Battery drain - 1998 GSX Limited

[coolhand86]

I have a 1998 Seadoo GSX Limited that is experiencing significant battery drain. I have searched the forums and tried many things, but I am at a loss on what to do next and could use some help please!

I acquired this ski a few months ago and had the carbs rebuilt (not time to do it myself). The shop told me the battery was dead, so I had them put in a new one. When I picked it up from the shop the next day, the battery was dead again. I charged it up and the ski started up fine and sounded good. I took it to the lake and rode fine for about 45 minutes to an hour (this thing is fast!). Then all of a sudden I lost most of the power and could only ride very slowly. If I pushed the throttle much, it would bog way down like it was about to die. I was close to the ramp and slowly made it back. Once back home, I found that the battery was dead again. I charged it up and unplugged the VTS and gauges from the MPEM. 3 days later, the battery was dead again! I charged up and unplugged the stator connector and there was no drain on the battery after 3 more days (checked with voltmeter). I plugged the stator connector back in to the MPEM and the next day the battery was down from 12.5V to around 11V.

I checked the continuity between the three yellow stator wires and received a reading of 0.1 ohms (or it may have been 0.0 ohms, if that is even possible??) on all wires (1-2, 1-3, 2-3). I checked each yellow wire to engine ground and the meter had an infinite reading, so the stator seems good. The battery voltage when charged up is between 12.2V and 12.5V. The battery voltage reads 13.4V when the ski is on and running half throttle, so the regulator seems good. I checked all the fuses and they are OK.

One other thing to note, I have never heard any beeps when putting the key on the post. Also, the info gauge does not power up and I am not sure if this is related (I purchased a new used info gauge and plugged it in, but it does not work either).

Any thoughts on where to look next?? Thank you!!

 

[POPPS]

1st, I would charge the battery to a full charge,, 12.7 V, then do a load test on the battery...this easily removes the battery from your diagnostic equation.
Then check that the stator and then regulator are charging your battery.

 

[Spank]

POPPS likely nails it and I am only pasting the below cuz I came across it while surfing these forums earlier this morning (while on self-imposed house arrest, ha-ha!). Maybe it’ll help anyone else!

1) Jet Ski Battery Won’t Stay Charged
If you find that your jet ski battery won’t stay charged then it’s a good chance something is draining it or the Stator has stopped charging. To check to see if the stator is bad is to take the jet ski out of the water and turn it on for a few seconds and test the voltage of the battery. The battery should be pushing close to 14-volts, if it’s not or hovers at or below 12 volts then something is wrong with the charging system.
Other things that will keep a battery from charging...
• Bad Rectifier
• Bad Grounds
• Sulfated Battery Plates from sitting too long or improper charging
• Bad Computer
• Wrong size battery
• Damage or corroded battery cables
• Blow Fuse
• Broken Gauge
• Broken Key
• Leaving the Key on when you’re not using it(happens often)
• Broken battery charger or not using a smart battery charger. (Amazon sells smart battery chargers here)
• Overcharging the battery. You want to stay under 2amps when charging a jet ski battery and use a smart charger so it doesn’t overcharge when the battery is full.

***Don't jump it with a battery pack. Make sure your battery is sound.**

2) Sum Up WHY Jet Ski Won’t Start (courtesy of SteveninSales.com)
• Why your jet ski won’t start can be a bad or weak battery, bad starter relay (solenoid), bad starter motor, or you sucked something up.
• 8/10 times a jet ski won’t start is due to a weak battery or bad starter relay (solenoid).
• In rare occasions, the key or other electronic parts could be the reason why your jet ski won’t start.
• If your jet ski clicks once when you hit the start button then it’s more than likely the starter relay (solenoid).
• If you have to press the start button multiple times or put the key on and off before the jet ski starts then it’s a bad starter relay (solenoid).
• If your jet ski clicks multiple times when you hit the start button then it’s a weak or dead battery.
• If you’ve put a new battery in your jet ski and it still won’t start then it could be that the new battery is dead and needs to be load tested.
• Never go off on what a voltmeter says but instead what a load tester says when checking if a battery is good or not. You can get load testers at many stores but most auto parts stores will have a load tester you can use for free.
• If your new battery load test fine and the watercraft still won’t start then it could be bad grounds or other electrical issues.

 

[coolhand86]

Thank you both for the tips. I have the battery hooked up to the charger now and will double check the battery load tomorrow. However, the ski starts right up and appears to be charging based on the voltage I’m getting when it runs (13.4V). I’ll report back on the load test. I’ll probably have to lake test it to recreate the symptoms since the ski runs fine for about an hour before it has issues.

 

[Spank]

Wishin’ you success!

 

[coolhand86]

Update: I charged the battery and it is sitting at 12.8 V. I have had the stator connected to the MPEM for 24 hrs and the battery is not draining (the VTS remains disconnected). I tested the yellow stator wires again and the readings I got were 0.9 ohms. I also tested the stator to ground and there was no issue there. I hope to lake test it this weekend. I’ll post another update after that.

 

[Ckrawiec]

I know you are focused on the battery draining problem, but the bogging is probably carb related. Did the shop use genuine Mikuni kits or aftermarket stuff? AM stuff is junk.

 

[coolhand86]

Update. I hooked up all connections to the MPEM a few days before the weekend and there was no battery drain. The only new thing I did was change out the info gauge, so maybe something was going on there. I lake tested the ski this weekend and it is super fast! I tested the battery after riding for an hour and it read 12.8V, so the battery drain issue appears to be solved.

However, it rode awesome for about 45 minutes, then it started bogging down when accelerating. Just a little at first, and you could feather the throttle to get past it. But it eventually got worse to where you couldn't really get past half throttle or so. I do not think it is a battery or charging issue since the stator, rectifier, and battery all test fine (but anything is possible).

Could it really be a carb issue? I do not understand how the ski can ride perfectly for 45 minutes and then all of a sudden start bogging. I have had this same issue twice now, where it rides fine for 45 minutes to an hour and then starts bogging. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Ckrawiec]

Update. I hooked up all connections to the MPEM a few days before the weekend and there was no battery drain. The only new thing I did was change out the info gauge, so maybe something was going on there. I lake tested the ski this weekend and it is super fast! I tested the battery after riding for an hour and it read 12.8V, so the battery drain issue appears to be solved.

However, it rode awesome for about 45 minutes, then it started bogging down when accelerating. Just a little at first, and you could feather the throttle to get past it. But it eventually got worse to where you couldn't really get past half throttle or so. I do not think it is a battery or charging issue since the stator, rectifier, and battery all test fine (but anything is possible).

Could it really be a carb issue? I do not understand how the ski can ride perfectly for 45 minutes and then all of a sudden start bogging. I have had this same issue twice now, where it rides fine for 45 minutes to an hour and then starts bogging. Any help is appreciated!

Yes, unfortunately...these old skis love to mess with your head. They can be running perfectly then all of a sudden, little by little the performance degrades and then the headaches start...sounds like your electrical issues are sorted out.....when the ski starts "bogging"...the majority of the time leads us into the carb(s)....they are so finicky......cleaning may help for a bit but a rebuild might be in order (using only genuine Mikuni parts)....everything else will waste your time.....follow the carb rebuild sticky to the letter, don't skip any steps and dollars to donuts you'll be back on the water again....good luck! Remember, while you are running you are sucking in fuel and any micro bits of debris can clog a carb port and then things start getting bad...pita!

 

[POPPS]

It wouldn't hurt to rule out your fuel pickup, and petcock, before you get into the carb.