NEED HELP seriously, 1996 xp won't start

[fadihasso]

1996 xp, new battery, just cleaned spark plugs, wont start

i took it out to havasu last summer and it worked like brand new, it only has 49 hrs on original motor, and was professionaly serviced last summer.
compression in 155/156.

it wants to turn over and run, but it does not, and as soon as i take my thumb off the red start button it shuts off!

any ideas,

thanx

 

[kustomkarl]

It sounds like you need to remove the carburetors and clean them. If you're careful and don't tear or damage the diaphragms you won't need to buy a rebuild kit. Pay attention to the internal filters too. If you have gray fuel lines you need to replace them with black fuel lines available from auto parts stores like Auto Zone. Measure the length you need and bring a sample with you so you get the correct size. Replace one at a time so you don’t get them mixed up. If you need clamps replace them too. Use small stainless steel clamps also from the auto parts store.
Keep us posted on your progress.

Karl

 

[JPX]

Look at the service record to see what exactly was done. In particular, anything to do with the fuel system is interesting.

Service done last year is "eroded" a little because of storage. And since fuel systems are subject to degradation (stale gas, grey hoses deteriorating, debris in the carb filters) during that storage, you could end up with some problems the service would not necessarily have addressed.

First up - check the spin on fuel filter for particles. You may be up for a carb cleaning and fuel hose replacement if the original gray hose is still on there. 1996 puts things about right - you should see how many people are posting about performance problems and are still running the same 13 year old Tempo hose.

A quick sanity check on the fuel selector - is it on? Try setting it to Reserve. If it doesn't work or weirder yet works only in Reserve, then you have to remove the selector valve and either clean it out of junk or replace it.....easy to do with hand tools.

If for any reason the hull got a bit more water than it should of, there could be moisture in the ignition box. The coil and relay could be wet and this would prevent the boat from catching as you start it. This can be opened and cleaned/dried out easily - and the terminals can be cleaned and reconnected to ensure better contact.

 

[fadihasso]

I got it started

I found a small black wire with a loop at the end of it, it comes out of a black plastic box next to the battery.

It wasnt connected to anything before, and it can only reach to the (-) post of the battery, so i connected it to the battery.

the thing fires up right away like its on steroids!

But now I have two black wires connected to the battery, the big black one, and this other smaller one that I found.

Are there supposed to be two wires on the negative post of the battery or just one???

 

[kustomkarl]

Normally the black wires are ground wires. Where is the other end of the black wire going to? That should tell you what it is for.

Karl