donnie5336
New Member
Ok so I just became the new owner of a 1997 GTX. I have read and read and read all about the DESS/post/MPEM issues and what beeps mean what, how to get to diagnostic mode, etc. I have the manual downloaded and I can't get any resolve from it either. Here is my dilemma. I bought this ski non-running for a good price. Owner said it ran fine about 2 weeks ago and now would not crank, and wouldn't get 2 beeps when he put the key on - he thought it needed a new key/post/reprogramming. I checked the ski when I got there, battery was dead so the first thing I did was jumped a good battery to the solenoid to make sure it would turn over and check compression. Engine turned over perfectly, 150psi in each cylinder. I attached the battery I brought to the ski to just check the keyswitch etc. but it didn't work as expected. I got the ski and brought it home and started troubleshooting. Here is where I am so far:
LCD screen will come on when I attach battery and stay on approximately 30 seconds. After it goes off, nothing will work. Start button will not turn it back on, nor will the start button put it in diagnostic mode with 5 presses. If I attach the lanyard in the initial 30 seconds while the LCD screen is on, I get one beep and the screen goes off. If I wait until the LCD has gone off itself after those 30 seconds and then attach the lanyard, I get nothing. No single beep, no anything. Start/stop button still will not do anything. The only way I can get anything to happen again is by disconnecting the battery and re-connecting. Then the process starts over again. The LCD screen will be on for approximately 30 seconds. Again in that time I can do nothing and it will go off by itself or I can attach the key and get one beep and then it goes off.
The start/stop button feels weird to me also, like it isn't wanting to press in or is stuck pressed in. I know they don't need to be pressed hard and don't "click" like a button, but it doesn't even feel like it's pressing at all. I'm wondering if this switch is stuck in the depressed position. I'm thinking that maybe if the switch is stuck, constantly being pressed, then that's why my LCD is coming on as soon as I attach the battery - as if I am pressing the button once to turn on the timer etc. And maybe that's why I'm getting the one beep when I put the key on because it is sensing that the button is being held in and it's trying to say "hey dummy let go of the button." I know one beep normally means the MPEM has lost programming of the key or bad post connection, but I only get that one beep during this time, not any other time. It's not like any other problem I've found online, and I'm stumped on where to look first.
Has anybody had a problem like this before and do any of you have any suggestions on where to start looking? I don't want to just start throwing money at it buying a new DESS post, getting a key reprogrammed, buying an MPEM, etc.
Should that LCD screen be coming up as soon as I attach the battery or should it only come on after the start/stop button is pressed?
LCD screen will come on when I attach battery and stay on approximately 30 seconds. After it goes off, nothing will work. Start button will not turn it back on, nor will the start button put it in diagnostic mode with 5 presses. If I attach the lanyard in the initial 30 seconds while the LCD screen is on, I get one beep and the screen goes off. If I wait until the LCD has gone off itself after those 30 seconds and then attach the lanyard, I get nothing. No single beep, no anything. Start/stop button still will not do anything. The only way I can get anything to happen again is by disconnecting the battery and re-connecting. Then the process starts over again. The LCD screen will be on for approximately 30 seconds. Again in that time I can do nothing and it will go off by itself or I can attach the key and get one beep and then it goes off.
The start/stop button feels weird to me also, like it isn't wanting to press in or is stuck pressed in. I know they don't need to be pressed hard and don't "click" like a button, but it doesn't even feel like it's pressing at all. I'm wondering if this switch is stuck in the depressed position. I'm thinking that maybe if the switch is stuck, constantly being pressed, then that's why my LCD is coming on as soon as I attach the battery - as if I am pressing the button once to turn on the timer etc. And maybe that's why I'm getting the one beep when I put the key on because it is sensing that the button is being held in and it's trying to say "hey dummy let go of the button." I know one beep normally means the MPEM has lost programming of the key or bad post connection, but I only get that one beep during this time, not any other time. It's not like any other problem I've found online, and I'm stumped on where to look first.
Has anybody had a problem like this before and do any of you have any suggestions on where to start looking? I don't want to just start throwing money at it buying a new DESS post, getting a key reprogrammed, buying an MPEM, etc.
Should that LCD screen be coming up as soon as I attach the battery or should it only come on after the start/stop button is pressed?
Last edited by a moderator:
