No spark to plugs - 1998 SPX

[benstoker]

Good morning everyone. I know that this is a topic that has been beaten to death on here and I want to start off by apologizing for getting my bat out for this. With that said, I have read (i think) almost every post on here regarding no spark to the plugs on the 787s but I cannot seem to find one that matches. I have a new battery in it that is currently showing 12.45 volts and i have also pulled the magneto cover and checked the stator ohms (1.0 on all 3 wires tests against each other). I also cleaned the pick up coil (there was some metal flake build up on it) and tested the ohms for it as well (257, i think). I have also pulled every connector on it and cleaned with connector cleaner then added a bit of dielectric grease to all of them. New plugs in there as well.

As with the others, it turns over just fine but there is no spark at the plugs. Any thoughts on what I should test next?

Thanks!
-Ben

 

[Dr Honda]

Well.....


If you have power... and you know that the pick-up coil is good... I'd say you have a bad CDI. You may be able to send it to Minitonka to test it.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

How much power is the battery putting out when you are turning the motor over. I wanna say if it is less than 11.5 or 12 then that is not enough power to start the ski.

Next, pull the plug wires out of the plug boots. Trim 1/4" off the end of the wire and screw/jam the plug boot back on it.

Next, pull the coil in the rear ebox and clean up the 3or 4 grounds connected to the bolt and make sure they are clean.

Lastly, I don't know about the 98 spx, but the 96 XP has a small ground off of the rear ebox that connects to the battery ground, is that connected? That would cause a no spark for sure, I've done that many times
Lastly, on the

 

[benstoker]

[MENTION=16022]Dr Honda[/MENTION] - Lets hope that the CDI isn't the issue. I really appreciate your input on this though

[MENTION=43106]CReynoldsMIZ[/MENTION] - I trimmed the plug wires this afternoon and also pulled the coil out and cleaned/sanded/brushed the contacts and grounds as they were pretty corroded and rusted. I also triple checked the small ground from the rear box to the battery (I didnt like the looks of the connector so I replaced it as well). I dont have the coil testing tool so i havent been able to check it (That may be something I take up to the shop Saturday). I'm going to check the ohms and voltage on the trigger wire (white one, i think) from the front box to the coil tomorrow. As for the battery, i am showing 12.4 volts on the battery though I dont know about the voltage when cranking...i'll definitely be checking that tomorrow (though it is a new battery but you never know).

 

[benstoker]

[MENTION=43106]CReynoldsMIZ[/MENTION] - So the battery was dead enough when i went out there that i had to put in on the charger this morning. After it was finished, i checked the starting the starting volts at the battery when turning over and it was around 10.99 volts. I also checked the AC voltage on the trigger coil wire (white one at the ignition coil). I think i read elsewhere that it should show 0.37 VAC when turning over but no luck there.

[MENTION=16022]Dr Honda[/MENTION] - With the above info, do you think contacting Minitonka to test the MPEM is an option I should pursue?

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

With 10.99 volts the mpem wont send spark to the engine I am 99% sure. [MENTION=51824]Matt Braley[/MENTION] should know for sure. Sounds like you got a bad battery out of the box if in fact it is "new".

 

[benstoker]

Lol. Yeah, I guess thats what I get for going the walmart route with the battery. Can I put a jump box on it to test that?

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

NOOOO. Read the little sticker that is right by the front seat latch! NEVER JUMPSTART YOUR SEADOO. It will fry your electronics.

Yup. Sorry man, the walmart or "neverstart" batteries suck. I had the same problem on my 96 gsx. It wouldn't start unless had a fully charged battery, I learned the hard way when I was charging my battery in my car while friends were on the lake. Take it back and buy a sealed battery

 

[benstoker]

Understood. I assumed that the "no jumpstart" was due to the hydrogen it put off being a fire hazard.

Ill see if I can hunt down a sealed battery this evening. Do marine shops usually carry them?

 

[Matt Braley]

You just can't jump from a boosted source like a running vehicle or a charger on a high amp setting. If you have a 12V boost box then you can hook it up to add depth to the 12v power.

I agree that a 787 is no place for an acid battery. They are normally around 185 cranking amp and a good agm is about 325. I just picked up a couple Duracell ones like Lou mentioned and they seem very strong. I have found that the 787's will not fire if they fall under 10v while cranking.

The trigger coil did not test OK, right? I can tell you a quick way to see if it's putting out. Just take a 12v test light(mine has a point at one end and alligator clip in the other with an auto dome light in between) and put the clip end on that ground post under the coil in the black box. Then put the point in the white wire with it unhooked from the coil. When you spin the engine over good like you were attempting to start it you should see a faint glow in the test light.

 

[benstoker]

Hey Matt. I went and picked up an Odyssey PC625-P battery this evening and put it in. I also did the test you suggested with the test light and it lit up so i think the pick coil is good there. To me, this tells me I have a bad coil. does that sound correct to you all?

Also, just want to say than you to everyone that's looked at this and sent suggestions on what to try. You guys are the real rockstars around here. :cheers:

 

[Matt Braley]

Thank you. It's good the pick up coil is putting out. Yes I think a coil would be the next thing for sure. You have the signal going in but nothing coming out.

 

[benstoker]

Ordered an ignition coil this evening. I'll let you guys know how it turns out when it arrives. Thanks!

 

[benstoker]

You guys are straight up rockstars. New coil came in today and after installing it, the SPX is running like a champ. Next time I have a no-spark issue, I'm checking the back side of the coil first. Would have saved me a lot of time and work in checking the stator and other wiring.

Here's a pic of my old coil



Again guys, you all have been a huge help!

Thanks!
-Ben