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please help 98 seadoo spx not starting

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mmhyson

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hello everyone i am new to this forum as of today. my name is mike and i am in the process of purchasing my first used seadoo. the owner told me the ski isnt starting due to a bad starter soleniod relay. i herd the ski turn over and try to start and it blew a 7.5 amp fuse. the guy selling the ski seems like a good guy. but im leary any help on this would be much greatly appreciated. it was defiantly appearent this guy took incredible care of his stuff.
 
Well if the engine turned over its not the solenoid. But maybe the solenoid fuse is blowing because the solenoid is drawing too much current? Maybe. Try jumping the solenoid with a screwdriver or pair of pliers to see if the engine will start.
Good luck. I have a '95 SPX myself working on fixin it up, although now running.
 
Need to look at your electrical schematic to be sure. My '95 SPX has a 5A fuse in the EM. I don't see any fuse in the YL-R wire to the solenoid so am unsure re your 7.5 A. It may be internal to the Electronic Module. Thats a $140 item.
Maybe someone else with more intimite knowledge will chime in.
 
im not 100% its a 7 amp fuse thats just what i thought the owner said it was. he told me we has 90% sure it needed a starter soleniod relay. what does this relay do?
 
Just like a car, the solenoid is a relay controlled switch. It has high current contacts which connect the red wire from the battery directly to the red wire to the starter when you push the start button. Someimes the solenoid goes bad, and doesn't operate to make the connection. That's why I suggested jumping across the solenoid to bypass it. If it then starts usually the solenoid is bad.
The solenoid is located in the electrical box on the port(left) side. It is a little difficult to get out, after unsnapping the holding clip. And then, after pulling it out on top of engine, unsnapping the box top holding clips. Sometimes the seals aren't tight and water gets inside causing problems.
 
ok i was wrong........... the seller had bypassed the soleniod to get it to crank over but it kept blowing the 7 amp fuse so it wouldnt start up. does this help anything. he was telling me a lot of stuff runs throgh the soleniod an that fuse
 
There is a very good chance the MPEM in the electric box has a failure. Symptom is continued blowing of the 5A fuse. Replacement cost about $140 or maybe can get the internal diode repaired by a guy who follows this forum. Do a search for MPEM repair. I think the doo you are looking at has a 7.5A fuse only in the VTS circuit, but you need to look at the electric diagram.
If you are looking at an otherwise clean doo, and get a good discount it probably can be repaired Ok, but costs go high if you don't DIY for the labor.
 
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Another thought. You have to be careful if jump starting these engines. NEVER jump from a running vehicle or it may do exactly as I described above...blow the MPEM.
 
it is the 7.5 amp fuse. im getting a good deal on the do. im gonna check compression tomarro and if it has good compression then ill buy it. im very mechanically inclined just never worked on a jet ski before.
 
the 7.5amp fuse, if its in the right location, is for the vts system. If by chance, in the spot, where the 5amp fuse goes, then your mpem is toast. check out the mpem, look at where the fuses are, and the size that goes there, should be labeled on the mpem.

If fuses on mpem is good, and 7.5amp is pop'n, disconnect the plugs at thew vts..(located in back of ski). Pull a sparkplug out, lay on head, and hit start button, see if theres spark. But if he's bypassing the solenoid/relay, then yup, need new relay as well.
 
great the guy was 90 % sure it was the sloeniod relay. and i know it was blowing the 7.5 amp fuse. and yes he was puting a screw driver bypassing the soleniod which was poping the vts 7.5 amp fuse. i'll let you guys know wensday when i go there an put the new soleniod in. it was only 40 bucks from the dealer
 
ok so it wasnt the stater soleniod relay it ended up being the vts motor which was blowing the 7.5 amp fuse and causeing the ski to not start
 
