97 xp will not start (no power)

[hellakornhaus]

Hello everyone, I have been looking at this site for about a week now, and figured this is the place for me. Yes, I am a newbie and I will probably ask a couple “stupid” questions – and I apologize in advance. I have done plenty of searching on this site, and have already learned loads of helpful information.

I have a 1997 XP; it was given to me with trailer, for free. I have no idea how to work on boats or PWC’s… however, being that it was a FREE Sea Doo, I wasn’t about to pass it up. Anyway, here is the story the previous owner told me:

He was the second owner, and he said it ran perfectly when he purchased it from the original owner. The first day/time he took it out for a spin, a co-worker of his flipped it and the motor kept running and the engine sucked up some water. They got it to the shore, and tried turning it over – but all they got was it cranking… not turning over. Okay… this was nearly 2 or 3 years ago and the PWC has sat since this incident. The previous owner did take it to a shop, but they quoted him $5800 to fix the problem – and the problem wasn’t even mentioned. All he told the owner “I removed all of the water, and if you want further repairs it will cost you said amount to fix”. Seeing as the new owner wasn’t going to pay that, he put it in storage and forgot about it – until me.

I put a brand new battery in tonight, and I am getting absolutely power. I have normal voltage coming out of the battery, but the juice isn’t getting to the starter. I have the shop manual, and have tried sourcing the problem, but I have had no luck so far. I was HOPING someone here could give me a couple pointers or hints.

Any advice or caring words of wisdom you can provide would be awesome!

-Kornhaus

 

[bigler]

well the engine most likely is in bad shape if it sat for 3 years with water sucked in. you will for sure have to get a engine rebuild. wont cost anything close to $5800 like the guy said. most likely will be under a grand. electrical problems are pretty easy to fix if u have a multimeter. try to jump the starter relay with a screwdriver. the black box on the left side towards the front has two metal thingies sticking out. just put the screw driver across those posts and crank it. if the starter is getting power after u jump the relay, the starter relay is bad. you can most likely get the XP running but it will cost around a grand if the engine needs a rebuild.

 

[hellakornhaus]

bigler,

I tried what you said, and I can hear something turning over in the engine – not really sure how to explain it. I am still not getting power to the instrument panel or start button or VTS.

Does this mean my starter relay is bad?

I was thinking about replacing this entire section – the solenoid, relay, etc. – because there is a little bit of rust around all the bolts.

 

[seadoobutch787]

If the ski had water in it for 2-3 years than the motor is toast. The crank would have been rusted up by now. The starter will not be able to turn over a water logged motor. I would tear down the whole engine or you could spend 800 bucks and get an sbt motor which comes with a 1 year no fault warrenty and be done with it.

 

[hellakornhaus]

If the ski had water in it for 2-3 years than the motor is toast. The crank would have been rusted up by now. The starter will not be able to turn over a water logged motor. I would tear down the whole engine or you could spend 800 bucks and get an sbt motor which comes with a 1 year no fault warrenty and be done with it.

From my understanding, the mechanic removed all of the water before giving it back to the previous owner.

Before considering buying a new engine, I would like to cut everything else out of the equation!

 

[bigler]

yeah i would get an sbt engine. will be the cheapest rout. you or someone that knows engines will have to put it in thats all. but im afraid more then the engine is going to be bad. crank case could be rusted.

 

[seadoobutch787]

You could sell your ski and get a 96xp or 97-99spx, You will thank me later LOL...

 

[CrashMadness]

I dont think that you have a chance with that engine, but try this, remove the spark plugs and try to turn the engine by hand, if the engine turn over freely ,you may be a luky man. Then you will have to go thru all your electrical problems and dont forget to clean the carbs and fuel filter.

 

[bigler]

if it turns out you need a new starter relay, i have a brand new one ill sell you. i bought one for mine thinking it was the problem. so i have one sitting arround

 

[seadoosnipe]

2 beeps?

From my understanding, the mechanic removed all of the water before giving it back to the previous owner.

Before considering buying a new engine, I would like to cut everything else out of the equation!

I read thru this thread with great interest, since I remember being a "newbie" with my first 787cc engine.

