Just bought a non-running 1999 GTX RFI, need help!

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RandyJ2007

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A little flabbergasted so thought I'd get opinions/advice. Just got this 1999 GTX RFI, good looking ski with clean looking motor. It has not been run in 2 years. The kid I got it from said he was riding and it just quit and wouldn't start back up. It appears to have good spark. Just to see if it would hit or try to start I squirted a little starting fluid into the intake. NOTHING... turns over fine and seems to have good compression. I don't even get a hit or puff of smoke out of it. I've got a top of the line spark checker and it's showing very good fire jumping 3/8". Just looking at the shaft turning it kind of appears that the impeller shaft may be wobbly or having problems. I'll check that when it gets to running...
 
I would mix up a squirt bottle of premix at about 32:1 gas/oil and use that instead of of harsh and no lube in ether starting fluid.

Probably you didn't get enough fuel in there to get a pop, and the spark checker doesn't tell you if your spark plugs are fouled?

I vote for at least a cleaning of those plugs or new ones.

BTW, don't jump start one of these b/c too much voltage will damage the computer.

Stale skunky fuel will gum the fuel injectors and piston rings also roasts pistons. Drain the old fuel and replace with fresh fuel.
 
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Thanks for the quick replies! I went out and checked compression... IMO, SUPERB!... 185 front cylinder, 190 back cylinder and yes, a good solid 3/8" spark. The previous owner drained the fuel and oil tanks. Looked odd to me that there was a lot of blue oil coming out of the cylinders when I was spinning it over without plugs in it, could be mixed but no real way to tell. My first thought was that it was just another case of skunked up fuel system... if I can't even get a poot out of it then I'm not so sure. I don't have any reasonably compatible sparkplugs but that would be a good start... I don't even know if these are resistor plugs or not... I've had scooters that would not crank because the bad resistor in a sparkplug broke the circuit and was no good.
 
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The only plugs to run are the NGK BR8ES. Any auto parts store should stock them.

A seadoo should never have blue or green oil in it.

Did you try the squirt bottle with premix in it like Sportster suggested?
 
Check sparkplugs with ohm meter... total continuity so should not be a bad plug... they look close to new, not burned, white porcelain around electrode.
 
ok.... drizzled some 50:1 premix down the carb. At first it tried to run a bit when I let off the start button. Battery pretty much dead. I pulled the plugs to spin it over and clear the cylinders then I actually got it to crank and run for a second.. we're on a roll!!!
 
Make sure you have a good strong battery. The fuel injected seadoos need a lot of power to actually start and will give you fits with a weak one.

DO NOT JUMP it. you will fry the electronics.

Stay away from the Walmart Ever Start batteries too.
 
Yep... came with a Walmart battery. THey flat suck. GOt one in my 4 wheeler and never has cranked it without help of me pulling the string... So... who is a good battery and where do you get them?
 
Any name brand. I have had great luck with the Napa GS series. I still have the used one that came in my GTI 3 years ago going strong but I do use a Battery Tender.

THe number needs to end in 16CL-B the first letters differ with brand for example a Yuasa is a YB16CL-B
 
I have never gotten more than one season out of Walmart battery... not even the AGM's. In my neck of the woods Stryker and Interstate seem to be pretty popular. One of my customers got a couple of AGM's off of Amazon for his two 4cylcle waverunners and they were going strong like new the 2nd year but the Walmart battery I had bought for him was pretty good anchor material...
 
Not sure if you have a batteries plus around there but that is where I get my batteries. I get the AGM battery from them for about $75-$90 but it comes with a FULL 2 year warranty. Not prorated either.
 
Trying to save you a couple hun......

Don't charge the battery while it's connected to the computer either, disconnect one lead of the battery first before charging it. Many chargers are kinda dirty voltage with high inductance iron core transformers so they can take the voltage high enough to trigger the "protective" avalanche diode in the MPEM computer and all heck breaks lose inside the MPEM when that diode avalanches due to a voltage spike. The circuit is limited at 5A, but that's enough current to damage the diode, then 5A fuse blows and your MPEM is dead as Kelsey's nuts till you try and dig the potting epoxy out of it then finally give up and buy a used MPEM off some greedy dude on ebay with kids to feed for $200.
 
