1994 SPI Low spark

[Old_2_cycle]

Hello,
My 1994 SPI with 583 Rotax has low spark getting to cylinders. It wont fire at all. I can barley see the spark when grounded to head but can feel it. Its been moist here and there is condensation on the engine. I am wondering if that is causing the issue. The engine ran fine before I bought it a month ago.

I am letting it dry out since its been dry but looking for suggestions.

The adapter used to run water to engine leaks when water is on. Is this normal or should i seek a replacement hose adapter?

 

[Jeffspx]

Ok couple small particulars, Was 2005 a typo? I believe 1996 was the last year the spi was made, and should have a 587 in it. Doesn’t really matter for your issues though.

As for no start, could be multiple things. Your certain spark seems weak? Has the ski been sunk or anything recently? Or are you saying the bilge just has bit of water in it?
Not sure if you just purchased this ski, or had it and it had been sitting for a while or. If this had been a running machine that you’ve had for a while, but other issues could exist as well causing a no start, old fuel lines, gummed up carb or fuel valve, and low compression just to name a few.
If your feeling pretty confident weak spark is your issue, the easiest things to start with would be a new set of plugs, and take the spark plug boots off the wires. They unscrew off the wire. Then clip a 1/2” of the wire and screw the boots back on. The. Recheck from there.

As for the flush adapter, a replacement would be ideal, but as long as your not flooding the bilge during flushing to the point of filling up the hull to the bottom of the crankcase or electrical box, it’s probably of little concern at the moment.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

Sorry I got the year wrong it’s a 94! Corrected my mistake.

I just got it off a guy it ran ok when looking at it. She was boggy giving it throttle we thought bad gas.

It’s been serviced every year but sat out unused for a while. It’s very low hours.
It’s getting plenty of gas the plugs are wet i think fuel system is ok. I put sea foam and new gas in but can get it circulated yet.

After sitting out in a few showers under a tarp after getting it here I couldn’t get it running. I should see spark grounded to the head on metal right?

I just don’t see much spark, plugs look newer. I will try striping wire down, check gap.

I’ll just use a towel to soak up the little coming out of the adapter for now.

 

[Jeffspx]

When checking spark, your using a spark plug grounded or spark tester?

The other concern is that you had said it began bogging down. That would more likely suggest a lean condition. Does it still have Gray colored fuel lines? Any idea when the carburetor was last rebuilt? Unfortunately the motor will burn up quick if it’s ran with a lean condition.
Try another set of plugs and clipping back the wires to see if you have any luck, but I’m afraid even if that’s successful, a compression test is in order to try and get a picture of the motors health to be sure.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

Hi thanks for taking the time to respond. I was touching the threads of plug to chassis/engine to determine spark. I did this with my snowmobiles.

It was smoking quite normally for a 2 cycle when testing it. We didnt run it very long. It was idling fine just bog when given throttle > 1/4. Ill get back with fuel line color. It is definitely getting plenty of fuel/oil.

I was wondering what the orange thing with the two prongs mounted to the engine. The plug boot caps fit over it. Is it for when stowing the watercraft?

I do have a compression tester for further diagnosing if needed.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

The current spark plugs are gapped at .040 more than the old plugs sitting in the front trunk. Seems a little high? I was getting better spark from plug one but none from 2. the plugs are BR8ES i have a BR9ES from my sled i can try if compatible.

I am having a darn time getting fuel cutoff to cylinders. The shutoff dial is set to off but everytime i crank it w/o plugs i see vapors, when plugs in they are soaked after removal. Should be dry after all the starting attempts with fuel shutoff. I was hoping the bowl would be empty by now so i can circulate fresh fuel.

I do see gray fuel lines towards the front going into the engine.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

i lowered gap to .025 and it sparked both plugs and fired right up!

 

[Old_2_cycle]

This adapter doesn’t seal too much is it
Missing an o ring?

 

[Jeffspx]

Sorry for the late reply on this. It’s good that you got it going. A compression check couldn’t hurt if you’d like to know how the motor is, but your likely fine if it’s low hours and you hadn’t ran it much particularly under load while bogging.
As for grey fuel lines, they need to go, and you really should tear the carburetor down and rebuild. If you look up the seadoo gray fuel lines on here or even Google you’ll see it’s very common for them to break down and they release a green goo thru out the system causing a lean condition. Also should replace the fuel selector valve.
You mentioned that it seemed the fuel selector was not turning off fuel. It’s possible that it’s not. Other possibilities could be the check valves allowing 2 stroke oil to leak into the crankcase or leaking crank seals allowing oil from the RV cavity to leak into the crank case.
As for flush adapter, yes, there should be an o-ring on the fitting that is in the ski. The grove just below tip is where the o-ring goes.

