Seadoo XP Limited 1999 VTS doing nothing

[Joeeyireland]

Hey all,

Hopefully somebody can help me out, I have just purchased a 1999 Seadoo XP Limited and it came with a dead battery. I have had it on the optimate and now its fully charged the motor spins over fine and all the dials work.

My issue is when I press the VTS buttons nothing happens but when I first put the lanyard in the VTS dial moves up to the bottom position. Not really sure what to check next.

The previous owner claimed that the VTS did work but it moves very slow. Maybe I have blown a fuse of something but any help would be great.

 

[Hawkster18]

Sounds like you have a blown fuse.

 

[Joeeyireland]

Where is the vts motor fuse located in the sky, I believe it’s a small 7.5 amp fuse isn’t it. I also took the vts box off the back to have a look and it looks fine, no water or corrosion in there.

 

[FL-Rider]

The fuse is under a cover on the MPEM. If its blowing the fuse, it could be your VTS module, motor, or rubber boot letting in water.

 

[POPPS]

So just give battery juice directly to the motor from the battery,,and see if it operates,,,reverse the polarity to make it totate the opposite way,,if yes,,,its the module,,,there are a few threads and kits to bypass the blown module,,,but be aware,,the caviate is that there is no built in stopper for full up or full down down.

 

[Joeeyireland]

So I manage to locate the 7.5 amp fuse in the MPEM and it doesn’t seem likes it’s blown, so could it be the module?

 

[FL-Rider]

It could be. Before condemning the module though, try checking for voltage at the wiring harness connection and try testing the motor as Popps said.

 

[Joeeyireland]

Trying to get hold of some thin test leads and i can test that tonight, I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Joeeyireland]

Where is the module located on this ski? People say its a small box and other people say the module is the VTS box at the back where the motor is or I'm I reading it wrong.

 

[FL-Rider]

The module is integrated into the VTS housing where the motor is.

 

[Joeeyireland]

So I’ve checked the vts motor directly to the battery and it moves up and down at a normal pace I’m not sure what to look for next, the fuse is ok on the MPEM the motor works up and down so I’m thinking module or switch?

 

[Joeeyireland]

Would I have to take off the vts system to get to the module ?

 

[POPPS]

Its not the switch,,,its the electronic module circuit boards,,,that are buried in ceramic potting.

 

[FL-Rider]

Yes, you have to take out the VTS housing to get the module. In fact, when you order the module, it comes with the whole housing. The alternative to replacing the module is to set the trim where you want it by jumping the motor directly, and then pulling the fuse. I run my 98 with the trim set a little above halfway, which seems to give the ski the best top speed.

 

[Joeeyireland]

Ideally I’d like to be able to change the vts on the buttons

 

[ahfvet]

Just went thru this with restoring two 1994 Seadoo XPs...it was the module that was faulty for ours. Made sure the motors were working just as you did and tested the switches with an Ohm meter...they were fine too. The VTS is in a different position on the 94s than on the newer skis, but this kit we bought s supposed to work for all of them. We installed them on our skis and the VTS on both is work great now.

Seadoo VTS Trim Fix

 

[Joeeyireland]

Ahfvet I have seen these what exact do you get and how easy is it to install?

 

[Joeeyireland]

So this is very weird I’ve just cleaned up the connectors in the motors and put everything back together and I can press the up button and it works but the down button is dead, the only way I can get it to go down is using the battery directly, could it be the down switch maybe?

 

[POPPS]

Its not the switch,,,I have had vts's that only worked in one direction,,unfortunately, its the module,

 

[Joeeyireland]

Right ok, well I have ordered the trim fix module and will see if that does the trick, just waiting on delivery now which might take some time

 

[POPPS]

Note, on the trim rod above the pump,,,there is a rubber bellow to keep water out of the module,,,they often crack,,,check,yours,,,to prevent water getting into your new module

 

[ahfvet]

Ordered both through the website (link in my original reply). Its pretty nifty and essentially bypasses the MPEM....so it gets power directly from connecting to the battery. My husband is good with soldering and wiring insulation. Took us a bit of time with the first one scrutinizing the directions and just making sure we liked where to place it, but the 2nd one was a fast install (~30 min).

 

[Joeeyireland]

@ahfvet Thanks for the replay i've just got he trim fix delivered to me so i am going to fit it my only question is which switch cable do I need to splice and how did you seal the cables on the motor do they come out the back of the VTS housing ?

 

[ahfvet]

I imagine each model year is different so it may help to look at the service manual for direction on your model (i think there's a link to one on this forum front page). We just followed and identified the wires coming from the MPEM, figured out which ones were to the VTS housing (our model ski has the VTS motor and housing together and is front mounted) and which ones were to the switch. We cut them (which bypasses the MPEM altogether as intended) and installed the Fix. The power to the Fix comes straight from the battery so its wired directly to that (and we did use the inline fuse the Fix kit provided for that wire). Our Trim Fix arrived with its wires already labeled (battery switch and VTS tags). Wire nutted everything temporarily initially to make sure we had the connections right (ie. pressing the trim switch button UP actually made the trim go UP, etc.) Then we used the more permanent waterproof inline wire connectors and crimped the connections, followed by heat shrinked sleeves over them (probably overkill but it looks good). I'll look through my pics - if there are any that could be helpful I'll post them.

 

[Joeeyireland]

Well I have a 1999 xp limited and want to mount the trim fix box in the rear, so I have the motor and battery wires ready to connect but it seems the 3 switch wires (green/white, blue/white, black) go from the buttons straight down into the MPEM big plug. So would I have to cut them from the plug and then link 3 longer wires to them then run them down to the back compartment where the box is, or do I cut the three wires when it’s coming out the MPEM to the vts housing so it still uses the fuse in the MPEM.

sorry if that sounds confusing