1996 xp oil leak on nipple above starter as well as battery connection help

[shattered00]

I am soooooo close to this thing being ready for its maiden voyage this weekend. I have a leak that appears to be coming from the threads on the nipple and not the hose/clamp. Unlike my 95 XP, I DID use the recommended sealant in the threads, but it is still leaking so I am completely confused.

I am trying to avoid, if at all possible, pinching the hose and taking off the nipple, because it looks like in order to get that nipple off (I used a wrench last time because I don't know what other tool ould work and it was a pain) I will have to remove the carburetors which were also a pain to get on myself.

Question 1) Is there any other alternative to make it through this weekend without having to remove the nipple and use more sealant (I used a good amount the first time, so still confused).



Question 2) I have read to hook the red wire up first and then the black. The problem is that I have two red wires and a black wire that is completely disconnected from everything. I have one red wire going to a screw on the end of the starter. Where does the other red wire go and where does the black wire go (once one side is connected to the battery).

Question 2 Part 2) There is a black wire that is really short which I read is the VTS ground wire. I cannot see what it could reach? Where would be a good place to ground this?





Thank you for any time and suggestions.

 

[Chrisx88]

Red wire goes from Battery to box, then box to starter. Black wire is ground to box and box to engine i believe.

 

[mikidymac]

The small black wire goes on the negative battery terminal with the big black wire.

The oil nipple is standard national pipe thread (NPT) so technically as long as it is clean and tight no sealant is necessary

 

[shattered00]

Thank you both. I have taken the carburetor off to get a better look at things, and I believe that the oil is leaking from the hose and possibly a tiny amount from the threads. No matter what way I position the hose or the clamp, it appears the hose still leaks. I used the same size hose as the manual stated, and the hose does not appear damaged from the clamp. Maybe it is leaking from the threads and I just can't determine it.

Before and after re positioning the hose. I can't tell if that is new oil or dry oil around the nipple piece. I try to wipe it off but it stays, so maybe it is the thread sealant that oozed out and is now the color of oil?

 

[shattered00]

So I made a big mess trying to get the hose off before I could clamp it. Slipped out of hand and oil essentially is everywhere. Definitely not good as I believe some got in the rotary valve openings and all over the the starter. Now I cannot loosen the nipple using a wrench or pliers and counterclockwise motion. I also believe that this metal is weaker as I am scraping deeply into it even with a small rag in between the tools and have dented it as well. I don't know if the OEM sealant has it too tight on there or what else may be causing problems. Is there any tool that anyone knows of which may help me get the nipple off? Not sure what to do at this point. I am obviously out of my league and would take it to a mechanic, but I don't think I can drive it anywhere as I am afraid the clamp I have on the oil hose could slip off at any moment essentially ending this skis life.

 

[racerxxx]

The threads looked sealed to me. As long as the fitting is tight it shouldn't leak. Oh, and next time use teflon tape on that fitting.

In this pic it looks like part of the "band" is on the ridge of the fitting. I usually center or try and favor the other side of the fitting and make sure it doesn't hit the fitting to obstruct the clamping area.


And if you aim the screw on the clamp to the side you can get to it.............with the carbs in place...it ain't easy but could be a life saver if you don't feel like pulling the carbs off. The way you have it you can't. I know it's trivial to some, but I spend a lot of time placing clamps so that I can get to the screw if for some reason I need to remove or just tighten it after everything warms up. Also, I use a little grease on one side of the carb gaskets to paste them to the rotary cover.

 

[shattered00]

Edit: I have confirmed there is a small leak around where the fitting meets the engine. I cannot determine if it is all the way around or just a portion, but with the oil hose disconnected, a small amount of oil still forms around the meeting point. I cannot get the fitting off and am afraid I will snap it if I keep trying. I am going to try and clean the area with acetone and use red RTV around the fitting to see if that fixes it. Wish me luck.

Thank you for the response. I should have positioned the clamps in a better to reach spot, but did not which has contributed to my current frustration. If I put the hose back on and properly center the clamp away from the end of the fitting and it still has a slight leak around where the fitting meets the engine, what metric tap size do you believe would clear out the threads. I attempted to clean the threads out prior to install with an object akin to a dental scraper, but the fitting got very difficult to screw in after about 4 turns so I am thinking that maybe there is gunk in the threads that is preventing the self sealing mechanism along with the sealant itself from working. Also, if I use dielectric grease on the starter where the red cable goes to, will that offset the fact it was coated in oil?

TLDR:

1) size needed for tap for the threads of the oil fitting assuming I need to take it off?
2) will dielectric grease used on the starter where the red battery wire goes offset any potential issues from oil spillage (once I have cleaned as much oil up as I can)?

I have given up on going to the lake this weekend, but maybe I can get this fixed and get it on the water if there is another nice weekend before "winter."