RESTO 1997 gsx display reads 12v desc and warning light flashing. Won't start. Has anyone had this issue before????

[shawnlastrx]

Seadoo 1997 gsx display reads 12v desc and warning light flashing. Won't start. Has anyone had this issue before????

 

[Venturian1]

When you say "won't start" does that mean wont crank over, or cranks but does not fire up?
I have a 97 GSX, and a 97 GSi, and don't recall ever seeing DESC on the info center.
Have you downloaded a manual for it yet? search for seadoo free pdf if not.

 

[shawnlastrx]

It turns over and gets spark but won't start .

 

[shawnlastrx]

It turns over and gets spark but won't start .

Yes I have a manual. It doesn't say anything about the 12v Desc. Code and warning light

 

[Venturian1]

If it turns over and has spark, and as long as the compression is a minimum of 125 psi on both, it will run.
don't give up!


1. fuel supply is the most common problem I've encountered with these older 2-strokes.
pull off the fuel hose at the front carb inlet and see if fuel runs out of the hose. let it run into a container until you get about 1 cup out.
If not that much will run out, either the fuel selector valve is off, or there's air in the line(s), and that may be the problem. Details at the bottom of this page.
NOTE: its siphoning out, so all siphon rules apply, ... fuel level in the tank must be above the end of the hose you pull off the front carb,
and no air. you may need to apply some vacuum to the hose to get it started.
If steady stream of gasoline flows, youre good, put a plug in the hose. golf T's work good for this.

NOTE: as fuel in the tank gets used, air must be able to enter the tank or a vacuum is created, starving the engine for fuel. There's a vent hose with a check valves for this purpose. one check valve will allow air in, only, the other check valve will not let air in, but if pressure builds up in the tank, it will relieve the pressure, not sure exactly how much pressure it takes to open it tho.

While you're there, and before disconnecting the throttle cable, get a mirror and check the oil injection pump. Those two tiny hoses are critical. must be no leaks, hoses should be soft and flexible, and visibly full of synthetic two stroke oil without air bubbles. then the calibration...with carb throttle plate at idle position, two lines will line up on the injection pump if its adjusted correctly, i have to use a flashlight. this adjustment is critical too, and the fate of your engine lies here. a small throttle size cable adjusts this at the PTO carb, and its better to have a little too much injection oil rather than not enough, and there's an
injection oil filter inline from the tank to the pump too, changing it to a new one is easy, but purging all of the air out is not so easy. you have to run the engine on premix with the two small hoses disconnected at the Rotary valve end, and while idling on premix, hold the injection pump arm all the way open until the air bubbles all come out, and then put the hoses back on. I re-use the existing hose clamps after opening them back up, but a small zip tie may work.

Next, I would check the R.A,V.E. (power valves).....
pull the RAVE valves and check the rubber parts, and clearance between the valve stem
and housing. Mine were loose. had to replace both, and the exhaust leaking through melted the red adjuster cap on one side.
I got new parts on eBay, but don't get the green rubbers, they are too stiff. The red OEM rubbers are much softer and wont hold the valve open like the thicker green ones do. another thing, they need to be adjusted evenly, like, take the same amount of force to overcome the spring pressure so they both open at the same time.
.
if your fuel flows, the RAVE's are good, your oil injection system is calibrated, compression is good on both, it cranks and you've got decent spark ( bright blue, & strong is desireable, but if it appears a bit weak, it will still fire), so now its narrowed down to the carbs or rotary valve clearance, or, youve got fuel/oil accumulated in one or both crankcases. Check by removing both spark plugs, plug them back into the plug wires and grounding them. Dont crank it over without grounding the plugs or you may fry the MPEM. So, with the plugs grounded, crank it over, but be prepared for a wet mist to come shooting out of the spark plug holes. if this happens, you've got fluid in one or both crankcases that will foul the spark plugs instantly, preventing the engine from running. This is caused by a leaking needle and seat in one or both carbs, and the fuel not getting turned off when parked.
Before you remove the carbs, ......
with a small hand held (and hand operated, like the Mity VAC) vac/pressure pump, you can check the carbs: fuel pump diaphragm & check valves, the pop-off pressure, (needle & seats). and also the return line orifice. instructions are in the manual that's a free pdf download.

