New boat (to me), New Problems!

[gravitydrno]

1996 Speedster

Test drove the boat and the portside motor was a little touchy starting but she cranked and the boat ran well.

Got it home and was going through the boat and decided to crank the motors, starboard side went well but the port side would do nothing. Popped the cover and began looking around and found a bare wire going into the top of the front of the port motor in a wiring harness that has four wires:
yellow
yellow/black
black/red
bare

looking at the port motor it appears this wire should be the black.

Any thoughts on what would be the case of this wire overheating to the point of burning the insulation off?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[seadoosnipe]

Magneto...?

I believe this is the ground wire for your magneto. Does this wire go into the front of the motor with a plug connection. I don't have my wiring schematic for it at my disposal at the moment but the yellow wires are usually a part of the magneto charging circuit.

 

[gravitydrno]

Looking at the wiring diagram it is indeed the ground for the ignition coil.

Yes it leaves a harness connection on the front of the motor and enters top front (I believe this is the magneto case??).

My question was to find a possible cause for this wire to heat to the point of melting the insulation completly off leaving the copper exposed which coincidently was connected long enough for the seller to show both motors running ( rather well I might add with exception for a little excess smoke) then broke causing no fire on the port side engine.

Being an electrician I understand that a loose connection will cause overheating in a wire but wondered if anyone had experienced this before and it possibly being a somewhat common symptom found in a Doo.

First jet boat and first time trying to work on them myself, my ski I always to a friend who owned a ski mod and repair business.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Wire melt?...

Then, as an electrcian, you understand the importance of ground. Does it look like the gage of the wire has been changed to a smaller gage wire? Have you tested the battery while the engine is running to see what kind of charge it is getting? You might have a faulty rectifier/regulator. Last, grounded stator. If your stator is grounded, you will melt the ground.

There is suppose to be a fuse in between that will blow before that wire melts, unless they changed the wire gage to a smaller one......

 

[gravitydrno]

Doesn't appear to have been messed with, looks factory. Engine wouldn't run once the wire broke and it melted into the connector so I figured something real serious and decided to just take it in and have not only that but the entire boat gone through. So, boat is in the shop and I should get it back in a week or so (many other problems as well I found out!) I should be able to get answers from the mechanic he seemed very knowlegable on these boats even owns one himself.