroke PWC section of the forum. They could be an inspiration to you.
 
Ok, I'm a super noob. I just put a battery in it, but it was dead. I hit the started button and heard some chatter from the rear electrical box where the starter solenoid is. Right now the battery is on the work bench with the charger on it. I'm hoping to be able to put it in later and try it again. How is this thing supposed to work. What is supposed to happen when I plug the tether in? I also noticed the wire on the head temp gague is broken off. Would this stop it from doing Nything?
 
OK, here is the mess. I'm enjoying tinkering and researching either way...



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Jaycen said:
Ok, I'm a super noob. I just put a battery in it, but it was dead. I hit the started button and heard some chatter from the rear electrical box where the starter solenoid is. Right now the battery is on the work bench with the charger on it. I'm hoping to be able to put it in later and try it again. How is this thing supposed to work. What is supposed to happen when I plug the tether in? I also noticed the wire on the head temp gague is broken off. Would this stop it from doing Nything?
Click to expand...

If the beeper is good, when you put the tether on it will beep twice. Two beeps means the MPEM is seeing and communication properly with the tether. One long beep and the MPEM sees the tether but is not communicating properly and it will not start the ski.

The beepers go bad all the time... Radio shack is th ebest place to get a new one.

Jump the solenoid once you have a good battery back into the ski. Tell us what it does, (Nothing, sparks, clicks, cranks, ect ect..)
 
Well, battery in, plugs out it turns over. I'm not even jumping the solenoid at this point. I have spark, but it's weak. I imagine its just plugs responsible for the weak spark. As soon as I put the plugs back in the motor it struggles to crank. I'm thinking starter rebuild at this point?
 
Hey Coastiejoe I just read what you said about the beepers and my 97 xp starts runs great but it will NOT beep at all. Can you tell me where exactly I can find a guide on how to replace the beeper? Thanks.
Coastiejoe said:
If the beeper is good, when you put the tether on it will beep twice. Two beeps means the MPEM is seeing and communication properly with the tether. One long beep and the MPEM sees the tether but is not communicating properly and it will not start the ski.

The beepers go bad all the time... Radio shack is th ebest place to get a new one.

Jump the solenoid once you have a good battery back into the ski. Tell us what it does, (Nothing, sparks, clicks, cranks, ect ect..)
Click to expand...
 
It's actually the battery out of my car. Using it from my pathfinder. Jumper cables with the key out of the ignition.
 
You loose amps going through jumper cables.

It can be the jumpers, the cables in the ski it the connections

Find a way to attach a good battery to the cables.

Until you have a good battery and known good connections any thing else is really a waste if time.
 
Okay, you're using your Pathfinder's battery. What happened to the battery that you put in the ski that you mentioned in post #6?

I would think that a charged car battery would be plenty to turn over a ski. That is assuming that the jumper cables are high quality and you've got really good connections at all four points.

If it were me, I'd fully charge the battery (from post #6) and try it again. Heck, you could even help it with your Pathfinder's battery and jumper cables. Just don't start the Pathfinder with it connected to your ski.
 
Condition of battery in post 6 is unknown. Put it on a charger for a few hours. It's just battery someone gave me to try seeing the one that came out was cracked . I guess I'll throw it on the charger tonight and try again tomorrow...
 
Jaycen said:
Condition of battery in post 6 is unknown. Put it on a charger for a few hours. It's just battery someone gave me to try seeing the one that came out was cracked . I guess I'll throw it on the charger tonight and try again tomorrow...
Click to expand...

Get a meter on the battery and tell us the voltage when TRYING to crank the engine. Post your findings here. Jump the solenoid with a screwdriver, tells us what happens? Once you give us this info, we will go from there.

Chattering is caused by low voltage. It is the senior jumping back and forth.
 
Ok I was able to get it to crank good by playing with the tether.
332.jpg
what is this thing supposed to look like?
 
Also pathfinder battery to9.5 volts while cranking. Who would have guessed. I got it to crank good at least. I'll get a new battery later.
 
The tether looks fine. I would clean those contacts a little bit and the post on the ski gently. 9.5V is horrible! should not drop below 10.5 volts when cranking.

I rigged up a ski for a deff person once. Beeper was useless, so i rigged up a little 12V red bulb beside the buttons to the info center. It would flash twice when you put the key on, long flash for low fuel/oil/overheat followed by the info center saying what was wrong.

To be honest sometimes i find the beeper annoying. Especially when low on fuel (when you really aren't and have another 20-30 mins worth of cruising before having to switch to reserve) If im working on the ski at home, I unplug the connector located just under the lip when you remove the front storage compartment. I consider sometimes changing the beeper to a light. I will next time I have the handlebars apart.
 
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