If it were me troubleshooting it, first I would order a couple of carb kits first, then when they arrive, pull the carbs, clean the exterior with paint thinner or a solvent, blow dry and disassemble the mag side first.
If it had been running good before, don't mess with the linkage connecting the two, unless you suspect they are not in sync. There's a post on this forum that walks you through the whole rebuild process that's right on the money.
But, If you're flying in economy, and can't afford carb kits, and all of the tests you just did with the psi/vac pump passed, you 'can' just disassemble each carb enough to get to the little fuel strainers inside, and clean them. I used to do it this way long ago, and they would run, but occasionally not, and it was such a task ....the carbs off and back on, that new carb kits were well worth the money. I read that only genuine Mikuni kits should be used, but i buy the cheaper aftermarket kits from ebay, can get two for about $20.
Vs. $80 each for Mikuni.

1a. fuel supply to carbs:
clean the fuel filter under the hood,
Replace any grey fuel hoses, they must go, except hoses used for the vents.
Test your fuel selector valve: check for leaks with the vac/psi pump. You'll need to disconnect the "ON" hose at the tank top, and plug it with a golf T, and disconnect the other end from the fuel filter, turn the gas to "ON" and apply vacuum to the open end of the hose, then reconnect it to the fuel filter, disconnect the fuel hose from the front carb and connect your vac pump there and test again. this tests the fuel filter also.
then finally at the tank top there's hose clamps (check for tight) and the baffle within the tank. I always check that the four fuel hoses are connected to the right nipples on the tank top too. you cant have any leaks or the pump will suck air.
.

I bought all four of my skis used, and only one of them ran at first, and for a while, none were dependable, always had a tow rope and used it often, until, I got smart, and went through everything. got tired of wondering what the problems were, maybe the fuel filter, maybe the pump, maybe.....?So each ski, I
pulled and cleaned the fuel tank, oil tank too. replace any stiff or grey hoses, (Ethanol dissolves the inner liner and forms green goo that plugs carbs) I put new filters, rebuilt every carb, more than once thanks to getting some bad gas. I only use the big expensive gas stations now, its worth it in the long run. Once I get through the fuel system, and oil, put in new plugs, and new batteries as needed, no problems any more. we now ride from Ventura Harbor to Carpenteria, to Platform Hogan, and back without an issue, and what a relief it is! I still carry a tow rope tho, in case someone gets stuck in the kelp!

 

[Venturian1]

If it turns over and has spark, and as long as the compression is a minimum of 125 psi on both, it will run.
don't give up!


1. fuel supply is the most common problem I've encountered with these older 2-strokes.
pull off the fuel hose at the front carb inlet and see if fuel runs out of the hose. let it run into a container until you get about 1 cup out.
If not that much will run out, either the fuel selector valve is off, or there's air in the line(s), and that may be the problem. Details at the bottom of this page.
NOTE: its siphoning out, so all siphon rules apply, ... fuel level in the tank must be above the end of the hose you pull off the front carb,
and no air. you may need to apply some vacuum to the hose to get it started.
If steady stream of gasoline flows, youre good, put a plug in the hose. golf T's work good for this.

NOTE: as fuel in the tank gets used, air must be able to enter the tank or a vacuum is created, starving the engine for fuel. There's a vent hose with a check valves for this purpose. one check valve will allow air in, only, the other check valve will not let air in, but if pressure builds up in the tank, it will relieve the pressure, not sure exactly how much pressure it takes to open it tho.

While you're there, and before disconnecting the throttle cable, get a mirror and check the oil injection pump. Those two tiny hoses are critical. must be no leaks, hoses should be soft and flexible, and visibly full of synthetic two stroke oil without air bubbles. then the calibration...with carb throttle plate at idle position, two lines will line up on the injection pump if its adjusted correctly, i have to use a flashlight. this adjustment is critical too, and the fate of your engine lies here. a small throttle size cable adjusts this at the PTO carb, and its better to have a little too much injection oil rather than not enough, and there's an
injection oil filter inline from the tank to the pump too, changing it to a new one is easy, but purging all of the air out is not so easy. you have to run the engine on premix with the two small hoses disconnected at the Rotary valve end, and while idling on premix, hold the injection pump arm all the way open until the air bubbles all come out, and then put the hoses back on. I re-use the existing hose clamps after opening them back up, but a small zip tie may work.