Thanks for all the battery info. I'm up on the AGM batteries but the price difference sometimes twists my arm to go cheap. I've got a couple of 2 amp chargers and for sure that's all I will use on small batteries... and I've already had experience with blowing a rectifier on a seadoo... not fun. The newer scooters are definitely a different animal from the old waverunners I've had for several years. Back to this Seadoo scooter. Looks like tomorrow morning I'll be trying to juice it up with some fresh fuel in the tank and a snort of seafoam.... hope that will help things a bit.
 
RandyJ2007 said:
Thanks for all the battery info. I'm up on the AGM batteries but the price difference sometimes twists my arm to go cheap. I've got a couple of 2 amp chargers and for sure that's all I will use on small batteries... and I've already had experience with blowing a rectifier on a seadoo... not fun. The newer scooters are definitely a different animal from the old waverunners I've had for several years. Back to this Seadoo scooter. Looks like tomorrow morning I'll be trying to juice it up with some fresh fuel in the tank and a snort of seafoam.... hope that will help things a bit.
Click to expand...

do not use seafoam in a two stroke. it eliminates the thin layer of oil on your cylinder walls that your motor needs to live. if you have have plugged injectors take them off and send them to http://www.fuelinjectorman.com/. $48 bucks and they're like brand new. he has really good turn around time too.
 
I've been trying to take it slow and easy with a little intelligent diagnosis along the way... looks like there may not be a lot of diagnosis to do. The kid I got this scooter from admitted he didn't know anything and his dad is a house painter, not a mechanic. When I poured oil in the oil tank it ran out into the bilge because the kid had drained the oil to winterize and left the oil line disconnected. Kinda weird to because a stop cock has been inserted into the line which I can not think of a real reason for that.
I put 5 gallons of fresh gas in it which, more or less thankfully he had drained the gas. The fun part is that the fuel line connector on the fuel rail was broken off and the kid had stuck it back together by wrapping with black electrical tape. Looks like I might have to do some kind of engineering to retrofit a connector or come up with a replacement fuel rail.... I guess it's time for another ebay purchase.

IMG_20150411_140642.jpg
 
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Welcome to the sport!

Contact [MENTION=41828]Minnetonka4me[/MENTION] he parts skis down and probably has that line complete.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
 
If there is a valve on the oil line it may have leaking crank seals. This is a temp fix



96 XP800!
Keep the 2 strokes alive!
 
I kinda thought maybe someone put the valve in there to shut off the oil when pulling the engine. No other reason I can think of... but then I don't know much about the rfi's or new model ski's either... fortunately I found a local jet ski mechanic who most likely has beaucoup parts for this scooter. About all I've worked on in the past are several old 650 waverunners... quite a bit different.
 
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RandyJ2007 said:
I kinda thought maybe someone put the valve in there to shut off the oil when pulling the engine. No other reason I can think of... but then I don't know much about the rfi's or new model ski's either... fortunately I found a local jet ski mechanic who most likely has beaucoup parts for this scooter. About all I've worked on in the past are several old 650 waverunners... quite a bit different.
Click to expand...

The crank seal is a very common issue. It leaks during times the ski/boat sits idle for long periods such as winter storage or long times between rides. People put a shut off valve to prevent this from happen. In this case, without the valve the engine would flood with oil and it locks up when you go to crank it.

I would STRONGLY suggest you hang your lanyard on the valve anytime it is in the off position. This way you don't forget to turn the oil on when you go to start the engine.

Though the seal is cheap, the labor is not. You have to pull the engine and remove the crank and normally replace the crank as the seal actually wears the crank down. So even a new seal will not normally fix the issue.
 
reset the tps , then it will probably run. i would go as far as just replacing it , it is availa le at your local auto parts store.
 
when you put the key on you should here the fuel pump run for a second or two. then remove the fuel line at the rail, if it sprays your pressure is good.
 
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