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Sportster doesnt want to start up after turned off on lake.

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evilnss

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I picked up a fellow members 96 Sportster, It has a new motor from sea doo, impeller upgrade. I took it out to lake anna today, and it started no problem at the landing dock, and we rode around for abour 20-30 min. put it in Neutral, and shut her off. hooked up a tube and it didnt want to start again. it would turn over but wouldnt fire. so i just kept trying and it finally fired up.

Rode around with the tube, and again turned it off and unhooked the tube. brought the tuber in and this time it beeped when trying to start (im guessing there the key wasnt all the way in and/or the boat wasn't fully in nuetral.

I would get a Beep beep beep, and then sometimes a solid beep. (what do different beeps mean?)

so after playing around with the gear select it would turn over. same thing wouldnt fire up pull the choke, nothing. put the choke back in and just kept cranking and it fired up. When we got back to the dock in the no wake area, it was just crusing in on idle. and it sounded like it wanted to stall out.

I pulled the plugs when I got home and they aren't too bad, im going to go ahead and toss in a new pair. and the battery was at 70% and about 12.9 volts.

I noticed after putting teh boat away that the fuel select was on reserver, imt not sure why or how it got turned to that, so i just turned it back to normal. I haven't tried to fire it up yet until i grab the new plugs.

I was told to gap the plugs at .020 is that about right for everyone else?

I know this is a long post, but Id figure i'd give everyone as much info as possible

:cheers:

John
 
I've had problems like that , I would check fuel systems , filter , lines (if grey ones -Replace) Clean fuel selector , check for leaks ,check spark gap etc. Try this stuff first before anything.
2 Short beeps-everything is correct /w right lanyard and shift is in "N" ready to start.
1 long beep -bad connection on lanyard DESS cap.or bad lanyard .bad mpem or bad wiring harness. Take a eracer and clean the post and inside lanyard cap.
I'm sure someone with more knowledge will chime in.
But I would check the easy things first to eliminate issues.
Also this site has the manuals for your boat , cheaper here tahn if you had to buy the book .
 
Spoked to the last owener, he said he never did anything to the fuel lines, or filter. He said he guess'd they were all stock.

I dont see any gray fuel lines, just black ones. and im going to have to figure out where the filters are.

If i take a picture of the engine bay, is it something that could be pointed out.

My Mechianical skills are low temporary, but once i feel confortable they go right to med-high. Ive worked on my mustang for a few years.

JC
 
Find the fuel tank (big tank with fuel in it...) and there should be a few smaller hoses come out of it. Trace the one that goes to a 3" long X 2" dia clear white/yellow cylinder. That's your fuel filter. The hose will continue to the fuel pump on your engine.
 
you might better clean the carbs while your at it. its not starting because of lack of fuel.
what did the plugs look like that you removed from it? if you ensure you have a clean fuel systm and is adjusted properly then somthing else is leaning it out, low compression, leaking gasket or seal, etc.
 
I would not try and run it until you trace the problem down or you'll be replacing things like I am ,,,,a whole new engine.
These motors have to have good octane fuel which has to be clean, you will lose octane if the fuel is old.
The fuel filter should be near the inside front top of engine bay (mag side) and looks like a 3" inch white semi-clear plastic canister with hose clamps, trace the line from carb back and you will find , hopefully the original owner did not remove , it has to be there and these should be replaced every season, 12 dollar part. Also oil filter should be changed at the same time. Follow the manual instructions for replacement.
Also I suggest going premium member and download the Manual to your boat.
I would also think about rebuilding carbs, there is also a Mikuni carb manual to download and you'll need to know which type you have. You'll need 2 kits for a dual carb obviously and the SBT site also has info that is helpful for the do it yourselfer's. www.sbtontheweb.com
Pay special attention to the pop-off testing that is required to make sure the carb will function properly. You will need the pump guage to test.
Fuel starvation is murder on these 2 stroke motors and can cause serious detonation and lean conditions. Air leaks can also cause issues.
On the sbt site there is a tread and picture of spark plug condition comparisons on different lean, rich burning situations to help identify what going on. This is a great site here and everybody has been wonderful on helping out and you will gain alot of knowledge. Beats payin the dealer big bucks and sometimes they still don't get it right.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. These engines are pretty simple to work on , just take your time.
 
Another possible suspect is the carbs ,they have internal basket filters and they can get clogged up,if you feel confident to rebuild these carbs yourself you will probably have to clean clean clean,. But do not spray carb cleaner on these little filters , they have a plastic cage on them that the cleaner "could" deteriorate , so use light compressed air. Like air in a can (computer cleaner)
Basically just follow the manuals to a tee and you should be ok , if you run into a snag jump on here and ask questions , like I do.
Read the threads and get educated.
I'm in the same boat ,, (geez I could'nt resist)
My motor mag side cylinder piston went bad and I've only have had it a month , so I know what your going through. Down time sucks. Now I'm replacing my motor. So preventative maintance is very important.
Do the research and it will pay off in the end.
 
Thanks everyone, the plugs were in ok shape, they werent horrible. But I put new ones in and gapped them to .020 and the ones before were gapped at .270-.030.

It fired right up on the first try almost instantly. It never had a problem starting, its just after you ride around for a bit and turn it off, then it acts stupid.

I found what i believe is the fuel filter, (i'll post a picture).

This site is great and looks like there are alot of great people on here. I went ahead and signed up for the premium membership.

JC
 
Is this the fuel filter?

178.jpg
 
also, replace the o-ring. Another member, was troubleshoot'n his performance issue, and come to find uot, that filter, was missing the o-ring.
 
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