03 gtx 4tec maintenance required? 1/2 power?

[gumbiewheeler]

I have a 03 gtx 4tec supercharged and it keeps saying maintenance required and runs like the white key is plugged in but i have the yellow key plugged in. if i pull the key off and on and start it up it will run fine for about 20 minutes and does it again. i changed the oil and had it plugged up because i was told they had to turn off the light like in a car. well it still done this and i went back somewhere else and they told me it had a code saying it had been tipped over while it was running and they said they erased it and everything would be fine. well it wasnt, it still does it. the ski did tip over sitting almost still ( dont ask ) and i didnt fall away far enough to pull the key off and it ran upside down for maby 5 seconds until i pulled the key off and killed it as soon as i popped back up and heard it was still running. It ran fine after that though. the very first time it happened, i was going across a big part of the lake on some calm water and was going wide open for probably 5 minutes. I thought it was ok to go wide open on a 4 stroke, unlike my older 2 stroke. well this was when it first happened and I thought it was just some kinda safty thing or something but since then you can almost set your watch by it about every 20 minutes. i have lost faith in the guy that keeps plugging it up for 75 dollars a pop and not telling me anything useful so i am turning to you guys for help. thanks in advance for any and all suggestions. T.J.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Keys,?

Gumbie, welcome to our forum, glad to have you.
I'm not totally sure how to answer your question yet, but I'll do some research on your issue and get back to you as soon as possible. I'm not familar with the white and yellow key and we don't get many requests on these newer supercharged 4-TEC's. They seem to be almost maintenance free. Please check your later and I'll have a more concrete reply within 24 hours. Thanks

 

[seadoosnipe]

Problems?

O.K., now that I know why there are two different color keys and you are using the correct one, let me say just one more thing.
After going through the manual for you, there are so many possible problems to why your getting this service light. From being upside down, could be the water regulator or water trapped in the exhaust system. Those are remote, because you really didn't give a lot of information outside of it not reaching full power and it being upside down.
I think it will be in your best interest to look at our premium membership benefits and see if it's feasible for you to join. If you join, I'll be able to help you eliminate or try certain test that will narrow down your problem. But to try and type everything you'd have to do would take me forever!.....
If you find more information and want to discuss it further, please feel free to update this post as often as you like. If you need a question answered, I'll do my best. But to troubleshoot your problem, would be almost impossible without a manual.

 

[gumbiewheeler]

thanks for the response, here is some more info

thanks for the replies, they came alot faster than i thought they would, especially this time of year. i figured jet skis were on the back burner for now. well when i said it ran like the white key was in i really just meant it was weak. i was told that this is actually a limp mode that was just meant to get you back to shore. when i pull the key off and back on it simply resets and im back to full power until it happens again. I've actually spent alot of time trying to see if any certain thing makes it happen, like turning hard and leaning it up on its side, spinning around and making it cavitate and get on the rev limiter, lots of on and off throttle, lots of wide open, lots of just half throttle crusing, and nothing I try seems to make it worse or better. the only thing thats really consistent is its frequency. also i forgot to say that the display says maintenance required as soon as you plug the key in, not just when it goes to limp mode. it will display normal things after you start the engine and then when you think everything is good, BEEP BEEP BEEP, MAINTENANCE REQUIRED and there you are in limp mode. the main thing i was wondering was if there was a way to read the codes myself with a jumper plug and maby even a way to reset the codes. i would like to find out what code is putting it in limp mode and try to replace whatever is setting the code. It might not have anything to do with anything that has happened, I'm thinking it might simply be a defective part that needs to be replaced. Thanks again for the replies and if any of this helps you help me thanks in advance for that to. I sure hope we can figure this out and get it going.

 

[rgpbeme]

Is there any chance that if you take the key out and hit the start button 5 -6 times that a code will show up on your display?

 

[seadoosnipe]

Codes?

Rgpbeme, that process will not give him any information that will help him solve his problem with power. His description is that of having the key in place that limits the skis performance.
The codes your talking about test the DESS (digital electronic security system) for electrical problems.
To go through those real quick in the even he'd like to give it a go.

The basic codes are, when you connect your lanyard to the post, you'll hear 2 short beeps, this signals that all is o.k. and the engine is ready to start. 1 long beep means you have a bad connection. 4 short beeps mean the ski/boat isn't in neutral. 1 short beep means the ski is now in neutral. 8 short beeps means the mpem (multi purpose electronic module) is bad. A continuous set of beeps means the engine is overheating.

To add to the basic codes for the 4-TEC series engines, if you get 1 short and 1 long, then the ECM, ECU has been set to the onboard diagnostic mode. If you get a 2 second beep in one minute intervals, then you may have high pressure in the oil seperator tank or low fuel. If you get a 2 second beep every 15 minutes, the the water craft is upside down.

There is also a way to diagnose a suspected engine managment or fuel injection related problem in the 4-TEC's. To check and see if there is a message displayed by the "vehicle information center", you can check for fault codes, which will be the letter "P" followed by 4 digits like P1234, by doing the following.
Directions: With the safety lanyard on the post, press the "SET" button 5 times to start the display of P-codes. Press the "MODE" button to scroll codes if there are more than one present till you get to the word "END". When you see the "end" word on the display, press "MODE" to exit this function. You can write down any "P" codes that you get and if your nice, ask the mechanic at your local Seadoo dealer as to the meaning of the code, their not described in the shop manual. Or you can try and find/buy a "Vehicle Communication Kit" that is used by mechanics to check the recorded faults by the ECU, ECM and the MPEM.

