• This site contains eBay affiliate links for which Sea-Doo Forum may be compensated.

Spx runs on trailer but bogs after 10 minutes in water

SPXblake

SPXblake

Member
I have a 1998 SPX 787 and it runs fine on the trailer and we put it in the water and it has trouble starting and bogs out after about 10-30 minutes then loses spark. We’ve replaced many parts including the coil, fuel lines and filter, as well as putting in brand new mikuni carburetors. We also replaced the cdi with a new aftermarket one. We checked many components like the stator and was fine. After all that it still didn’t run right. I know it’s only February and too early to talk about jet skis but I want to be prepared as we messed with it all summer last year. If anyone has the answer I really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
 
What is the compression?
Did you check the rotary valve clearance?
Also a bad voltage regulator can cause your symptoms.
 
I had the same issue with my XP limited 99.
The Negative cable from the battery to the body of the engine was corroded. I had to replace it.
Once you have corrosion on the Main Negative cables means the ECU will not send sparks to the spark plug because the ECU will recieve less than 12v and full Amps needed for the ECU to work properly.
 
Hmm I’ll have to check on that
moayad.jaffar said:
I had the same issue with my XP limited 99.
The Negative cable from the battery to the body of the engine was corroded. I had to replace it.
Once you have corrosion on the Main Negative cables means the ECU will not send sparks to the spark plug because the ECU will recieve less than 12v and full Amps needed for the ECU to work properly.
Click to expand...
 
SPXblake said:
I didn’t check compression but I know we have a good voltage regulator
Click to expand...
I'm not saying your are wrong, but did you meter check the regulator? Most of the aftermarket electronics for our skis are junk, a friendly comment to double check it. If you can get OEM too, OSD is good as well, still verify though. They tend to be much better.

As Moayad said grounds are a big problem as well. I typically remove inspect, test and reinstall to verify a good ground.
 
If you connect a timing light you can monitor the spark. A volt meter on the battery will tell you if the voltage regulator/rectifier is doing its job. Watch for fluctuations. check the mpem and holder relay if it has one
 
Grim said:
I'm not saying your are wrong, but did you meter check the regulator? Most of the aftermarket electronics for our skis are junk, a friendly comment to double check it. If you can get OEM too, OSD is good as well, still verify though. They tend to be much better.

As Moayad said grounds are a big problem as well. I typically remove inspect, test and reinstall to verify a good ground.
Click to expand...
I’ll try replacing the voltage regulator once I get the ski out for the summer. If it works or not.. I’ll be back to tell you !
 
Also another thing that’s weird is once we take it out of the water , sometimes if we crank it over it will eventually start and gain spark then run fine after. Put it back in the water and starts doing the issue all over. It almost seems like it getting loaded up with water because once it finally starts, it lets out a lot of water. Then a repeat of the entire thing.
 
I seen the first comment mentioned a compression check that hadn’t been done, have you checked the compression yet?
 
SPXblake said:
I did not but I don’t see how it could be blown up if I’m able to ride it a little bit still ?
Click to expand...
The compression check is not to see if it’s blown up, low compression can make them hard to start especially when they are in the water, low compression will affect the fuel pump on them as well. It’s an easy test to get a baseline of the engine health and is usually one of the first tests done before deciding whether to go further with other more expensive repairs
 
burtshaver2021 said:
The compression check is not to see if it’s blown up, low compression can make them hard to start especially when they are in the water, low compression will affect the fuel pump on them as well. It’s an easy test to get a baseline of the engine health and is usually one of the first tests done before deciding whether to go further with other more expensive repairs
Click to expand...
That makes more sense. Do you know where I could get a good compression tester rated for a jetski, I read some things saying the Amazon and harbor freight ones are junk?
 
SPXblake said:
That makes more sense. Do you know where I could get a good compression tester rated for a jetski, I read some things saying the Amazon and harbor freight ones are junk?
Click to expand...
Yes, the ones from harbour freight are no good, they usually read to 90 pounds maximum no matter what the compression actually is, I think the bad ones from there are Pittsburgh brand but I’m not sure about that, I’m in Ontario Canada and we don’t have harbour freight. I bought mine from Canadian Tire maybe 8 years ago or so and it works well for me, it wasn’t big money at all for the one I purchased. I would think you should be good with near any compression tester if it had lots of reviews and the reviews are fairly good.
 
Most of the auto parts stores will "rent" you a tester. Wont cost you anything but time.
 
Alright guys, I ended up going out and buying a 2019 spark trixx. One way to fix it right? One last thing tho, do all the trixx feel weird turn or have difficulty turning ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
1995 SeaDoo GTX Runs Rough and Dies After Starting
Replies
1
Views
190
DBecker504
D
E
No power after few minutes
Replies
2
Views
194
skiasylum
skiasylum
E
No start in water 02 GTI le
Replies
9
Views
280
mikidymac
mikidymac
J
1997 seadoo xp won’t run in the water
Replies
3
Views
673
Jjtodd20
J
B
Please Help! 1995 XP bogging at full throttle after carb rebuild - fuel pressure?
Replies
20
Views
658
Stevie96xp
Stevie96xp
Back
Top