Next, I would check the R.A,V.E. (power valves).....
pull the RAVE valves and check the rubber parts, and clearance between the valve stem
and housing. Mine were loose. had to replace both, and the exhaust leaking through melted the red adjuster cap on one side.
I got new parts on eBay, but don't get the green rubbers, they are too stiff. The red OEM rubbers are much softer and wont hold the valve open like the thicker green ones do. another thing, they need to be adjusted evenly, like, take the same amount of force to overcome the spring pressure so they both open at the same time.
.
if your fuel flows, the RAVE's are good, your oil injection system is calibrated, compression is good on both, it cranks and you've got decent spark ( bright blue, & strong is desireable, but if it appears a bit weak, it will still fire), so now its narrowed down to the carbs or rotary valve clearance, or, youve got fuel/oil accumulated in one or both crankcases. Check by removing both spark plugs, plug them back into the plug wires and grounding them. Dont crank it over without grounding the plugs or you may fry the MPEM. So, with the plugs grounded, crank it over, but be prepared for a wet mist to come shooting out of the spark plug holes. if this happens, you've got fluid in one or both crankcases that will foul the spark plugs instantly, preventing the engine from running. This is caused by a leaking needle and seat in one or both carbs, and the fuel not getting turned off when parked.
Before you remove the carbs, ......
with a small hand held (and hand operated, like the Mity VAC) vac/pressure pump, you can check the carbs: fuel pump diaphragm & check valves, the pop-off pressure, (needle & seats). and also the return line orifice. instructions are in the manual that's a free pdf download.

If it were me troubleshooting it, first I would order a couple of carb kits first, then when they arrive, pull the carbs, clean the exterior with paint thinner or a solvent, blow dry and disassemble the mag side first.
If it had been running good before, don't mess with the linkage connecting the two, unless you suspect they are not in sync. There's a post on this forum that walks you through the whole rebuild process that's right on the money.
But, If you're flying in economy, and can't afford carb kits, and all of the tests you just did with the psi/vac pump passed, you 'can' just disassemble each carb enough to get to the little fuel strainers inside, and clean them. I used to do it this way long ago, and they would run, but occasionally not, and it was such a task ....the carbs off and back on, that new carb kits were well worth the money. I read that only genuine Mikuni kits should be used, but i buy the cheaper aftermarket kits from ebay, can get two for about $20.
Vs. $80 each for Mikuni.

1a. fuel supply to carbs:
clean the fuel filter under the hood,
Replace any grey fuel hoses, they must go, except hoses used for the vents.
Test your fuel selector valve: check for leaks with the vac/psi pump. You'll need to disconnect the "ON" hose at the tank top, and plug it with a golf T, and disconnect the other end from the fuel filter, turn the gas to "ON" and apply vacuum to the open end of the hose, then reconnect it to the fuel filter, disconnect the fuel hose from the front carb and connect your vac pump there and test again. this tests the fuel filter also.
then finally at the tank top there's hose clamps (check for tight) and the baffle within the tank. I always check that the four fuel hoses are connected to the right nipples on the tank top too. you cant have any leaks or the pump will suck air.
.

I bought all four of my skis used, and only one of them ran at first, and for a while, none were dependable, always had a tow rope and used it often, until, I got smart, and went through everything. got tired of wondering what the problems were, maybe the fuel filter, maybe the pump, maybe.....?So each ski, I
pulled and cleaned the fuel tank, oil tank too. replace any stiff or grey hoses, (Ethanol dissolves the inner liner and forms green goo that plugs carbs) I put new filters, rebuilt every carb, more than once thanks to getting some bad gas. I only use the big expensive gas stations now, its worth it in the long run. Once I get through the fuel system, and oil, put in new plugs, and new batteries as needed, no problems any more. we now ride from Ventura Harbor to Carpenteria, to Platform Hogan, and back without an issue, and what a relief it is! I still carry a tow rope tho, in case someone gets stuck in the kelp!

These older 2-stroke SeaDoo's WILL run on just one cylinder, but ground the other plug so it can't vibrate loose. I've done this to evacuate liquid from one crankcase. A shot of Ether will help kick it off on just one cyl.

 

[shawnlastrx]

Seadoo 1997 gsx display reads 12v desc and warning light flashing. Won't start. Has anyone had this issue before????

Figured it out. Was the coil.

 

[Venturian1]

Bravo!!
Ignition coil? or magneto coil(s)?
Did you do a resistance check, or find a bad ground wire?