Seadoo not starting, is it the battery?

[seadoosRsuper]

Seadoo 2003, GTI LE

Brand new battery, with acid, charged for 2 hours, 10amps. Brand new spark plugs. Full gas, 3/4 oil. Correct gas/seadoo oil mixture.

The mechanic said the battery needed to be charged for another 6 hours, but I'd love a second opinion. Here's some videos of us trying to start it, no luck:


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It had started up and run perfectly for 20 minutes 2 days before, with the older battery, but then died and wouldn't restart. Fun 40 minute tow back to the dock (guy wouldn't take any cash, my turn next, but anyway).

Thanks for any advice!

 

[LouDoo]

When you got towed back to the dock did you pinch the water supply line from the pump to the engine?

Remove the spark plugs, ground the spark plug wires and see if the motor will turn over.

Lou

 

[seadoosRsuper]

What does grounding the spark plug wires do?

I definitely did NOT pinch the hose. Should I have? Does it look kind of like this:

 

[Seadoobuddy]

What does grounding the spark plug wires do?

I definitely did NOT pinch the hose. Should I have? Does it look kind of like this: ......

Grounding the plugs on the stem provided prevents any spark igniting any gas fumes that could be in the hull.

Pinching the hose prevents any water being forced into the motor.....usually this will not happen if you are towed in at a slow speed.

I can't say if that the correct hose for you. Someone else will chime in I'm sure.

 

[LouDoo]

If you got towed at more than 5mph you might have hydrolocked the engine. If you look at the rear of the engine the hose you need to pinch it the one on the inlet with the little arrow pointing toward the front of the ski.

There should be a pair of grounding lugs either mounted to the front of the motor or on the rear E-Box if you have one. It's important that you crank the engine over without the plugs to see if there is any water in the motor.

Here's a picture of the ground lugs on my 96GTI.

Lou

 

[Coastiejoe]

The first thing you need to do is remove the plugs (as mentioned above) and see if the engine will crank. Do NOT stand above the plug holes, if there is water in there it will exit the engine at great speed and force,,,

It sounds to me that the starter is engaging but the engine is not cranking. It could be a solenoid as well, but the noise sounds like the starter trying to work.

Post your findings and we can go from there.

 

[seadoosRsuper]

Ok, I definitely remember seeing the orange covering on the grounding lugs, thanks for the picture. I will be at the lake tomorrow and will try your suggestions. Thanks, and I'll report back. I'll still take more advice, but looks like we might have hit a dead end for now.

So does it sound/seem like the battery is fully charged? Like that is probably not the issue?

 

[Coastiejoe]

It sounds to me that the starter is hitting pretty good. Thus, I think the battery is ok.

 

[seadoosRsuper]

I guess I forgot to ask the crucial question, so what if the engine does crank with the spark plugs out and grounded (with me well out of the way)? Will it just blow out excess water from the crankcase and I'm good to go?

Sorry, I'm mildly retarded when it comes to engines, but I'm learning.

 

[Coastiejoe]

I guess I forgot to ask the crucial question, so what if the engine does crank with the spark plugs out and grounded (with me well out of the way)? Will it just blow out excess water from the crankcase and I'm good to go?

Sorry, I'm mildly retarded when it comes to engines, but I'm learning.

If there is water in the cylinders, it will come out FAST and under pretty good PRESSURE...

This is something you want to get to right away as the metal inside your engine is not protected and can literally rust in a day. Rings can seize very fast...

 

[LouDoo]

If there is water in the engine and you can get it started, the best thing you can do is take it to the lake and run it for at least 1/2 hour to get the rest of the moisture out.

Lou

 

[seadoosRsuper]

Ok, well after reading the end of this thread and a few others, I had a sense of urgency so I just got back from the lake and grounded the spark plug wire, and took out the spark plugs. I got out of the way and fired it up. No water explosion. Actually no water whatsoever. So I guess that's a good thing.

I put the spark plugs and caps back on and fired it up again and the engine caught and stayed on. But it was still on the ramp and it was night time so I didn't run it. That's the plan tomorrow I guess. The battery's charging over night with a 12v 1.25 Amp GEL BATTERY charger.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Towing at fast speeds can cause water to flood engine, your owners manual explains the phenomenon well. This should not occur at slow ~5MPH towing, more like 15 MPH towing as per my owner's manual.

Sounds like you're safe from water in the engine cylinders, maybe. Could still have another problem?

FYI, An important note to remember is that if a two-stroke engine gets to the point it's not making power correctly(as if maybe it feels like almost half the power is gone), it should not be run because if one cylinder is not receiving fuel properly then it also isn't receiving the proper amount of lubricant and that cylinder will quickly become dust.

 

[seadoosRsuper]

So I went out today and the engine started right up from the dry dock. I turned it off and put it in the water. It started up and went about 10 yards and died. And then I couldn't get the motor to turn over once.

I swam it back to the dock and got it back on the ramp. I have no idea what's going on, I guess it's time to put it on the trailer and take it to the mechanic.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Remove the plugs, ground the wires, and crank to see if there's water in the cylinders. No water shooting out from plug holes is good. If no water and engine does crank without plugs but won't with plugs, then the battery may be weak or the starter may need to be replaced.

How'd it run in the water, really good then suddenly died, or not good then finally quit?

If not good then finally quit then I'd be inclined to think you have a fuel related problem. In any case backtrack to something you may have done previously such as cleaning the fuel filter bowl, those things will suck air with the fuel if not tight and the o-ring seal in the cup's groove isn't sealing.

Cranking speed is also a good indicator of the condition of your starting system, which includes the battery.

Don't run it around hoping it's going to begin running better if it's not running well, that's the standard recipe for engine damage.