Seadoo GTS 5 amp fuse blowing-Possibly bad Stator?

[Serf27]

Hey everyone.

I am the new owner of a 1997 and 1998 Seadoo GTS models.

I bought them as non running.
I got home and no power with a battery.
I opened the fuse box and the 5 amp fuses on the both MPEMs were blown.
I replaced the fuse on one of them and I was able to start it. The first 10 minutes of cranking, it seemed like the engine was trying very hard to crank. Seems to crank and start fine most of the time now.

What would be the cause for the 5amp fuse to have blown in the first place? I am prepping for this summer and would like that fuse to not blow while on the water.

Seadoo#2. 5amp fuse blew when replaced.
I looked up some info and some said disconnect that 4 wire gray Stator plug to see if the MPEM or the stator was bad.
The fuse DOES NOT blow when the stator is disconnected, so the stator is bad and needs to be replaced?


Some other maintenance questions.

Neither ski had oil in the oil reservoir.
I added oil to the running one. Any future potential issues here? Or coincidence that oil ran out at the time of the sale?
The stickers are from 2021, if it ran good during that time, I figure the carb is still in good condition. Are any fuel/carb cleaner additives recommended or leave it alone?

Thanks.

 

[Spider4real]

I am not sure why the fuses are blown, but the oil tanks might be empty if they were pre-mixing the oil. Check and make sure they did not block off the oil intake. The rotary valves still need oil but that might also be bypassed by looping the oil lines together. With skis this old previous owners could have done anything.

As for the carbs, it was always recommended to me to never use additives. Either remove and rebuild or leave them alone. I would run them as is to start. If you have any performance issues then rebuild with original mikuni parts.

 

[Serf27]

Hey, thanks.

To check if oil intake is blocked off, I would just look for the those oil block off plates on the engine?
I am assuming the benefit of oil block offs and pre mixed fuel is in case the pumps fails while the engine is on?

The fuel fill up smelled liked fuel and didn’t really get any smell of oil from the tank.

Do people not post DIY on theses? I’m having a hard time finding any info about this.

 

[Spider4real]

Typically the oil pump is removed and a block off plate is installed. The small oil lines are removed and the fittings on the rotary valve are capped off. If you still have the oil line going to the oil pump and you still see those tiny oil lines going to the rotary valve then I guess it is still hooked up. Because it is new to you, I would premix the first tank of gas and make sure you are consuming oil before you trust the system is working as it should be.

The benefit is to avoid damage in case of and oil pump failure. But this is a divisive topic. EIther you love it or hate it. I personally prefer to use the system as it was designed.

If you plan to take the carbs off to rebuild them you can easily remove the oil pump and bench test it. Do you have a shop manual?

 

[Serf27]

I looked up some photos of the oil pumps and I see what I think is the tiny oil line.

I remember seeing tiny lines on mine. Almost looked like 10gauge wire.

I would also prefer to use the system as intended for simplicity and not having to pre mix.

There will be no issue pre mixing gas and having the pump work at the same time?
An issue I see here, both seadoos are full of gas.

Previous owner said
“I used them this past summer. On one trip, the battery died and we couldn’t get it to start and then the other battery died and now neither start but we did use them”
Well the registration stickers show 2021 and it could have just been talk to make the sale.

I do not have a shop manual. I will look to buy one. Where would be the best to get an accurate manual?
1 is a 1998 and 1 is a 1997, so they should be relatively the same, right?

I think I will stick with your previous advice and not touch the carbs until I can take them out. Any land tests or procedures I can do to see if they will perform under load in the water?


I also still need to get the second one running.
1 forum post and a Facebook comment says it’s the stator.
Should I swap the MPEMs to eliminate the MPEM being the issue ir just order a stator?

Thanks.

 

[Spider4real]

And do you have 2 lines coming out of the bottom of the oil tank? The smaller one (8mm hose) goes too a filter then to the oil pump and the larger one (12mm) goes into the bottom of the engine. THere should be a 12mm return line coming out the other side of the engine going to the top of the oil tank. If that all checks out then it sounds like the oil injection system was being used. Strange that the tanks were empty. Maybe they siphoned it into other working skis?

There would be no issue premixing and using the oil pump on one tank of gas. It just might be a little extra smokey and it might be good to change the plugs once you are back to just using the oil pump. It will give you peace of mind to know it is working.

Maybe before you go to far down the rabbit hole it might be a good idea to check the condition of the engines. Have you checked the compression? Does the one with a blown fuse crank over.

They may been running in 2021, but you never know how healthy they were.

You can get the shop manuals here:
1997 SeaDoo Manuals - FREE PDF Download!

 

[Serf27]

I am pretty sure I saw all kinds of lines in the hull. I will double check to see if they’re oil lines.

Seeing as they both have full tanks of gas, should I siphon that gas out and add premixed gas? Or is there a way to test the gas in the tanks to see if it’s been pre mixed?
I really won’t take them out until next year, but I’m trying to get them as ready as possible.

You are correct, who knows what their previous running condition was.
The listing read “maintenance everything last year”…?

I didn’t ask about what maintenance.

I have not checked the compression. That was my next step, but I got one ski running so I didn’t check.

The non running ski doesn’t crank. I can spin the outdrive/driveshaft by hand and feel the compression stroke.

The 5amp cuts power to the entire ski, so without the fuse, nothing works on it.

The running ski sounded like it had a hard time cranking. Click-crank 1/2-1 turn then click etc etc. It may have just been a weak battery. I removed the plugs and it cranked as expected to with no plugs installed.
Towards the end, it was cranking fine then starting.
If I eased into the throttle, it would rev up. A few times I blipped the throttle and it would bog out.

Thanks for the link to the manual.

From the manual:
5amp fuse lees burning- check wiring, solenoid and MPEM.
I’ll look to see if it shows which wiring to check.

 

[Spider4real]

I am not sure how to check if the gas has been premixed. But if the oil system is all hooked up correctly I would just assume it is just gas. But the gas is probably over 1 year old and will be pushing 2 years by the time you get to use it. Might be a good idea to remove the old gas and put fresh in next year.

By the way, did you run the ski on a hose? Are you in a cold climate? You might have to winterize it if the ski will be exposed to freezing temps.

Yeah, I would check compression just to be sure a rebuild is not required. And it sounds like you had a weak battery. Maybe get it load tested at an auto shop to be sure it is still ok. You don't want to get stuck out on the water with a weak battery.

And for the one that has a blown fuse. I would jump the starter to test the compression. No point in buying more parts until you know it might run.

The manual should help with various tests on the electrical side of your issues. I am not very good with electrical issues. Hopefully the manual will help you get it sorted out.

 

[Serf27]

Good idea, it slipped my mind that the fuel may be bad.

I did hook up the hose to the running ski but I only had it on for a 2-3 seconds each time and then like 8 seconds when I was revving it up. Temperature here is now getting cold, so I may need to winterize them as I work on them. I have some ski covers from previous skis that I bought and got really screwed over on.
Bought some skis, guy swore they ran and needed a battery. They didn’t run, I took them back, he said he’d fix them, left them there for a month, no progress so I went to pick them up, turns out he had re sold them to someone else, called police to report stolen and police said 1 had already been reported stolen a week prior, so I couldn’t report a stolen ski, stolen! Reported the second one stolen. Never saw skis or my money back and the guy didn’t get in any trouble. Still have the titles to both of those skis too.


Anyways, I need to take the batteries to charge.
I had it hooked up to a car battery(car not running)
I’ll check compression on the running ski and try to jump the starter for the second
ski. Any idea what ideal compression is so the ski can perform properly? I see readings from 110psi to 135psi for an engine that will still run and 150 being perfect.

I’m hoping that these skis are siblings. As in what was done to one was done to the other over the years.

Looking at the manual, it looks like the stator is used to correct ignition timing as well. That seems like it may be a headache and now I hope it is the MPEM, despite what I’ve read.

Thanks.

 

[Spider4real]

Wow, that is a crazy story. Can't believe the police can't do anything. I suppose you could take him to court. This sounds like a perfect Judge Judy case.

Based on the information I have gathered on this sight, 120 psi seems to be the magic number where a rebuild is in order. Ideally you want it 135 and over. And as you said 150 is perfect. Also they need to be within 5% of each other.

Stator is pretty easy. There should be a markings from the factory to properly align it. But if you can't find it just make your own mark it so you can put it back on in the same position as it came off.

