2004 Sea Doo GTI LE electrical issues

[Tysonmatc]

I just picked up two 2004 Sea Doo GTI LE's and one runs great, the other has an electrical issue. The last time they fixed it I was told they replaced the stator and it ran for 5 or 6 days and then died again. Also the fuse to the battery is blown. Any advice on where to start to diagnose this? Thanks much!

 

[Coastiejoe]

Anytime you have a blown fuse, one issue that seems to be able to affect all aspects of the ski is the VTS. Unplug it and see what happens. A compression test is advisable as well. This will tell us where your base engine is.

 

[Tysonmatc]

Thanks Joe, what is the VTS? I do have a compression tester and will throw a new fuse in there and see if I can get a compression test done this afternoon.

 

[Tysonmatc]

I am new to Jet Skis but one thing I was wondering is if the stator could possibly be overcharging the battery causing the fuse to blow?

 

[Coastiejoe]

I am new to Jet Skis but one thing I was wondering is if the stator could possibly be overcharging the battery causing the fuse to blow?

It is possible but not common. If you want to eliminate the charging potential, simply unplug the rectifier. This will eliminate any charging at all. It is a free and easy thing to do as far as tests go.

VTS is Variable Trim System. Not all skis have it. If yours does, there will be two buttons on the handle bars with an arrow facing up and the other facing down. You will also have a gauge indicator on the dash. It would show you where the VTS is.

 

[Tysonmatc]

Ahhhh ok, that is a no on the VTS, mine do not have that. I thought that I had read somewhere that you can test the MPEM as well? If I knew it would fix it I would just order a new stator and MPEM and throw them in it to save time, but I hate to spend $225 on those two things and then end up frying them because it was something else.....

 

[Tysonmatc]

Ahhhh ok, that is a no on the VTS, mine do not have that. I thought that I had read somewhere that you can test the MPEM as well? If I knew it would fix it I would just order a new stator and MPEM and throw them in it to save time, but I hate to spend $225 on those two things and then end up frying them because it was something else.....

 

[Coastiejoe]

You can do some basic but important tests to the MPEM. [MENTION=41828]Minnetonka4me[/MENTION] can throw that info at you. He can test them, program keys for you, and has many used parts if you need any.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Yeah I can put it on my bench and check it to make sure it doesnt blow the fuse. I have a feeling though that motor is coming apart, and the dealer ignored the real problem. Pull the front cover off and try to move the flywheel in any direction. If it moves the crank bearings are bad and it wrecked the stator again.

 

[Tysonmatc]

I will start with pulling the cover for the stator and checking the wiggle room on the crank bearings, although I don't know what is wrong with the machine, I was just told that they had replaced the stator themselves because it had died on them, think they may have done the MPEM as well, going to find out for sure tonight. Anything else I should look for while that cover is off, is there any way to test the stator?

 

[Coastiejoe]

And this is why I ping others when I can't answer the question... Thanks Minne..

 

[Tysonmatc]

Thank you both big time for the help and info! I broke down and called the previous owner, very nice straight up people that I bought them from, and I bought them knowing the one was broke as well. He told me that they had replaced the MPEM twice in the machine and it worked for a while and then died, he said they replaced the stator the second time. So now I guess the question adverts to what would cause an MPEM to fry? Previous owner said the last time it happened they were in the middle of the lake doing 40MPH and it just killed, they took the MPEM from the good jet ski and plugged it into the bad one and it fired up, but they didn't want to risk frying that MPEM as well so it then sat and they used the one good ski.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Poor grounds (and poor connections in general) are one of the most common issues. As a result, when you get a poor ground or connection, it SERIOUSLY affects the electronics of the ski. If it were mine and I knew it had some sort of MPEM issues, I would run two or three extra ground wires. I would also remove and replace the main battery cables (positive and grounds). You can buy generic cables from any auto parts store and we have a member that builds high quality (and I think braided) cables. They are not cheap, but they are good...

 

[Tysonmatc]

Found the problem... I will have to wait until I get home from camping to get the flywheel off and see if there's play in the crank shaft or if the stator just came apart, can that happen.....?

 

[Tysonmatc]

Tried posting a pic but not working from phone, pulled the cover off and metal shavings from stator in the bottom all bound up in the flywheel.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

does it have a black starter? Cheap chinese starter strikes again...?

 

[Tysonmatc]

The starter is fine, I need a stator. A screw came out of the stator while it was running it looks like and chewed up the flywheel and gouged up the stator plate.