2003 GTX 4Tec dies around a half tank of gas

[5ta9]

Hey all,

Have a strange problem with my 2003 GTX Supercharged 4Tec with 40 hours. I was out at the lake house and out of nowhere the ski just died and would not start back up. I put it back on the trailer and when I got it back to the house it fired right up. When I took it back to the ramp I stopped and filled the tank up and it ran great the rest of the day. The next day the ski started to run bad then just died again. I put it back on the trailer and it started right up. Filled the tank back up as an experiment and put it back in the water and it ran fine the rest of the trip. I thought maybe the fuel filters were clogged and the pump was getting hot so I ended up replacing both the filters and fuel pump. I took the ski out yesterday and out of the blue it just died again. Towed it back and put it on the trailer and it fired right up.

The ski is throwing no codes and none of the mechanics around my house will even look at it because they say its too old. Has anyone ever ran into something similar to this?

Thanks for any help.

 

[5ta9]

Any ideas? I recently had the supercharger rebuilt and so I was feeling around that area and noticed that the clip to the EGT sensor just fell off. I plugged it back in but I don't see how it could cause the ski to die.

When I pulled the fuel pump i inspected the lines and I did not see any cracks or holes. Would the fuel vent system cause an issue like this?

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

I had similar problem. It'd stall or die when I take hard turns, especially as it draws down from a full tank. Turned out to be old/clogged fuel pump filters. The extra head on top of the pump when it's full increases the pressure enough to allow it to feed the engine, then starves when that pressure is reduced.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

BTW, it was on the exact same engine

 

[5ta9]

I had similar problem. It'd stall or die when I take hard turns, especially as it draws down from a full tank. Turned out to be old/clogged fuel pump filters. The extra head on top of the pump when it's full increases the pressure enough to allow it to feed the engine, then starves when that pressure is reduced.

I thought something like that. I replaced the fuel pump and internal filters. I'm wondering if maybe there is a bad seal for the tube which runs out of the fuel pump and when the gas gets too low it sprays out.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Maybe your pressure regulator is going bad? There is a pressure test port on the fuel line, but it's damn near impossible to find the right adapter to fit it. I tried all the ones from the Autozone rental kit. I ended up having to take out the schrader valve and attaching a hose with a hose clamp to the pressure gauge. This is a very dangerous setup as that hose can leak or pop-off entirely. I kept it on long enough to verify that my fuel pump was putting otu the right pressure, and I shut it off. For your task, you may have to get the right adapter and take it for a spin, make sure you're getting enough fuel pressure all the time.

 

[5ta9]

Maybe your pressure regulator is going bad? There is a pressure test port on the fuel line, but it's damn near impossible to find the right adapter to fit it. I tried all the ones from the Autozone rental kit. I ended up having to take out the schrader valve and attaching a hose with a hose clamp to the pressure gauge. This is a very dangerous setup as that hose can leak or pop-off entirely. I kept it on long enough to verify that my fuel pump was putting otu the right pressure, and I shut it off. For your task, you may have to get the right adapter and take it for a spin, make sure you're getting enough fuel pressure all the time.

Thanks for the suggestion, I didn't even think of the FPR. I saw that the are pretty cheap but I can't seem to find anything in the shop manual on how to replace it. Sounds like a good avenue to pursue. I'll keep you posted after the memorial day weekend when I can diagnose it.

thanks again!

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

they're pretty easy to remove. It's held on by a kind of band clamp on top of the fuel pump assembly. it's the metal cylinder thing that the fuel hose attaches to. There are some out there for cars (Dodge neon for ex) that are half the price of the seadoo one, but I think their pressure is is wrong.

 

[5ta9]

Thought I would provide an update so maybe it will help somebody in the future.

I pulled the fuel pump assembly apart to try and put a piece of hose over the metal tube and clamp it down to try and isolate a crack, but when i put the pump back together and set it in the jet ski the pump sounded like it was running dry. I popped the rivets and pulled the bottom cap and noticed that the metal washer and rubber grommet were completely seized with gunk (im guessing that it's a check valve?). With a little force I was able to pop it out with a screwdriver and cleaned both real good. I put it all back together and the ski started right up and ran great.

I'm guessing with a full tank the fuel was able to splash over the top of the fuel pump assembly and keep the ski running, but once it hit a certain level it would run dry. I will know for sure this weekend if it did in fact fix the issue but i'm pretty confident that it did.