95 XP Issues

[neonnanz]

I picked up a 95 XP project a few weeks ago and I've been collecting parts in hopes of getting it running for the next season. Today, I put in the new battery I picked up from Amazon ( link ) and it did not end well. I put the battery in after wire brushing the terminals to make sure they're fairly clean I then screwed them down tightly and put in the key to try to start it. Problem number one is that the starter can not spin the motor very fast when the plugs are in but it has no issues when the plugs are out, and problem two is that after cranking the starter about 5 times total there was slight smoke coming from the ground on the battery and I come to find out it has melted the metal terminal on my brand new battery. Why is this happening all help is appreciated.

I have checked to see if the ground is loose and it is not. I did some research and I'm seeing it can possibly be a bad ground wire. I am unsure, but if it is that where can I buy a brand new one and not a used piece of junk on ebay.

I also have looked through the motor. It spins completely freely and has good compression. I'm unsure as to why the starter can not spin it with the plugs in. Possibly a bad starter.

 

[TwoSmoker]

Sounds like you are putting a heavy load on a weak starter. Would order a starter rebuild kit from OSD marine, rebuild the starter, top off the charge on the battery and try again. Had a similar issue, and that fixed the problem.

 

[mikidymac]

Bad connections cause high resistance and heat.
It is a good idea to put in new starter brushes but I would also be looking at your battery cables as they corrode from the inside out.

 

[neonnanz]

Bad connections cause high resistance and heat.
It is a good idea to put in new starter brushes but I would also be looking at your battery cables as they corrode from the inside out.

Where can I purchase new battery cables that are not used like ebay?

 

[neonnanz]

Sounds like you are putting a heavy load on a weak starter. Would order a starter rebuild kit from OSD marine, rebuild the starter, top off the charge on the battery and try again. Had a similar issue, and that fixed the problem.

Will do, thank you!

 

[mikidymac]

Westside Powersports Seadoo has either good used ones or new custom made ones.

 

[emspjay]

You can make your own new ones. I had to make some custom ones for one of my old boats and I think I got everything from this website below. Order cable by the foot and then buy the terminals and assemble them your self.
https://www.bestboatwire.com/collections/marine-battery-cable

 

[neonnanz]

Update:
I wire brushed my terminals to remove the corrosion and now it gets power fine. As far as the trouble cranking over goes, I think that may be a larger issue. When the plugs are out, one of the cylinders shoots out a mist of oil everywhere leading me to think a crank seal is bad. I am unsure where to go from here. Should I pull the motor and rebuild it or is there a simpler way to get it running well again? Keep in mind I am unsure how long it has sat but I know it has not been very long and it was used this past season.

 

[mikidymac]

You need to get that oil out by continuing to crank and put your thumb over the hole to build some pressure.
Give the battery and starter time to rest between cranking.

When you don't get anymore oil out reinstall the plugs and it will cough then pull the plugs and crank some more and clean the oil off of the plug. It takes forever but eventually it will sputter to life.

 

[neonnanz]

You need to get that oil out by continuing to crank and put your thumb over the hole to build some pressure.
Give the battery and starter time to rest between cranking.

When you don't get anymore oil out reinstall the plugs and it will cough then pull the plugs and crank some more and clean the oil off of the plug. It takes forever but eventually it will sputter to life.

After this process if I get it running, will this be continuous throughout the season? Like if I let it sit again for a couple weeks or so will it just keep filling up with oil? If so, is there a fix other than rebuilding the whole motor over two seals.

 

[mikidymac]

It's hard to say..... I have seen them leak when the oil tank was overfilled and the check valve plugged.
I have also seen them leak only over a few months and I have seen them leak in a couple days.
If it is a slow leak some people put a ball valve on the lines going to the rotary cavity and wrap the lanyard around them so you don't forget to turn them back on.

If it was me I would get it running then test every few days to see how bad your leak is before changing out the crank.

 

[neonnanz]

I tried today. I got it to the point where there was no more oil coming out of the cylinders and even with a fully charged known good battery I can not get it to crank fast with the plugs in.

 

[mikidymac]

I had a similar situation on my cousin's GSX last summer. Engine had oil in it and once we got all the oil out it would turn over but as soon as you let off the start button it wouldn't turn over again. We had to pull the plugs each time and crank it over again with our thumbs over the plug holes to blow out a little more oil each time. Finally after doing this about 10 times it started to sputter to life.

My point is when you think all the oil is out, it isn't. All the oil will not be out until you actually get it running.

 

[neonnanz]

After doing some research and looking at other 717s that have had bad crank seals I am now convinced mine are ok. When cranking, I did not get as much oil as expected and it only came out of one cylinder. I got an oil mist for less than 20 cranks and was the end of it. Even after sitting a few days, no more oil. Could it possibly still be bad or should I move on to replacing the starter?

 

[TwoSmoker]

I would move on to the starter if it were me. Sometimes, I have heard, you get lucky and they reseal after sitting once you turn them over or run the motor and heat them up a bit. Sounds like you may get lucky, perhaps go with the ball valve set up mentioned above and enjoy the ski!

 

[neonnanz]

Update:
The crank seals are confirmed to be good. I got it started today. The issue was that the choke cable was disconnected from one carb and that also was part of why it wouldn't turn with both plugs in. Once I got the carbs choked and turned it over I got it running for a few seconds then cut it off. The carbs are a sticky mess and need a deep clean and rebuild. As I went to go remove the carbs though of course, I have now stripped 3 out of 4 of the 5mm hex bolts holding the carbs on the block. I am unsure of what to do about this.

 

[TwoSmoker]

You can hit up Ebay for a replacement cover with good threads, or you can use helicoils (thread inserts) to replace the damaged threads. I swear we are working on the same ski, took the carbs off my motor and found the PO had stripped one of the holes as well which explained my vacuum leak...

 

[neonnanz]

You can hit up Ebay for a replacement cover with good threads, or you can use helicoils (thread inserts) to replace the damaged threads. I swear we are working on the same ski, took the carbs off my motor and found the PO had stripped one of the holes as well which explained my vacuum leak...

Thank you for the advice! Yeah, it seems like most issues on these skis are common on all of them that have sat for a bit. Once running though they ran like a champ!