Overheat light when cold / low 12 volt

[Oldboy23]

I have a '97 GSX that had a sbt engine installed in it last year. When I started the break in procedure this summer it ran fine for the first half hour. I parked it let it sit until it was completely cold. I took it out again for the second half hour of break in and it would just die on me. No beeps just dead. It would not restart for several minutes, I would wait a while and I would get an overheat light but no beeps. I will also get a low 12 volt light.

I have replaced the temperature sensor in the head. When I ground the wire from the temperature sensor with the ski running, it does not die or beep.

I can also attempt to start it on the hose and I will get a beep (single) and hi temp light (still cold has not run)

The battery is charged. It is at 12.5 volts sitting and goes to 13.4 when it is idling on the hose. I measured the resistance on the stator I get 1.3 on all three windings and no continuity to ground. The voltage is the same at the battery and the regulator. Looking at the regulator it looks like there are four burn marks on it. I do not get a/c voltage at the battery while the ski is running and it appears to be charging properly.

When the overheat light comes on I pull the seat and feel the engine and exhaust. The head is cold, the exhaust is cold the cylinder closest to the front of the ski is warmer than anything else, however I would not say that it is hot. I can hold my hand on it for quite a while with out any discomfort. I have replaced the beeper and it will beep twice when I install the lanyard. The pisser is working.

I can put the ski in diagnostic mode, I will get the loan and short beep to confirm diagnostic mode, but I do not get any codes when I then pull the lanyard and then hit the start button.

I apologize for the length of the post, I have checked the site, but I did not see any thing exactly like this. I really appreciate your help, I am at a loss. I thought about replacing the r/r but I don't want to keep throwing money at things that may not be the problem.

 

[Dr Honda]

Well......


If you are getting 13v when running... you are charging. And if you can physically put your hand on the engine... then you aren't overheated.

It sounds like you have an electrical issue going up to the controls. I would check around the wires, where they come into the steering stem. You may find broken/chafed wires.

 

[- BiRkS_]

Also check the MPEM connections

 

[Oldboy23]

I pulled the steering stem off and the beeper wires were smashed under it. I peeled the insulation and the wire is in tact, no broken strands. I opened all the connections and blew them out with air, same thing with the mpem connections. I did not see any missing, broken or frayed wires. I also checked for corrosion but did not see any. I tested the voltage again at the battery and it is the same story 12.5 resting and in to the 13's running. This ski has only 42 hours on it and it is in pretty good shape. On a whim, I have included a picture of the regulator. It looks to me like there are four burned resistors. I don't know if this could cause an intermitent problem or if it is only good or bad. When the ski was running I was getting .057 vac at the battery. I don't know if this is normal, meter error (I have a decent fluke) or a potential problem. I thought that I read that if it was a rectifier it would have a higher a/c voltage. I am at a loss and your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[- BiRkS_]

Did you check the joint where the wires from the hood go through the hull? Possibly some chaffing there. Other than that i would look for a bad ground or possibly melted wiring near the exhaust?

 

[Oldboy23]

I did check at the hood, that is where I found the pinched beeper wires. I went through all of the wiring on the ski, everything is in good shape. I did not see any melted wires or loom. Everything was wire tied up and out of the way of heat sources. The thing that I just cant get my head around is that the ski runs great until it doesn't. It runs fine then just shuts off, no warning, no beep nothing. That Is why I keep coming back to the regulator/rectifier. Is it possible that it works fine for a while then has problems once it heats up? Does the ski store codes so that it shuts it down with a stored code (when I am trying to start it and it says overheat when it hasn't run yet)?