In the advanced diagnostic mode for the DESS, do not connect your lanyard. Press the start stop button 5 times. You'll hear 2 audible beeps, one short, one a bit longer. This means your in advanced diagnostic mode. Put your lanyard cap back on. If you hear no further beeps, then your ski/boat is ready to run. Test complete. But if you hear 2 short beeps after putting on the cap, that means your MPEM cannot read the electronic circuit in the safety lanyard.
2 long beeps after connecting the cap means that you are using the wrong safety lanyard. 3 short beep means the harness of the DESS post is grounded or shorted out.

As you can see, the 5 button advanced test is basically there to trouble shoot the DESS in the event you have trouble starting your ski/boat.

I have gone over some of the issues at hand if a PWC (4-TEC) has been turned upside down. This 4-cycle engine with it's closed loop cooling system and the flow of liquids to the internals of this engine can have a definite impact on the ECU and ECM sensors if it is rolled over with the engine running (for either seconds or minutes...I don't know). Is something wrong with the engine? Probably not. There is probably a sensor that is normally hot and dry when the engine is running and when it went upside down, it may have gone from hot and dry to cooler and wet. The thermal shock to the sensor could have knocked it out of serivce, or it's sending out a bad signal.

In your last post, you said you get three beeps before the ski goes into limp mode. Are you sure there are three beeps? Going into limp mode is one of the best designs anyone every invented for an engine. This lets you know there is a major problem and can lead to major mechanical engine failure if it's not taken care of. If you do have a problem and you re-set the code and continue to run until you get the "limp" mode again. Sooner or later, what ever it is will become known to you by an obvious sign (blown super charger for instance), by then, it'll be too late to find the least expensive fix for your Doo.

Sorry for such a long post, but the information on the 4-TEC is extensive. You really need a manual for this engine if your looking to solve a problem or just wanting to learn about the functions, features and safeguards to this engine. We offer these services as a "Premium Member" where you can have complete access to our library of manuals and the one on one service offered. Thanks again for you question and I hope this is of some help!

 

[gumbiewheeler]

thanks for all the detailed information!!!!!

Hey! thanks for all that info on how to check all those codes. Thats exactly what i was looking for, a way to find what code was putting it in limp mode so i can try to find out what it means. In the post with the 3 beeps before entering limp, I was just meaning the frustrating beeps, its actually one long beep when it goes to limp mode. And when its running right and you plug you key in to ride, first it gives one long beep while the speedo and tach make a full sweep and then back to zero and then if you dont start it but leave the key on it will give 3 short beeps about every 5 to seconds. Its done that since day one and the guy and the seadoo shop told me that was to remind you the key was still on because he said as long as the key was pluged up it ran the hour meter up rather the engine was running or not. the second guy that plugged it up pointed to a round thing right beside where you pour in engine oil with a two wire plug screwed to the top of it and told me that it had something to do with it turning over and said that thing set the code but he said it only set it because it was running while upside down, not because it was bad. I looked that part up on a parts site and its called a shutoff solenoid. Im wondering if that part might indeed be bad and just put the code right back in there the next time i went out. He cranked it at his shop on the trailer and it wouldn't do it, but he didnt let it sit there and run very long either. That part is under the oil seperator section in the parts listing. What is it seperating the oil from? I didnt know there was anything in the oil to be seperated. Can anybody tell me the function of the shutoff solenoid? I know its not what turns the engine off, I just wonder what it does shut off. That parts only 100 dollars so I'm thinking about trying one just in case. They charge almost that just to plug it up so if that aint it at least ill have and extra one in case i ever do need it. Thanks for all the help and thanks in advance for any explanation of what that solenoid is there for. Also whats the process and cost or the premium membership youre talking about? Is it just to gain acess to online service manuals and such? thanks for everything guys, this has turned out to be a very informative fourm. T.J.

 

[gumbiewheeler]

hey i just noticed the link up there about the premium membership. that sounds good. if this solenoid thing doesnt fix it up im gonna have to try that. By what ive seen so far, i know i can learn more here than from the first two guys that have been pluggin it up for me and fixing nothing.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Looks like it to me too!

I just read your reply and I agree with you. If you have a manual, we can do a lot more to fix your Doo than those "dummies" you took it to. The mpem will normally shut down the electrical system if the lanyard is left in the post for about 30 seconds. Looking into your manual though, it doesn't appear to be applicable to your Doo.
I'm about to go to work at the moment so don't have time to do an in depth look into the manual right now. I'll try and take the additional information you've provided on this reply and see if I can find out anything else.
Thanks for your patience and anything else you observe but haven't told me, may help to find a solution to your problem. I believe when it was upside down, you may have damaged a sensor. We'll continue to try and if we can't figure it out on the info you just provided, then you may want to join the premium membership so that when I ask you a question, you'll be able to look at the chapter with me and answer any questions I might need answered, with knowledge from the book. It is really very inexpensive to become a member and the wealth of info and help is un-matched by any other forum you may visit.
In the post I wrote yesterday, the steps to looking at your "P" codes is our next. Follow the instructions step by step and when you find that there are "P" codes existing, write them down and send them to me. I'll look them up and we may find the problem write away. Sounds to easy, lets just hope there's a "P" code that will help us find the problem.