Picked up a new (to me) ski and am having an issue - Need some help

[scrisp]

I picked up a 96 XP in pretty good shape today. I got the ski and trailer for $500. The trialer was a boat trailer that they converted to carry the Seadoo. It's not pretty, but I pulled it back from Ohio, 260 miles, with no problem.

The problem that I'm having is an electrical issue. It was in a polebarn and the lighting wasn't really good, and I took the original battery out and was not watching what I was doing. On the old battery, the negative teminal was on the left, on my new battery, the postive is on the left. I connected the battery backwards. :stupid:

I got no beep when I connected the lanyard, I got no beep or anything. Could I have fried the electrical system by connecting it backwards? I'm so pi**ed that I did that, just a stupid thing.

I swaped the connectors around when I got home with it and made sure that the battery was okay and still get nothing, no lights, no beep, no start, nada...

If something fried, where should I look first? I see the black box in the rear where the spark plug wires connect, but I also see the one up front that also looks similar, but it't white. I checked the lanyard post with a meter and it seems to be okay. The started switch is mushy as is the VTS switch, so I took them off and apart and they seem to be okay.

I know that it's was risky to buy a ski that I couldn't start, but figure that I could always part it out if I really had to, but really want to get this one running and maybe sell my SPX in the spring.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[chucked]

You probably just blew a fuse, pull the box out of it and open it up, theres a few fuses in it

 

[scrisp]

The black box or the white one?

 

[donkey]

there are 2 fuses in the rear black box,,i havnt opened my white box so i dunno bout that,,good luck,,

 

[scrisp]

Thanks for the help. I was gonna go try to get the box open tonight, but am so tired, living on 3 hours of sleep since yesterday morning. If I can get it running, I'm going to brave the lake tomorrow and run it for a bit on the trailer. Hope I won't have to chip through the ice to drop it in. lol

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Need some help?...Pm me. The rain has put a damper on my yardwork plans for Sunday.

 

[Matt Braley]

Be sure to have the small wire from the rear box connected to the negative of the battery or you will get nothing. There are two fuses in the front grey box also. You will be back on track soon. Nice score to pick a 96XP from up north for only $500. Give us some pics when you get a chance.

 

[scrisp]

Here are some pics that I shot last night. It's got 3 years of dust and dirt on it, it sat in a heated polebarn on a working farm, so it was always heated and kep pretty dry, form what the girl that owned it was saying. She got it as a present from here dad when she graduated college, rode it one summer, and then bought a house, had a son, got a job, you know, they stuff that can cut into your playtime. lol She wanted to go on vacation, so she sold her XP.

 

[speedbuggy67]

That looks in great shape i see some R&D trim tabs on the rear, and looks like orig unrebuilt engine good find!

Scott

 

[suke]

WOW! That thing looks mint!!

 

[scrisp]

Need some help?...Pm me. The rain has put a damper on my yardwork plans for Sunday.

Thanks for the offer, I'm gonna try yo find that fuse for a few minutes and then I'm heading out to Clinton Township to watch the Lions/Tigers games. I'll keep ya in mind though, I really want this thing to fire up, hopefully I scored a great find.

 

[scrisp]

That looks in great shape i see some R&D trim tabs on the rear, and looks like orig unrebuilt engine good find!

Scott

What are those for? I was looking at them last night, they look like they were just put on yesterday

 

[speedbuggy67]

They keep the front from porposing, i found they really settled the ski in choppy conditions that i usually ride in. Mine are the 3 degree, you tell if you have the regular or 3 degree by putting a ruler on the side of the hull and see if the tabs go slightly up or are smooth with the ruler IIRC... They do take some of the jumping ability away but for me that NEVER gets to ride on glass its well worth it. That ski really looks cherry, congrats on the find, i would have bought it too.

Scott

 

[kwiktsi]

Hate to be a downer, but I think you got took. I am feeling generous today and sympathetic, so I will give you $550 for it to get you out of your situation. I'll be there tomorrow to pick it up.








Didn't work, did it ? Awesome find!

 

[chucked]

Wow that thing is sweet. I had $500 in my '95 that I got for free before I could even take it out and its not anywhere near that nice

 

[scrisp]

Hate to be a downer, but I think you got took. I am feeling generous today and sympathetic, so I will give you $550 for it to get you out of your situation. I'll be there tomorrow to pick it up.









Didn't work, did it ? Awesome find!

I've got a 95 SPX, mint (almost) that I might sell ya, but you know how the prices are up here in the north. lol

 

[scrisp]

Please tell me that a blown 5 amp fuse can cause my problem. I took the grey front box out and the 5 amp fuse is fried, the rest look good in both boxes. Gonna try to get it replaced before football, maybe she will live agian tonight.

 

[chucked]

That is the mpem fuse, probably your problem, hopefully it wont blow again

 

[scrisp]

Well, i got it to crank with the old battery that was sitting at 4 volts when I started charging it. It's at 13 now, but there seems to be a problem with the starter or the battery is not producing enough amps yet. It sounds like the starter is not fully engaging the flywheel, it cranks every couple of tries and if not, it just spins and when I spin the motor the opposite way by hand, there is a clunking noise, like the bendix is not fully engaged. I was really worried that it was the crankshaft at first, but I think it was just the bendix rolling back into it's housing. My new battery read 19 volts yesterday, but it's not quite the configuration that I need, with the posts being on opposite sides, the negative wires are barely able to reach the neg post. I'll let it charge on a meduim setting while I watch football. Not going across town as I had planned, so I can keep an eye on it. It definitely had compression when it did crank, it blew my finger off the hole, with quite a bit of force, so I'm hopeful.

 

[chucked]

If your old battery only had 4 volts its bad, you need to replace it. No sense even trying anymore

 

[speedbuggy67]

make sure your not charging that battery with the battery still attached to the positive negative on.... quick way to fry the voltage regulator.

Scott

 

[scrisp]

make sure your not charging that battery with the battery still attached to the positive negative on.... quick way to fry the voltage regulator.

Scott

Okay, so where is this voltage regulator that I'm going to have to replace? lol I didn't know that you couldn't charge it will still attached, so it's probably hosed. I looked at the parts list and the service manual, but couldn't the volt regulator, maybe they call it something else.

 

[scrisp]

Well, I put the new battery ina nd she cranked over perfectly. The compression numbers, with the throttle held open are 154 on the front cylinder and 149 on the PTO cylinder. Whew, that's a relief. I got beeps and lights on the gauges too.

Now, for the next issue, wen the girl stored it, her dad drained the tank and ran all fo the gas out of the lines. What is the best way to prime the motor and carbs? I held the choke open, and cranked, and cranked and cranked, until the battery was drained. I'm not sure if the carbs are clogged, or the lines are totally hosed or what. I hooked up a spark checker and am getting good spark in each cylinder, but the only thing on the plugs is the fogging oil that they used on it when it was put into storage.

Would it hurt to spray some gas down the cylinders, without oil mixed with it, just to see if is will even fire? I took the plugs out and cranked the motor for a bit to see if that would help draw gas from the tank, into the cylinders, but it didn't seem as though that did much.

I'm going to try rebuilding the carbs over the winter, but just wanted to get ti running and winterize it properly before I removed the gas lines and carbs. I'm sure that it's just something small and will just take some time.

 

[Rosie2514]

Dang, Nice find man. That thing looks MINT.

 

[Pravius]

Dang, Nice find man. That thing looks MINT.

Heck yea that's a nice find... I am so jealous!!!! Happy you got a smokin deal though. You better let me at least take it out for some waves this up and coming summer!