'01 GTX DI will not crank over

[swan1427]

:willy_nilly: I need some help, as we all do right? I had the ski in the water this past weekend started right up off the trailer drove it for 10 min. shut it off then tried to restart and NOTHING! just the sound of it trying to turn over but not enough juice. We towed it back, at home I cleaned the posts and the terminal connectors charged the battery and still nothing, same noise. My batter is about 2 years old, the local auto store said the battery tested as a "good" battery but I don't agree. Any suggestions? Is 2 years about the life of a battery on ski's?

 

[ski-d00]

yes, 2 years is about the life. the DIs need a like new condition battery, not a good enough battery that the auto parts store guy will tell you.

 

[swan1427]

OK, i just put in a NEW battery and the same problem. i hit the start button and i hear a click coming from the rear of the ski, but the engine is not turning over. PLEASE HELP! We have at trip planned to Dale Hollow in 10 days!!!

 

[stang69]

Take 5

Take a few minutes and just pull both plugs and try to start it. If it still will not turn over then try turning the drive shaft by hand with the plugs out. Just trying to eleminate a couple possibilities.

 

[swan1427]

i took out plugs and got the same result, how do you suggest trying to turm the shaft by hand? I tried turning it underneath thru the intake grate but i couldn't turn it. is there a solenoid on these ski's that may be bad?

 

[ski-d00]

to turn it over by hand, remove the gray cover at the rear of the engine and turn the shaft there with the plugs out, it should turn fairly easily.

yes, there is a solenoid that can be bad. it's in the rear black box. you can jump it there to see if it will turn over.

 

[swan1427]

when you say "jump it there" talking about the solenoid, you mean with jumper cables?

 

[swan1427]

ok i removed the gray cover, i can move it back and forth very little but cannot get it to turn freely.

 

[ski-d00]

are your plugs out? they should be, it should rotate with some effort both directions. does it sound like it is hitting something when you rotate it either way?

jump it there means to put a screwdriver across both main posts of the solenoid, it will spark so do it quickly and firmly. but don't do this until the motor is turning freely.

 

[swan1427]

Yes the plugs are out, and yes it does feel like the shaft is hitting something as i can only move it both directions maybe 1/4". when i try to start it it will move a little more than what i can move it manually but really looks like it is under some torque.

 

[ski-d00]

that's not good. could you have sucked something up into the impeller? crawl underneath and from the back and look closely with a flashlight, even a small pebble can lock it up. if if looks clear, you should remove the pump to eliminate that as the possible problem.

when you shut it off the last time, did it do anything odd or sound different?

 

[swan1427]

no, we took it off the trailer rode for about 5 minutes it was running great. I shut it off because my wife was going to get into the water and i was going to ride alone. Tried to start it and nothing. i had the entire pump replaced this year, i have only rode it about 2 hours since the pump replacement, could the mechanic have done or not done something to cause this?

 

[ski-d00]

yes, the mech could have. if the pump was not reassembled properly, it definitely could be your problem. it would only take about 5 minutes for it to seize up if it didn't have oil or if they screwed up a bearing pressing them in.

it's simple to remove the pump, disconnect the reverse and steering 10mm bolts at the pump. remove the 4 17mm nuts and washers that bolt the pump on, you can let them drop and get them later when the pump is out. then wiggle and pull and it will come off, should take 5 minutes.

once out, try to spin the impeller, it should move easily. also, turn the engine over by hand again and you'll know what is locked up. don't try to start it with the pump off, the hanging drive shaft will do major damage if it starts.

 

[swan1427]

ski-d00
Thank you for all your help, i have given up and took the thing back to the mechanic for him to figure out. After spending nearly $1000 for the new jet pump assembly i sure hope that the issue is in that and not on the engine side of things. I will let you know what the end result is if you want me to.

 

[dwcar]

GTI wil not crank over

My GTILE is having this same problem. We were riding and it just died. Would not turnover. It was as if the battery was to weak. got a new battery and the same thing. I removed the plugs and same thing. tried to turn it over by hand and could not. I removed the pump and propeller spins. tried turning engine by hand and was finally sucessful. put it all back together and turned it over with battery. It turned over for 30 seconds but is now stuck again.

 

[jhdarby]

I hope its not the pump, but last summer my 02 gtx di did the same thing it did end up only being the starter relay at the rear elec. box. 10 min fix if i can remember i think it was a 30 dol part. I hope thats all it is Good luck

 

[dwcar]

I can get it to crank over but when it does it is very lethargic or slow. Almost as if it is in a bind