2008 GTI 130 turns over hard, sometimes doesnt start

[Matt calverase]

I have 2 '08 GTI 130s that are new to me this year. They're in good shape with about 175 hr on each. The previous owner put new NAPA Legend Glass mat batteries in them last summer(400CCA). Both machines labor to turn over, but one more than the other one. Last week the other one just barely started, and did not restart after it was shut off. I don't have much in the way of diagnostic or testing equipment at camp, so I put it on a 10a charger and after a bit it started. In the morning I got my hands on a volt meter and it read 12.8, but I didn't have a load tester, and I just figured was falling on its face when a load was applied, so I just went to NAPA and bought a new one. This did not fix a thing! Any one have any idea what could make this start so hard? There are no lights on when its running and it runs great!

 

[jonniex5]

Matt,
I have a 2009 130 GTI SE and it does the same thing, the first push of the start button it seems the starter is working hard because of the engine compression when it starts to crank.
But after that it cranks and starts.
I was wondering if the starter was going bad.
Looking forward to others input.

 

[skiasylum]

Check all your ground and power cables and for corrosion. It can hide under insulation. All the cables should have the same voltage as the battery. If there is a drop in voltage corrosion.

 

[nfdmedic]

1.Charge the battery and take a volt reading on the battery. Let the ski sit for a few days and read the volts again. If you have a drop, the ski is probably slowly draining the battery. This can be caused by the regulator. Low volts when trying to start can cause the ski not to crank or slow crank and no start
2. check the battery voltage while the ski is running. It should be 13.5 up to about 15v. if it is charging above 15v then more likely a regulator if it is lower than your reading on the battery before starting you may have stator issue that needs replaced or a blown fuse form the regulator line.
Just a place to start that are the more likely areas. If you have a copy of the repair manual it lists several thing to check.

 

[Milehighguy303]

My 2007 GTI SE 155 ski was turning over rather slow, but starting. It would crank once, pause a second, scrank more, but sort of slowly, then start after a couple more seconds of cranking. I replaced the starter relay last year, and no significant change. I Would charge my battery every time I went out, and by the end of the day I was getting a low voltage warning. Made sure my battery cables looked good and were tight everywhere, and I thought it got better for a few months, but not really. I thought maybe my charging system wasn’t working 100%. I took it to the dealer and they said I had high resistance in the starter. About $750 later, I have a new starter and my ski turns over fast and starts easily and quickly.

 

[jonniex5]

Follow up,
Finally had some time to work on this, last time out was getting and intermittent loud beep at all different times, nothing on the gauge. speed, throttle position, water conditions did not matter. No change in performance.
I tested Stator perfect , and Regulator (new 4 hrs ago) also good.
Followed the ground wire from the battery to where it is bolted to the engine, nut was finger tight at best, cleaned and re-tightened, fires right up and will take it for a ride this weekend to see if that was causing the beep also.