Testing the post

[Seadoobuddy]

:banghead: I'm in the middle of replacing the beeper and post on 96 GTX.
The beeper wasn't working so i bought a Radio shack replacement. It's too big for the clip. I tested my old one and it works every time so I'm putting it back in.
I took off my post and tested that one plus the replacement I got off this site.

If hooked to a meter are you suppose to get any type of reading between any of the 3 leads at the end and the ring or knob in the center of the post.
I had it on ohms, set on 200 or 2K.
I get no readings.


..........SHOOT, I just went back out and noticed my positive lead to the meter wasn't down tight enough.
So now I get .4 reading from the black wire to the ring and about .5 to 1.2 reading from the white wire to the center point on top of the knob. Nothing from the striped wire (ground????) to either spot on the post.
The old post has the same readings.....

So I guess both posts are good?????
So why in the heck do I get "no power" sometimes?...(see both of my other threads if interested)
The ground (2 cables) on the battery are clean and tight. What other grounds are there to check?
sometimes the gauges don't light up when pressing start, sometimes they do. But very seldom do I hear the beeps, usually the first time i try to start it will I hear the beeps, then again sometimes not.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

doesn't the post contain a magnet or something that when the lanyard is near activates something? i know when i get my lanyards near my post i can hear things 'fire' up... depending how your holding the post, it would / could affect readings. someone needs to crack one open. (a DESS post, not a beer)... and see whats up

 

[LouDoo]

If you're testing the dess post disconnected from the ski that's exactly what you will get, zoro ohms, that means the circuit is open. I'm not sure there is a test for the post, usually you just try another one, you might want to consult the manual. I've never personally seen one go bad.

Lou

 

[LouDoo]

Is this the second post to go bad? I thought you had a thread on this a month or so ago. If so I would start looking at the wiring and the connections especially where it connects to the MPEM.

Lou

 

[Seadoobuddy]

It's not that the posts are bad, but maybe. That's why I was hoping for a test to confirm.
Minnetonka4me and others suggested checking all the grounds...how many are there, besides at the battery?

it's just quits sometimes and won't restart, then all of a sudden it has power and starts.

My 2 thread are "no power" and "no power again" in July and again in August. 2nd one was a long thread.

 

[ski-d00]

DESS posts go bad all the time, but the normal failure mode is that it just goes dead and you get nothing when you put the DESS key on. On occasion, I've seen them work intermittently but this is sometimes misinterpreted with a loose key that slighly loses contact. even more rare is that I've seen the magnetic switch in the post get stuck on even when the lanyard is off, not a good thing. for testing the 3 wire DESS post with the lanyard off...

black to black/white: open circuit
white/gray to terminal dot post: closed circuit
black to terminal ring post: closed circuit

However, your post can still be bad even if these check out. the post is not that complicated really, it is just a magnetic switch, you can use a jumper wire between the contact to activate it and you can even bypass the post by connecting your key terminals directly to the wires. the complicated part of the system is actually in the key itself, there is a DS2401 chip in there made by Dallas Semiconductor. Simple 64 bit unique ID so everyone is completely different. the last 8 bits are a CRC and there is no eeprom in that chip contrary to what most people think.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

OK, so far I get power to the gauges every time I connect the lanyard but still no beeps.
Beeper works every time when touched to a battery.

I checked for continuity from where I cut the beeper wires to the male end of black plug....OK on both wires.
Also checked continuity from female end of black plug to connections in the electrical box...both OK.

Any other ideas?

 

[Seadoobuddy]

I should have added that the gauges light up when pressing the stop/start button w/o the lanyard on.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

I followed the wires to the box and pulled both single wire connectors apart.
They look clean, put some di-E grease on them.
Still no beeps..........:banghead: :banghead:

 

[ski-d00]

have you checked the voltage to the beeper? with a good multimeter, you should see the 12v for just a split second. those beepers flake out all the time meaning they will work when you connect them to a battery but don't work for just the short 12v power signal for the beeps.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

NO, I have not.
How would I go about testing this? In laymans language please....LOL
FYI, I can't start the motor, due to antifreeze in it and hoses have been brought inside.

 

[ski-d00]

connect your voltmeter to the beeper wires and put the lanyard on, you should see voltage spike.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Today I tested the voltage going to the beeper. I DID NOT see a voltage spike when attaching the lanyard. it stayed right around .2 to .3.
I put the Radio shack beeper on and it works every time, I reattached the SD beeper and it doesn't work, but it still beeps when touched to a battery. I call Floyd Bell inc, and they are sending me the replacement beeper # XC-09-212-W. They didn't know why it wouldn't work on the ski but is OK to a battery.
So guess I bought a used post for nothing. So I'm

:seeya:

 

[ski-d00]

Are you using a good voltmeter? My Fluke see's it pretty clearly but cheap ones won't see it at all, too slow of a response time. How'd you get Floyd to send you a new one? I've got a box bad ones.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

I have a good "Craftmans" meter. Go to my thread "No power again" and see a pic of it.

The beeper is $16.51 as listed on their website. I talked to Reed. IDK if this beepers fits all Seadoos. Check your model item # of your beeper and he can double check and cross reference if necessary.