As someone that has changed no less than 200 starters on all machines, I developed a process that just worked time and time again without getting frustrated or losing fasteners. I know many newbies literally give up on this job or tear down more than needed to do the job. This might seem ridiculous, but I have seen many newbies spend hours trying to do this job, while losing tools and fasteners, spending a lot of time retrieving them. It is never a bad idea to have a spare 8mm starter fastener around to complete the job if needed.
This applies to all machines 95 or older except for XP800 in 95 and anything not 787/951 through 97 (We had 98 GSXLs in 97)
Tools:
10mm wrench or small ratchet combo
13mm wrench
13mm socket (short worked better)
Wobbly extension measuring at least 14 inches.
Ratchet
Electrical tape
Loctite (I use it on all mounting bolts)
Small amount of adhesive to stick gasket to starter.
Procedure:
This assumes the tech is working from the starboard side of the SeaDoo, opposite the side of the starter.
Disconnect battery.
blindly remove rubber hood from power cable to the side of the starter and nylock 10mm nut.
With small amount of electrical tape, wrap the socket to the Wobbly extension, this will allow the extension to wobble still and keep the socket attached to the extension.
navigate the extension under the starter, you can do it without looking by bringing it in at the back of the engine until you feel the socket cover the head of the bottom starter bolt.
once attached, hold it in place while you attach the ratchet and loosen the fastener until you can turn the extension with your fingers.
once completely loose, carefully pull the extension aft, with the socket end slightly angled up, this will keep the bolt seated in the socket as you remove it.
now go for the top bolt. This is the only one you can see and also happens to be the ground. After bringing the extension/socket combo from the back with left hand, you can attach it to the top bolt easily by guiding it with your right hand. Attach ratchet if you didn't do it prior and loosen with your left hand while keeping your right hand available to obtain the fastener and the ground cable through the small opening up front.
While supporting the front of the starter with right hand by keeping pressure on top hole, remove the mounting bolt that holds it to the side of the engine case. This will allow you to remove it with your left fingers and not having it bind up as the starter tries to drop.
now remove the starter from the rear of the engine.
Now that you are ready to install your new or repaired starter, use a few spots of adhesive to stick the gasket to the starter. This will keep the gasket aligned and in place while installing it.
Install the starter from the rear with left hand, as you see it seated in the housing correctly (some of the older ones had a 3rd hole that you do not use) hold it in place from the front with pressure while finger tightening the starter bracket to the case. If needed, use a 13mm wrench to just tighten it enough to hold the starter in place allowing little movement, but enough to jiggle the starter if needed.
Now you can put the top bolt in the socket, but with electrical tape, just barely wrap the bolt head in the socket so that the tape can hold it in, but that you can pull the extension and socket away without having the socket separate from the extension. Install that assembly from the rear with left hand and with your right hand, have the ground cable in place so you can pick it up with the bolt as you install it into the top hole. Tighten the extension by hand a few turns, then remove the extension/socket combo, leaving the top starter bolt in place.
Repeat the electrical tape process for the extension/socket combo, again with the tape just barely catching the washer/bolt head.
Install the bottom fastener from the rear, using the bottom of the starter as a guide to navigate the bolt into the bottom starter hole. You can do it, just be patient and start the fastener until it is in enough to stay, removing the extension/socket combo, then the tape.
Remove the electrical tape used to hold the bolt in and re-insert the combo in either the top or bottom starter bolt and torque accordingly.
Tighten the remaining starter fastener.
Tighten the bolt for the bracket-case.
Blindly install the power wire.
The End.
Now reading it, this seems like a bunch of steps, but this process takes 10-15 minutes and I just did one on a 94 SPi in under 10 minutes after not changing one since 1997. The tape is just a time saver, preventing the dropping of tools/bolts. This is really meant for the first timer who hasn't done this job. After a few times, you can literally do it with your eyes closed, because let's face it, you can't see anything anyways.
This applies to all machines 95 or older except for XP800 in 95 and anything not 787/951 through 97 (We had 98 GSXLs in 97)
Tools:
10mm wrench or small ratchet combo
13mm wrench
13mm socket (short worked better)
Wobbly extension measuring at least 14 inches.
Ratchet
Electrical tape
Loctite (I use it on all mounting bolts)
Small amount of adhesive to stick gasket to starter.
Procedure:
This assumes the tech is working from the starboard side of the SeaDoo, opposite the side of the starter.
Disconnect battery.
blindly remove rubber hood from power cable to the side of the starter and nylock 10mm nut.
With small amount of electrical tape, wrap the socket to the Wobbly extension, this will allow the extension to wobble still and keep the socket attached to the extension.
navigate the extension under the starter, you can do it without looking by bringing it in at the back of the engine until you feel the socket cover the head of the bottom starter bolt.
once attached, hold it in place while you attach the ratchet and loosen the fastener until you can turn the extension with your fingers.
once completely loose, carefully pull the extension aft, with the socket end slightly angled up, this will keep the bolt seated in the socket as you remove it.
now go for the top bolt. This is the only one you can see and also happens to be the ground. After bringing the extension/socket combo from the back with left hand, you can attach it to the top bolt easily by guiding it with your right hand. Attach ratchet if you didn't do it prior and loosen with your left hand while keeping your right hand available to obtain the fastener and the ground cable through the small opening up front.
While supporting the front of the starter with right hand by keeping pressure on top hole, remove the mounting bolt that holds it to the side of the engine case. This will allow you to remove it with your left fingers and not having it bind up as the starter tries to drop.
now remove the starter from the rear of the engine.
Now that you are ready to install your new or repaired starter, use a few spots of adhesive to stick the gasket to the starter. This will keep the gasket aligned and in place while installing it.
Install the starter from the rear with left hand, as you see it seated in the housing correctly (some of the older ones had a 3rd hole that you do not use) hold it in place from the front with pressure while finger tightening the starter bracket to the case. If needed, use a 13mm wrench to just tighten it enough to hold the starter in place allowing little movement, but enough to jiggle the starter if needed.
Now you can put the top bolt in the socket, but with electrical tape, just barely wrap the bolt head in the socket so that the tape can hold it in, but that you can pull the extension and socket away without having the socket separate from the extension. Install that assembly from the rear with left hand and with your right hand, have the ground cable in place so you can pick it up with the bolt as you install it into the top hole. Tighten the extension by hand a few turns, then remove the extension/socket combo, leaving the top starter bolt in place.
Repeat the electrical tape process for the extension/socket combo, again with the tape just barely catching the washer/bolt head.
Install the bottom fastener from the rear, using the bottom of the starter as a guide to navigate the bolt into the bottom starter hole. You can do it, just be patient and start the fastener until it is in enough to stay, removing the extension/socket combo, then the tape.
Remove the electrical tape used to hold the bolt in and re-insert the combo in either the top or bottom starter bolt and torque accordingly.
Tighten the remaining starter fastener.
Tighten the bolt for the bracket-case.
Blindly install the power wire.
The End.
Now reading it, this seems like a bunch of steps, but this process takes 10-15 minutes and I just did one on a 94 SPi in under 10 minutes after not changing one since 1997. The tape is just a time saver, preventing the dropping of tools/bolts. This is really meant for the first timer who hasn't done this job. After a few times, you can literally do it with your eyes closed, because let's face it, you can't see anything anyways.
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