NoSoup4U
New Member
Hello All,
First I want to thank you all for your information on helping me by researching everyone else's issues with their skis. I frequent this site often for information but have never posted before... until now!
I wanted to post this problem and keep this thread updated as I work to fix this issue. I have not seen this yet in all of my internet searching and hopefully it may help someone else in my same situation.
The History: Last summer I purchased 2 used 2002 Seadoo GTX DI's from a private seller (Craiglist deal). One was Blue and one was Green (identifying colors to help you understand the troubleshooting section). I have never owned PWC's before and nor am I very mechanically inclined. I am however very proficient with logic/troubleshooting as this is a lot of my day job.
They both had new Rotax engines with less than 10 hours on each ski. A once-over by a mechanic says that they are mechanically sound and well cared for. After 3 outings of less than 2 hours each, the Green ski began with several different beep-codes both short and long as well as blinking "MAINT". The ski went into limp mode and would not go over 35MPH. The beeps were intermittent and inconsistent. When idling back to the launch, I could smell burning plastic. When I got home to wash them out, the Green would not start.
Problem set 1: I called a mechanic and he came to the house to look and discovered the 25A Regulator Fuse was melted to the MPEM. There were no error codes on the MPEM and that the faulty wiring or the melted fuse could be shorting out the computer. The mechanic had never seen this. We replaced the fuse and the engine started and ran once again without error codes or MAINT light. He suggested that I try riding again and monitor the fuses to make sure it doesn't melt. It could have been a loose fitting fuse problem. This solved the problem for several months.
Problem set 2: On my last ride of the season, about 3 minutes after launching, one long beep is thrown and no error codes or flashing red light. I ran fine for about 2 hours. We even restarted the engine a couple of times on that ride. After storage for a couple months, I wanted to fire them up to make sure the still worked. Blue ski started right up and the Green was DOA. I checked all the fuses and once again the 25A Regulator Fuse was melted to the MPEM.
Troubleshooting/Hopeful Solution: Once again, fearing I had toasted my MPEM, I cleaned out the melted plastic and swapped my known-good Blue ski's MPEM with the problematic Green ski's MPEM and the Blue ski fired right up. Next I tested the battery. The Blue ski had 11.8V and Green was at roughly 5V.
Known facts:
-Both batteries were brand new summer 2014. Green is now 1/2 discharged which means there is a charging problem
-Melted 25A Regulator Fuse but MPEM still works
-According to this forum, a bad regulator rectifier is a known issue on the DI's (these skis are now 12 years old)
I am thinking replacing the regulator rectifier and a charge on the battery will rectify the problem. I purchased a new regulator for about $35 USD on Ebay. I'll let you know what happens next weekend when I get it installed.
Sorry for the long post. I wanted to be thorough and hopefully this can help someone else!
First I want to thank you all for your information on helping me by researching everyone else's issues with their skis. I frequent this site often for information but have never posted before... until now!
I wanted to post this problem and keep this thread updated as I work to fix this issue. I have not seen this yet in all of my internet searching and hopefully it may help someone else in my same situation.
The History: Last summer I purchased 2 used 2002 Seadoo GTX DI's from a private seller (Craiglist deal). One was Blue and one was Green (identifying colors to help you understand the troubleshooting section). I have never owned PWC's before and nor am I very mechanically inclined. I am however very proficient with logic/troubleshooting as this is a lot of my day job.
They both had new Rotax engines with less than 10 hours on each ski. A once-over by a mechanic says that they are mechanically sound and well cared for. After 3 outings of less than 2 hours each, the Green ski began with several different beep-codes both short and long as well as blinking "MAINT". The ski went into limp mode and would not go over 35MPH. The beeps were intermittent and inconsistent. When idling back to the launch, I could smell burning plastic. When I got home to wash them out, the Green would not start.
Problem set 1: I called a mechanic and he came to the house to look and discovered the 25A Regulator Fuse was melted to the MPEM. There were no error codes on the MPEM and that the faulty wiring or the melted fuse could be shorting out the computer. The mechanic had never seen this. We replaced the fuse and the engine started and ran once again without error codes or MAINT light. He suggested that I try riding again and monitor the fuses to make sure it doesn't melt. It could have been a loose fitting fuse problem. This solved the problem for several months.
Problem set 2: On my last ride of the season, about 3 minutes after launching, one long beep is thrown and no error codes or flashing red light. I ran fine for about 2 hours. We even restarted the engine a couple of times on that ride. After storage for a couple months, I wanted to fire them up to make sure the still worked. Blue ski started right up and the Green was DOA. I checked all the fuses and once again the 25A Regulator Fuse was melted to the MPEM.
Troubleshooting/Hopeful Solution: Once again, fearing I had toasted my MPEM, I cleaned out the melted plastic and swapped my known-good Blue ski's MPEM with the problematic Green ski's MPEM and the Blue ski fired right up. Next I tested the battery. The Blue ski had 11.8V and Green was at roughly 5V.
Known facts:
-Both batteries were brand new summer 2014. Green is now 1/2 discharged which means there is a charging problem
-Melted 25A Regulator Fuse but MPEM still works
-According to this forum, a bad regulator rectifier is a known issue on the DI's (these skis are now 12 years old)
I am thinking replacing the regulator rectifier and a charge on the battery will rectify the problem. I purchased a new regulator for about $35 USD on Ebay. I'll let you know what happens next weekend when I get it installed.
Sorry for the long post. I wanted to be thorough and hopefully this can help someone else!