From the beginning, you do not mention how many beeps you are getting when you put the lanyard cap on the DESS (digital electronic security system) post. With the lanyard cap put on the post, you should get 2 beeps if the MPEM (multi purpose electronic module) has picked up the ROM (read only memory) chip in your lanyard. You'll get one long beep if it doesn't. If you get nothing when you put the lanyard on the post, you will need to also open the electrical box and check your fuses. The 5 amp fuse to the MPEM is the most important one at this point.

Without the lanyard, you can push the start/stop button 5 times. When you do, you'll hear one long, one short beep. This is the advanced mode of testing the DESS system. Then, put the lanyard on it and push the start button again. If you get no more beeps, it should start.

I quoted above because that is what I picked up in your first post of this thread. It was taken to a dealer and they "supposedly" serviced it to remove the water. So, if they did their job correctly, they fogged it with lubricant to preserve the bearings.

I also agree with the member that suggests you remove the plugs and turn the engine over counter clockwise by hand. If you can do this and it's free, then you might be in luck to have a nice running ski.

The last thing I'd mention is the noise you heard when you tried to jump the starter. It sounds like your hearing the starter spin over, without engaging the flywheel. This will be caused by a weak battery, a bad starter or a bad bendix.

The first thing you need to do is get 2 beeps. Then, see if the motor will rotate by hand. When you get those two things, then you can work on the starter and bendix to see if you can get the motor to turn over and give you fire to your spark plugs, by grounding them out to the top of your cylinder head. Please look up top on the right hand side of the page for your personal messages. I just sent you one...:cheers:

 

[bigler]

yeah this could be quite a project but the fact that you got the ski for free makes it possible to turn out good for you either way. there could be a collection of electrical problems, fuel system problems and engine problems but if you learn how to troubleshoot all of this and fix the problems by yourself you will have a nice ski for very cheap

 

[seadoosnipe]

Agreed!

yeah this could be quite a project but the fact that you got the ski for free makes it possible to turn out good for you either way. there could be a collection of electrical problems, fuel system problems and engine problems but if you learn how to troubleshoot all of this and fix the problems by yourself you will have a nice ski for very cheap

I agree with that one!..... My first Seadoo was a 1996 Challenger with the 787cc, given free. It had sunk and was under for quite some time. I never got the boat running again. I instead, liked it so much, I bought one. I found a 1997 that was in immaculate condition. I used the motor in that sunken boat as my learning experience. The pix you see in my thread "a look inside the 787cc" actually is that motor.

Of course, now it seems I'm a moderator. It doesn't mean I know everything, but I guess it means I know something...........:rofl:

 

[hellakornhaus]

I dont think that you have a chance with that engine, but try this, remove the spark plugs and try to turn the engine by hand, if the engine turn over freely ,you may be a luky man. Then you will have to go thru all your electrical problems and dont forget to clean the carbs and fuel filter.

Okay, stupid question – but how do I spin the engine by had?

 

[hellakornhaus]

if it turns out you need a new starter relay, i have a brand new one ill sell you. i bought one for mine thinking it was the problem. so i have one sitting arround

How much would you sell it for?

 

[bigler]

$30 and i would cover shipping

 

[jackson09]

remove the wing nuts on the gray cover towards the back of the engine and expose the pto flywheel. with your spark plugs out and the wires on the grounding pegs, you should be able to spin the pto, moving the cylinders. if it doesnt spin freely by hand, your motor is froze up

 

[seadoosnipe]

One on One....

I have taken this thread up with the member as a one on one project. Just to update you all, he has spun the engine over by hand, there is water in it and he's now lubricating the inside to preserve it.

The MPEM is good, spark to the plugs. The magneto is in bad shape so for the moment, if he got it for free, spends a couple hundred on a magneto, then he's still got a great dea.

Since him and I are working one on one, I'm closing the thread. As progress is made, I will come in and update it so you can see what work is going on. I know many members didn't think it was worth it to try to get it going again, but with the shaft spinning over, which he had to remove the starter and clean the bendix, spark at the plug to prove the MPEM is working, I think he's excited to see if the "free" part of this deal is worth his time.

Stay tuned, I'll be sure to update frequently!..............:cheers: