please help a newbie! 95 spx shut off wont start

[twentythreemx]

Hi, I did some searching but all of the info is overwhelming..

I know absolutely NOTHING about the machine. I just got it over the weekend, 95 SPX. It ran great saturday morning for about 10 min while I tested it. Took it out monday evening and it ran great. Last night I ran it for about an hour and it just shut off. It did not slowly die, or run poor then die. It just shut off...

My guess would be electrical as it did not sound like fuel cut off and it ran out, and it wasn't running weird or anything. It was simply running fine then OFF.

I have no manual for this (i found one online but haven't printed it yet). I'm very unfamiliar with all of the parts and everything.. so PLEASE if you offer any advice be as descriptive and simple as possible!!!

I've raced motocross for over 10 years and also have street bikes, so its not that I don't know how to work on things, I just have never owned a boat or jet ski and im unfamilar with them completely.

If anyone has any starting points, or any suggestions, please help me out. I would greatly appreciate it. Short time left for summer in northeast ohio, got to make the best of it while I can!!

 

[seadoo GTS 1993]

Maybe ur key is bad?

 

[Gmanpumps]

95 spx

Just wondering if your ski will turn over or just wont start?? If it turns over but wont run, then you need to see if it is getting fuel and/or spark. The basics for any combustion engine. Those are fairly easy to check on an engine like yours. The older skis have a known problem with the fuel lines breaking down and clogging things up.

 

[twentythreemx]

Maybe ur key is bad?

With the key, isn't it either an on or off kind of thing? like if its pressed in...it will start.. if its out it wont? I can hold the start key and then press the thing down where the key goes and it will start to crank.

So answering GMAN, (should have put in original post) yes, it turns over, strong, sounds good, but does not sound like it wants to start at all. Sounds like its not trying, just cranks.

I raced a 2 stroke dirt bike for many years, so I'm real familiar with fouling plugs and how they should sound and all that, which again makes me think its an electircal issue.

I havn't had time yet (still at work) to go play with anything, but first thing i will check is that im getting spark and fuel.. after that i dont know!!

 

[seadoo GTS 1993]

Oh your skis a 95, so u dont have the DESS system, ok so its nnot ur key obviously, my bad... whats the engine compression?

 

[Gmanpumps]

95 spx

Verify it is getting fuel. My old grey lines were turning to goo!! And eventually that makes its way to the carb(s). Also the fuel selector, run/stop/res, can become plugged too. Assuming you are getting spark, this is where I would look next.

 

[seadoo GTS 1993]

If it was fuel related dont ya think it would of bogged out before dieing tho? usualy if sumthing just dies without warning, isnt it usualy electrical?

 

[twentythreemx]

If it was fuel related dont ya think it would of bogged out before dieing tho? usualy if sumthing just dies without warning, isnt it usualy electrical?

that was my exact though, but im going to start with the easy things first.. checkinig spark/fuel should be the easy things to check out.

but my first thought and gut feeling is electrical. stupid work getting in the way of life again.grr

 

[timmyboy76]

open up the ebox, and check ur fuses, stud.

 

[twentythreemx]

Getting spark. Checked the fuses, both are good. After trying to start, the plugs don't seem wet at all. Guessing its probably a fuel issue now?

Where should I start when troubleshooting that? Thanks guys!

 

[twentythreemx]

dads at home looking at it now while im at worik, said he found what he thinks is a fuel filter just sittind down in there.. wtf..?


could it be old or could it have popped off from somewhere somehow? doesnt make sense to me.

 

[twentythreemx]

thinking they are gray..how many should there be if they were gray? im positive i saw a few gray lines but not sure how many and what they were..

 

[twentythreemx]

update: dads at home working on it, but he said he pulled line from the carb and nothing is coming out.

so the problem is getting fuel to the carb.

still be the gray lines? or the fuel selector or something?

should gas jsut come right out or is it pressurized or something and it sucks it out of the tank? sorry im at work and cant look at it, those might be obvious answers.

 

[jhjesse]

Hey stud,
Clean, replace or just bypass that selector valve and get rid of those grey fuel lines and clean that inline filter. Summer is growing short and it's ride time.:cheers:

 

[twentythreemx]

yeah i hear ya on that, dropping down to 70s this weekend!! scary when its been 90.

will have to try bypassing everything and see what happens..

still concerned as to where the filter came from that my dad found sitting in the bottom? wont know until i can go look at it though i guess. hoping some previous owner was lazy and dropped it and never found it in there.. idk... is it evne possible it could have just popped off?

 

[Gmanpumps]

95 spx

Not surprised you still have the grey lines. Get to the auto parts store and replace them with fresh lines and clean out the selector switch. However, dont be surprised if the carbs themselves are gummed up. There is also a tiny screen filter integrated in the carbs themselves. My guess its also full of junk. There is a good thread on carb cleaning/repair in one of these forums.

 

[twentythreemx]

thanks for everyones help i figured it out. turns out it was very simple afterall!

as this is my first ski and i didnt know what i was looking at..

once i saw the filter down there..that made me look closer. then saw the cap that screrws on over it!!!

that really gave it away. it was like burried underneath something.. so it wasnt very noticable

so that explains everything. fired right back up after a few tries!!

and a bonus, someone gave me a throttle from an old yamaha that fit onto my other ski that i broke the throttle on, so now they are both up and running!!:cheers::cheers::cheers:

 

[jhjesse]

Good going twentythree,
Ah...I remember 23 it was 27 years ago...nevermind, just get out there and ride winter is coming.

 

[twentythreemx]

haha.. actually only 22. 23 is my race number!! ha

called off work monday. hoping for some good weather to hit up the lake!