Ed Clark
Active Member
So, a friend's TRIXX began randomly shutting down. The shutdowns rapidly got more frequent to the point that it would restart, run a couple of seconds then die. It was noticed that when the electrics would shut down, the information gauge would immediately go blank. This is not consistent with any type of normal shutdown. Also, there never appeared a fault message which indicates that this was not a defined sensor problem. The best I could conjure was the old "periodic electrical connection" answer. But where? I didn't want to just tear the turtle top off and go looking around for a loose wire as that rarely results in a satisfactory result. Also, I was convinced the problem was somewhere between the handlebar electrical package and the main harness. A lot of that stuff can be assessed without tearing the turtle top off.
After a lot of pouring over the wiring diagram and checking this and that with a VOM, I developed the working theory that there was one very likely point that could fail which would explain all the symptoms. To fast forward it turned out to be the system relay in the fuse box was in an accelerating failure mode. What I mean is that when the ECM would instruct the relay to come on, it would do so but rapidly heat up or whatever and open the connection.
I overthought the problem a bit at first by assuming a relay would normally either work or it wouldn't. Not always so. They can also intermittently work then not as they are on the way to the happy hunting grounds.
Anyway, Seadoo specified an industry standard relay for this application that was readily available from Amazon to the tune of $15 for a pair of them. Received same the day I ordered. Ran out in my house shoes and plugged it in and, voila!, apparent success. Next day it went to the lake and ran like a new one so looks like this one is whipped.
First thing to do on an electrical issue is to check the fuse box and battery connections and so on. This was done. Usually one doesn't think about the relay but just keep it in mind as a potential bad actor. Also, the ECM commands the relay to close and conduct current. I knew this from the wiring diagram but kept it under my hat in case the relay wasn't the root cause. However, in my wildest dreams I did not expect the ECM was at fault, unless via a faulty wire connection or some such thing. There's been way too may ECMs replaced willy nilly and at great cost with, sadly, no joy. One man's opinion only.
Moral to the story: don't forget about the relay when chasing electrical gremlins.
After a lot of pouring over the wiring diagram and checking this and that with a VOM, I developed the working theory that there was one very likely point that could fail which would explain all the symptoms. To fast forward it turned out to be the system relay in the fuse box was in an accelerating failure mode. What I mean is that when the ECM would instruct the relay to come on, it would do so but rapidly heat up or whatever and open the connection.
I overthought the problem a bit at first by assuming a relay would normally either work or it wouldn't. Not always so. They can also intermittently work then not as they are on the way to the happy hunting grounds.
Anyway, Seadoo specified an industry standard relay for this application that was readily available from Amazon to the tune of $15 for a pair of them. Received same the day I ordered. Ran out in my house shoes and plugged it in and, voila!, apparent success. Next day it went to the lake and ran like a new one so looks like this one is whipped.
First thing to do on an electrical issue is to check the fuse box and battery connections and so on. This was done. Usually one doesn't think about the relay but just keep it in mind as a potential bad actor. Also, the ECM commands the relay to close and conduct current. I knew this from the wiring diagram but kept it under my hat in case the relay wasn't the root cause. However, in my wildest dreams I did not expect the ECM was at fault, unless via a faulty wire connection or some such thing. There's been way too may ECMs replaced willy nilly and at great cost with, sadly, no joy. One man's opinion only.
Moral to the story: don't forget about the relay when chasing electrical gremlins.