 

[POPPS]

Also, load test the battery, a weak battery can also cause a weak spark.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

You guys have been super resourceful I appreciate that.
I ordered a battery load tester to check the health of my batteries. It looks like there is more work to be done to rebuild the fuel delivery system but that is expected for its age. If she isnt bogging on the trailer Ill take it out for an assessment under some load. Gotta hurry almost time to blow the dust off the sleds!

 

[Old_2_cycle]

I cant fit the adapter over this o ring do I need a smaller OD? I am unsure if it requires a metric size. I also found this rubber piece laying inside the ski, does it go anywhere?

 

[Jeffspx]

Yea that o ring looks to be a bit too big. Would need something with a thinner thickness. Unfortunately I don’t know the size, but if I had to guess, yea it’s probably metric. Not sure that seadoo sells just the o ring, but I believe that whole fitting is still. available. Up to you how far you wana go to source an o ring vs replacing the whole fitting.
The rubber plug goes on the top of the airbox.
Assuming you still have the original air intake still on the motor, if you look at the black airbox, in the center of it, should be a small hole. That’s the plug for it. That hole is there for fogging the engine so you don’t have to remove the entire top of the box.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

Jeff your knowledge of this machine has been very helpful. i used a thinner metric size, still leaks a little but seals better. Plug is back home on the air box.
My first attempt to running it out of water with the water hose and adapter. According to the manual I should have a stream of water out the back if the cooling system is circulating. My two holes are dry! The head seemed a little too warm when I ran it with some 1/4 throttle action for the first time for a minute with the water hose turned on. i should be seeing water circulating from this hose top of head, correct? And if it overheats I should hear a beep?

 

[mikidymac]

You need to clamp off the big hose going out the back that the flush kit is connected to. IF you don't the water will just go out the back of the ski instead of being forced through the cooling system.

 

[Jeffspx]

Yes, you should have streams out the 2 holes under the hook there. As mikidymac pointed out, you need to crimp off the feed hose. The crimpers need to go between the flush fitting and the thru hull fitting at the pump.
If you have an overheat, in theory, you should hear a beep, but if it’s original to the machine, there’s a good possibility the beeper doesn’t work anymore.
To test the beeper, pull the lead off the temp sensor on the top of the head and ground it while the ski is running. You should get a beep.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

Good to know, the guy I bought it from didn’t do that while testing. A little alarming. Do ppl put in shutoff valves?

I am investigating an oil leak. I put a towel under the air intake following oil line under to what looks like the oil pump and it’s catching oil when not running.

 

[Jeffspx]

I think I remember a few different people saying they had put in shut offs on the intake line. They had done it because they were keeping the ski in the water, docked for extended periods (like a day or two) or because they were towing the ski while not running behind another boat. It should be mentioned that if you ever need to tow the ski back to the ramp or dock etc, that line should be clamped off otherwise it could allow water to flow through it and possibly back up into the exhaust and motor.
So in short, I think you can put a valve inline, just make sure you remember to open it when going out.

The oil leak is most likely from oil lines. Will probably need to pull the airbox to get a better look at the pump and see. If the lines have not been replaced before or if you don’t know when they have been, they’re probably due, along with a new filter, and new oil injection lines as well.

 

[Old_2_cycle]

Regarding the oil leak are you referring to the line coming in with the inline filter? I reached under to feel for oil on that line because I suspected a damaged line but it was dry. Is there a gasket around the pump housing that could have gone bad?

I crimped the hose. I now have water running thru the head. The second tube coming off the exhaust manifold, is that a vent? Water only coming out of one of those holes under latch.

I got no beep grounding the heat sensor wire. I’m going to have to get a shop manual so I can put together a parts order.

 

[mikidymac]

The one off the exhaust manifold vents the air out but should quickly fill with water on the hose and flow out the back.

Most oil leaks are either the grommet on the oil tank or the larger 12mm hose that goes into the side of the engine block. The hose clamp is usually loose or has cut the hose.