 

[Clancy7189]

Hey everyone.

I am the new owner of a 1997 and 1998 Seadoo GTS models.

I bought them as non running.
I got home and no power with a battery.
I opened the fuse box and the 5 amp fuses on the both MPEMs were blown.
I replaced the fuse on one of them and I was able to start it. The first 10 minutes of cranking, it seemed like the engine was trying very hard to crank. Seems to crank and start fine most of the time now.

What would be the cause for the 5amp fuse to have blown in the first place? I am prepping for this summer and would like that fuse to not blow while on the water.

Seadoo#2. 5amp fuse blew when replaced.
I looked up some info and some said disconnect that 4 wire gray Stator plug to see if the MPEM or the stator was bad.
The fuse DOES NOT blow when the stator is disconnected, so the stator is bad and needs to be replaced?


Some other maintenance questions.

Neither ski had oil in the oil reservoir.
I added oil to the running one. Any future potential issues here? Or coincidence that oil ran out at the time of the sale?
The stickers are from 2021, if it ran good during that time, I figure the carb is still in good condition. Are any fuel/carb cleaner additives recommended or leave it alone?

Thanks.

It’s a diode in the main circuit board under the front hood, replace the burnt diode and all is good

 

[Serf27]

Wow, that is a crazy story. Can't believe the police can't do anything. I suppose you could take him to court. This sounds like a perfect Judge Judy case.

Based on the information I have gathered on this sight, 120 psi seems to be the magic number where a rebuild is in order. Ideally you want it 135 and over. And as you said 150 is perfect. Also they need to be within 5% of each other.

Stator is pretty easy. There should be a markings from the factory to properly align it. But if you can't find it just make your own mark it so you can put it back on in the same position as it came off.

Yea no kidding. At one point I showed up to the guys house. (It was a backyard ski repair/sales thing). There was about 3 other people and 2 sheriff vehicles. I guess the guy screwed over multiple people. I looked up his name in the county records and he had already been sued multiple times for about 5 years for the same or similar scams. He was always noted as “did not appear”. I was amazed that he was able to sell me a stolen ski, me report my ski stolen when he was the last person who had it, all in front of a cop and they said “welp, we can’t do anything”!

I’ll check compression today.
I looked at the skis and it loooks like the oil system is still in place. The oil tank has 2 thick lines that run and disappear under the engine.

 

[Serf27]

It’s a diode in the main circuit board under the front hood, replace the burnt diode and all is good

Hey, thanks.
I’ve seen images of that being replaced, I haven’t seen an image of the exact board I have, so I’m not sure where the diode would be and where to cut on the board.
The circuit board is the MPEM?
It’s located in a white electrical box in the skis hull. There nothing under the hood except for the wire harness from the fuel gauge/ignition.
This is the board I’m referring to. The missing fuse spot is the one that keeps blowing.

 

[Clancy7189]

Hey, thanks.
I’ve seen images of that being replaced, I haven’t seen an image of the exact board I have, so I’m not sure where the diode would be and where to cut on the board.
The circuit board is the MPEM?
It’s located in a white electrical box in the skis hull. There nothing under the hood except for the wire harness from the fuel gauge/ignition.
This is the board I’m referring to. The missing fuse spot is the one that keeps blowing.

The hood that flips open with the mirrors the gauges handlebars etc. when it flips up it should be like a panel like a square panel and you take that panel off you’ll see it and the boards under there that board controls everything fuel ignition spark timing start a procedure when the diode burns out nothing works so usually it’s on your fuse a stack on first and then the day I just finally gives out

 

[Serf27]

Time to get them ready for the water.

The running one, I’m hoping I’ll have no big issues this season.

The non running one, I’m going to order his Stator.
OSD Sea Doo Stator Assy for 587/657/717 - 4 WIRE [OSD4503] - $129.99

Can anyone confirm that it is the correct one and it will fit/work?

Thanks.

 

[Serf27]

Great news!
I emailed the company I linked above, to verify the part was correct. I explained the situation and they said the MPEM might be the culprit as it grounds out to the Stator when plugged in and that’s when the fuse blows.

I swapped MPEMs from one ski to another and bam! Not blown fuse and the non running ski started up.

Now I need a new MPEM.