can you connect the negative to the upper starter bolt instead?Sounds like a bad cable from your description of the cable.
The negative cale goes directly from the battery to the underside of the starter.
OK, fantastic news.....not get your keester over to my place and do it to my ski !!!!! I'm still futzing with my carbs....but don't have the free time to give her the love she needs though.....oh well, maybe I'll get her fine tuned in time to put her up for the winter ....Okay, guys update,
IT WORKS!!!!!! Got the carbs tuned-up no backfire or anything!
Working like a dream! Thank you guys for all your help couldn't have made it through this journey without you guys!
I hit 65 mph today as peak too!
@Ckrawiec
Have you rebuilt the carbs with a true OEM kit? If not that's the first step in the process.
After that, I followed @mikidymac rebuild carb thread to a tee.
Then I put the carbs to stock setting took it out to the water, and did 1/4 turn increments until I could tell the ski was starting to get on top of the wake, then I did 1/8 turn increments until I got it up and going.
It does take time maybe you can find a weekend in there to do it somehow.
@Ckrawiec so does the ski start right up every time or does it take a few seconds then crank over? Also did you do the pop off pressure test on your carbs? If so what was your pop off test? Which ski are you fixing?Yep, been down that road...thought I had her all sorted out.....she ran great for awhile but I NOW either still have a quirk in the carbs (did I eff it up somehow/someway????) OR it's something else (I'm still not 100% convinced that I've fixed my 12V low issue - been through 3 rectifiers already)....I WON'Tgive up on her though.....of my 3 skis, I like the '96 the best (she's an oldie but a goodie). The fight will continue!!!
@Ckrawiec so does the ski start right up every time or does it take a few seconds then crank over? Also did you do the pop off pressure test on your carbs? If so what was your pop off test? Which ski are you fixing?
THE 1996 GTX is the ski in question.....it was running great, but then adult son took it for a hard run (was running great, better than ever, after the initial carb rebuild (Mikuni parts, full clean), etc......), wife was following on her 2018 GTS (she couldn't keep up with the '96 (haha or she was too scared to)), but she said the '96 burped some black smoke ONCE and the ski shutdown. It started right back up and my son drove it home AT SPEED with no other issues or hesitation and shut it down at our dock. After a day or so of non-use, it was back to hard startup (low battery, etc)....so she is currently OUT of the water on a cradle waiting for me to go back in....I had the battery fully charged in the meantime and load tested it and the ski cranks strong, but just won't catch to start....I haven't had the time lately to attend to her.....building a 500 SF deck is taking work precedence over a 3rd ski on the water (plus I'm out of dock space with a new pontoon).
I'll probably just buy 2 new mikuni kits and re-do the "carb rebuild thread" - fresh start over (when I have the time, hopefully in the next couple weeks...sigh).
@Ckrawiec The carb redo sounds like a good idea to do. But if your ski is not catching to start, that also sounds like your starter motor is getting weak or the gear is worn down? Is it the stock starter motor? Also double check your starter system electrical wise, you may think you are getting a strong crank but your starter relay or ignition coil may not be doing what they are supposed. Also if you have blown 3 rectifiers, that hints to me that you really need to check the battery and the starter system electrical wise.
Already done......this ski sank a while back so everything electrical has either been replaced (all new components, wiring, cables, connections cleaned, deox'ed, continuity checked) and verified good.....the starter cranks strong with plugs in or out, battery has been load tested and checked......I don't think the carbs are perfect yet.....and the rectifier situation still needs some attention.....I'll get her sorted out eventually.Also check all the wires on that’s system one bad wire with cuts in it or kinks can take you down too. That is why I redid my whole starter system, cables looked bad and all the parts looked like the original parts from 1997. Replaced all of that and working great fires right up every time.