1996 Seadoo GTX Bombardier Won’t Start

[NewbieAndrew]

Hi everyone, I have been reading forums here for weeks now trying to figure out this 1996 Seadoo but I’m a little lost where to go from here.
It was given to me, it sat for several years outside not used & exposed to the elements but the inside is pretty clean - no mouse nests, water sitting etc... leads me to believe the carb, as it probably wasn’t stabilized.
New battery, plugs, pumped out gas and refilled, topped off oil. Electric box in the rear looks new. Oil injector still in place - aka not premix gas

I am somewhat mechanically inclined but learning..just got a multimeter for this project. Lanyard beeps twice which I heard is good, dash does NOT light up but the motor cranks slowly (see video). Remember new battery and I charge it everytime after troubleshooting. I can smell gas. No spark when I pull one out and ground it on a sanded down surface on the head but also no liquid comes out the spark plug hole as I heard might happen.
Eventually the jetski beeps when I try to start, I believe telling me the battery is low. So I go charge it and try again tomorrow....see video 2

What should I do next ? Based on the video any hunches?
I was gonna start by just checking all wires for continuity, then try the carb soak/clean which I have done in a mower but not a ski.

Thank you in advance for any and all help!

Lanyard and try:

Try and beep error:

 

[artr]

It does not sound like your starter is fully engaging with the engine and turning it over. Take the plugs out and rotate the engine counterclockwise by hand using the PTO flywheel. Does it spin easily and smoothly? If so you could try to check compression on each cylinder but if the starter is not cracking the engine properly it might not register a good reading. You could also try with the plugs back in to crank the engine by shorting across the top of the starter solenoid in the rear electrical box using an insulated handle screwdriver. If it cranks the engine with a stronger sound then the starter is not getting enough voltage or current to crank reliably.If it cranks the same as your videos then I would suspect the starter needed to be pulled and tested to see if it spins and fully extends the bendix to engage the engine. It may need to be cleaned, lubed and the brushes replaced. Also the should be 2 black wires on the battery negative terminal. If the small black wire that runs to the rear electrical box is missing or not providing a good ground to the coil in the rear box then you will not get spark.

 

[Grim]

Sounds like the Bendix isn't engaging all the way. It could be a voltage issue from the coil or a bad starter. I would check those two items.

 

[POPPS]

Take a cable ,,,attach it to the positive terminal of the starter,,,and then connect to the positive of the battery,,,see what happens,,,this will tell you for certain if the starter has issues.

 

[mejim707]

This really sounds like not enough power to the electrical system probably due to faulty grounding or power connections. This is exactly what starters act like in vehicles when a grounding or power issue is present.

Disconnect, clean and reconnect your engine grounding. For the starter you can remove the ground cable from it, clean the mating surfaces and reinstall the cable. Also inspect all power connections, including those in the electrical box on the starter relay. As well as pull the connectors form the battery, thoroughly clean the terminals and reinstall the connectors.

Trying to turn the engine by hand would be a good idea. See if it even turns over. Because based on these videos, it's not moving at all and the starter gear is just banging away at the flywheel in the MAG.

When I got my boat I had a bunch of starting issues. I Pulled the starter and rebuilt it. I cleaned the brush contacts as well since they can get garbage on them and prevent it form working properly.

For the starter relay in the electrical box, the contacts on the inside of mine were barely making contact and this was providing almost no current for the starter to engage. I'd hear a click and that was it, or it would try to engage and just spin. When the starter would engage it would turn slow and then stop. I changed the starter relay and it fixed that issue. The relay has the red power lines connected to two posts with a wire harness at the base.

Another concern from what you're saying is that you're not getting spark. Unless the engine is turning over, which it does not seem to be doing, I don't think you'll get any spark in the first place.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For safety, try not to turn the engine over with the plugs out and grounded to a surface. Especially if you smell gas as you mentioned. This could lead to disaster. Instead, get a $7 inline spark tester. It's far safer and very easy to use. This will tell you definitively if you have spark or not. Placing the plug on a sanded surface may not be actually grounding it. But screwed in the head with an inline tester is the safest and most effective test.

 

[NewbieAndrew]

Thank you all for the suggestions sorry for the delay things are crazy. I am going to work on it today!