New to PWC's and have a few questions. Ready to play!!!

[KdogLA]

Hey everyone.. I'm new to the PWC family and was looking for a few pointers.. I have owned boats and am a pretty good mechanic so tear down's aren't that big of a deal. I bought two Seadoo's yesterday from someone. Legal, ledgit and clear titles on the trailor and both bikes. One is a 1997 GTX. Put the DESS key in gauges come on and when I pull the choke, it starts in less than 3 seconds.. Naturally I didn't let it run just idle for about 15 seconds.. The second one is a 1997 XP. This one is a little bit different. When I put the DESS in place, the VST gauge shoes its trimmed up but no beeps and no start. The previous owner said he thought the MPEM might be damaged.. When I pulled out the MPEM, it appears to have overheated severely. Half of the underside is melted to the point were part of the green circuit board is exposed... What would cause this type of meltdown? I have been looking all over the internet and can't find a whole lot of information on what causes a meltdown, just how expensive they are to fix. Any pointers???

I'm looking forward to getting both of these bikes in the water and having some fun down here.. Thanks for any help you can offer...

 

[Spimothy Leary]

now sure what would melt it, but its obviously bad, and i'm pretty confident that there is no "fix" only replace.

contact minnetonka http://westsidepowersports.com/ about a replacement mpem, then while you wait, research possible causes for the melting.. I've actually never seen a melted one, can you post a pic ?

oh.. and Hi... welcome to the forum

 

[KdogLA]

Thanks for the link. Ill be checking them out. I took some good pictures of it. I now need to figure out how to post them. Haha

 

[Coastiejoe]

If anything, the VTS could be the culprit.

For whatever reason, when the VTS (which is common) and the VTS fuse is left in place within the MPEM, it tends to cause the MPEM to fail. I have not heard of one melting as of yet. But many have smoked and fried connections due to a defective VTS.

Sounds like you need a MPEM and you need to diagnose the VTS. Open the VTS motor housing and look for SERIOUS corrosion issues. The motors fail and about the same rate the modules fail. Modules a expensive and motors are cheap as you can use a Nissan window motor. So if the motor is trashed, you at least need it. And there is a decent chance you will need the module. If you choose not to fix it, get the nozzle to about the middle and leave it be. Unplug the VTS and do not put a fuse in the MPEM when you get your replacement..

 

[KdogLA]

After a little investgation, i found the VTS was disconnected in the back and it appears to be a near brand new motor in place. Im going to look into the wiring diagram and actuate the motor manually. Im unable to find out if in fact it was replaced. How do i post pictures in the forum? I brought the MPEM to a local parts guy and he said it was impressive how much it had melted. Hahaha

 

[Coastiejoe]

I use TapaTalk and it is super easy to post pictures.

May use photobucket. It worked 50/50 for me. So now I only use my cell phone.

The fact that it is near new, I am betting the PO tried to fix it. But,,, I am also betting the module is also bad and that is probably what killed the MPEM.

Is the VTS fuse still in the MPEM?

 

[KdogLA]

Yeah, the fuse is still in the MPEM and it is not blown, but it looks like they cycled through the spares.. I would wonder if they even put a bigger fuse in place to try and limp it back to shore.. When I removed the cover to expose the VTS motor it looks like the day it might have come from the factory. Obviously no corrosion or damage.. All of the connectors toward the Left side of the compartment showed no sign of corrosion. My wife is laughing at me typing and asking questions on a forum. She knows how much I enjoy good puzzles and challenges... Thanks again everyone for the assistance.. I just downloaded a full service and shop manual and am looking forward to some quality reading.. hahaha

 

[KdogLA]

These are the pictures... How's that for burnt up circuitry??

 

[Coastiejoe]

That is impressive...

Once you get the MPEM.. REMOVE or do NOT install the VTS fuse.

Get the ski up and running first. Then, if you want to try the fuse, go ahead. If you get any issue and or the VTS does not work, remove the fuse and leave it out until you diagnose and fix the VTS..

 

[KdogLA]

That's my plan... I'm going to get it up and running first.. Before I do any kind of fuse replacment, I'm going to jump off the VST signal wires and try to move it up and down ouside of the control of the MPEM. I figure if I put am amp gauge on it and see how much current it takes to toggle up and down. If it's a small amount, then I'll be thumbs up for it.. Seeing how much it costs for the MPEM's, I'll probably be too chicken pucky to put a fuse back in place for it..

 

[Minnetonka4me]

That is rediculous....I bet someone put a 30a fuse in to keep it from blowing fuses. That is a contender for #1 hall of shame!

The VTS can be a culprit to taking out the MPEM, but its not all that typical.

Welcome to the best seadoo site on the net!! Just shoot me a PM if I can help further.