1997 gtx won’t start

[Mattshep3]

My gtx was running yesterday just fine. Drove home and the next day the starter will whine but not engage. Also a low battery popped up. Got a brand new battery and still says low battery and starter won’t engage. Any help please.

 

[noviceskier]

My gtx was running yesterday just fine. Drove home and the next day the starter will whine but not engage. Also a low battery popped up. Got a brand new battery and still says low battery and starter won’t engage. Any help please.

By engage you mean it keeps on whining? Any chance that is an aftermarket starter?

 

[Mattshep3]

I have no clue. It’s black. Yes it continues to whine

 

[GGuillot]

Pull the starter, sounds like the bendix is broke or something. If it's a black aftermarket starter might as well buy a good used OEM and rebuild it. You can buy the starter rebuild kits from OSD marine or ebay. The aftermarket starters are junk, most people just don't have long term luck with them. You can identify the 787 OEM starter for the 97' GTX being white and a Denso label on it.

Disconnect the battery from the ski and charge it, when you get them new they're not necessarily fully charged.

 

[noviceskier]

Disconnect the battery from the ski and charge it, when you get them new they're not necessarily fully charged
.

Yup especially at big automotive stores new batteries start to deteriorate as soon as their activated.

 

[AKnarrowback]

If it's an aftermarket starter I have a sledgehammer you can borrow.

 

[jts32]

Pull the starter, sounds like the bendix is broke or something. If it's a black aftermarket starter might as well buy a good used OEM and rebuild it. You can buy the starter rebuild kits from OSD marine or ebay. The aftermarket starters are junk, most people just don't have long term luck with them. You can identify the 787 OEM starter for the 97' GTX being white and a Denso label on it.

Disconnect the battery from the ski and charge it, when you get them new they're not necessarily fully charged.

There are black OEM starters. Make sure it has a Denso or ND stamp on it. If it doesn't have either of those stamped on it, it is aftermarket junk

 

[Nemisis]

An inspection to make sure connections are clean and tight at battery and engine ground.

 

[mikidymac]

If the starter is spinning but not engaging the flywheel the battery, cables and solenoid are not your issue.

The issue is either the bendix or the actual shaft broke. This is very common with the junk aftermarket starters.

Pull the starter out and inspect, it is the only way you are going to know.

 

[AKnarrowback]

I just pulled the aftermarket starter out of my 94 XP that stopped working while I was cranking the motor over. After taking it apart and cleaning the contact surfaces it would only spin fast enough to throw the bendix out if I had the charger set for a 50 amp output, even then it was barely enough to move the bendix. Something in the windings failed, the battery, cables, solenoid all are good. A good starter, on the bench, should slam that bendix out with a snap. This is the 3rd aftermarket starter I have gone through, all failing in the windings in a similar way.

Ebay for a used OEM starter, sledgehammer for the old aftermarket. Problem solved.

I also have a 97 GTX and am suprised at how many times the low battery warning pops up when my DOO is running perfect. Just make sure it is charged and in good shape.

Like Mikidymac said, pull the starter out and check it over on the bench.