Sorry i didn't mention the VTS fuse as being the only 7.5A fuse in later models. I am unsure w/o the elecrical why the engine won't start with it blown but not surprised the way these MPEM's control everything.. My '95 uses a 15A which never blew. I spent many days on my VTS to get it working. The motor was OK. But yours may be down in the bilge where it got wet. Maybe the best thing is to disconect it, put it in mid position and forget it. But you still have to ensure it doesn't blow fuse, hopefully it won't after you disco it. Otherwise look into replacing motor and fixing seals via searching on this website for other help.
 
ok sop i got ski to start right up its pertfect. now when it is in the water it has absolutly no balls. i replaeced the fuel filter which was gross. but it just doesnt want to go fast or have any pick up. the compression is perfect any seguestions?
 
If your fuel filter (external) is gunked up, just think what the internal filter in the carb is like. You probably need to clean out the whole fuel system and replace the fuel lines. Search this forum for fuel problems, surging, etc.... help yourself.
 
where is the internal fuel filters i have the carbs off now and they look super clean where the flaps are. i still have them hooked up to the fuel lines i dont want to forget how they were hooked up. also i notice my wear ring is shot and missing sections what would problems would that cause.
 
Mike, I assume you mean "flaps" where the big intake connected to the air is, that is not where you need to look. Unscrew the screws holding the fuel pump ( side where the fuel ines attach). Carefully open it up and you'll see the diaphragm, etc. look for a round 1/2" opening with a fuel filter in it. Carefully take it out with a pair of needle nose pliers. It'll probably be gunked up pretty bad. Clean it carefully with carb cleaner, gently blow it out, and replace it. Then close up the carb. Since you have two carbs, do it twice. And fix the source problem by replacing all the fuel lines and clean out your gas tank, and maybe your fuel switch. There is a good sticky on this subject ... look for it using Search. I do not want to repeat stuff already covered elsewhere.
Also re wear ring, any out of spec clearance ( .004 in) causes loss of power transferred to making you go. Chips in the impeller from rocks or sand, or just wear on the ring cause same problem. It'll still run but not as fast as if it was designed. Again, search for "wear ring" for help. And you maybe should join as Premium Member and down load the Service Manual.
 
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ok sweet i found the internal filters in the carbs they were discolored and had debris in them. does it take much for them to rob the fuel supply? also everything under my seat is r&d name brand stuff i dont know what that means is it cheap replacemnt stuff rather then bombedier stuff. on my ski i dont have a choke i have a prime button and the lines for that were all cracked and falling off could that cause anything? ill replace them tomarro. i also changed the jet pump oil. the diafram looking thing looked fine. its going in the water thrusday i hope it has some balls
 
I don't know about the R&D brand. The original fuel lines were gray. The inner rubber disintegrates, over time. Anything over 5 years is suspect. It may be caused by the ethanol in our gas or just old age. I boughta fuel additive called Gas Shock at my ATV dealer yesterday which is supposed to fix the ethanol problem and stabilize the fuel. There are other stabilizers recommended too, like Mobil Stabil.
Also remember to check/clean out your fuel tank too.
I am curious about the "prime" button in place of a choke.
Hope your SPX runs well today.
 
well i had it in the water and nothing i did fixed anything. it doesnt want to rev up it does alil but it sounds shitty. i dont know. maybe ill try new fuel lines i just thought the stuff i did would have mad some kind of difference
 
I agree, it should of made a difference, if the fuel was a problem. Either there is some blockage in the fuel or some other problem. For now, is ther any other part of the fuel system not addressed? How about the fuel switch and the screen at the bottom of the baffle.? These are less likely but are possible.
Then what else? Maybe the charging circuit is faulty, causing high AC voltage to interrupt the CDI when RPM's increase? This has been reported. Search around on the forum and try to learn from previous discussions. A a newbie myself I am running out of ideas
Hopefully an expert can come to your aid.
 
check your battery, make sure its not crossed out inside. I ran into this problem when I overcharged a battery, it kept blowing my fuse.
 
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