Engine will not turn off!?

[Jetaddict]

I am going to say the stop switch is going bad #1. Even if he pulls the lanyard, it won't stop, because of the way the circuit is in the switches. The only way to kill it is to disconnect the battery.
Have him start by swapping the switch assembly with a good one- this is easy enough to do without much effort. That can determine if the switch is really at fault.
As for it building RPM's, I have had a few skis do this- and yes, low fuel can cause it for some reason. An exhaust leak (a small one) can cause this as well, not enough to have it free rev, which I have seen happen as well. You really need to see it firsthand yourself, and not take how he is describing it to you. "Building RPM's" is kind of a poor description.... he may just need to adjust the idle, or he could have a poorly adjusted throttle cable that is slipping if he is revving it as he flushes, etc. etc.
I am going to say the switch is going bad, and the other problem is attributed to user error or some minor mechanical problem. But you have got to go hear/see it for yourself.

 

[McDog]

hello
first ,you should use "driebond" seal agent between crank case .
scond ,check the throttle cable for movment during bar turns .
third ,i would check fuel pickups in the tank ,for missing tubes
if you have a primer ,it could pull air from there
to check air laek fast , turn the engine on ,let it idle, when the idle go's up
use carb cleaner spray,and very cerfully spray it on crank case , and lower part of the cylinder,the second the engine idle nice again ,mark that spot theres your leak
if the angine dieseling spray into the carb ,or pump the primer it will shut the engine down

Is that between the crank case halves or between the crank case and the cylinders? I did not split the crank case.

I'm gonna tell him to fill the tank with gas, watch to see how much air is in the fuel lines to check for a fuel leak, and see if it does it again. God I hope there isn't an air leak on the engine. I really don't want to mess with this ski anymore.

 

[Pablo]

what doesn't kill u can only make u stronger...and take more time away from ur and Brandi's build.

 

[Mouthfulloflake]

turn the idle down so it dies when you arent giving it gas and be done with it.

 

[C-Rock87]

he needs to do a leak down test or have a shop do it for him so he can pin-point the leak and not lose $$ on rebuilding his engine.

my local cycle shop charged me $30 dollars to do the pressure test - the first test i had an air leak between the case halves on the exhaust side. i took my block back, resealed the cases more thoroughly and had them do another pressure test .. it held 20psi for 10 minutes.

he needs to have it pressure tested

 

[norcal ex]

If it has an air leak shutting off the fuel will make it continue to diesel.... not shut it off.

 

[SJ Thumpa]

Mcdog, When you find out let us all know the cause. If it were me I'd initially turn the idle down to see whether it cut off (stop-switch prob) while ready to pull the fuel hose. (air leak?) if that didn't work. Then caps off, plugs out?

Am I wrong?

 

[McDog]

If it has an air leak shutting off the fuel will make it continue to diesel.... not shut it off.

So that means it has to be air in the fuel line, right?

 

[yigaljet]

case sealent

Is that between the crank case halves

yes

 

[tipafew]

Like someone said in an earlier post.....Make sure to verify if this thing is revving really high(dieseling) or if it is just idling a little high and failing to kill with the switch.

 

[hangtime]

Like someone said in an earlier post.....Make sure to verify if this thing is revving really high(dieseling) or if it is just idling a little high and failing to kill with the switch.

I've been saying it all along to check that first .I had that happen on my ski when I pull the tether or push stop it keeps on running and it was a bad switch .
It makes sense and is a much easier fix .I don't think an air leak is the cause but the switch could go bad from sitting with water in it .

 

[yigaljet]

to check the switch
if the engine fails to stop , pull the black electric conector ,and bridge the female terminals ,that should stop the engine
tip for checking tank leaks
if you have a oem type of fuel filter ,the fuel must be at the red line at all times ,half filter the tank is laeking ,quarter- line drewing air

 

[D-Roc]

the engine isn't loaded on the trailer either so if the kill switch is getting sketchy and the carb isn't setup proper the rpms could easily climb over an extended idle period. next time he runs it have him idle it and then crack the throttle, if it takes off to the moon and doesn't come back down then i would say an airleak but if it revs back down on its own then probably a bad switch or connection. shutting the fuel off will kill the motor.....eventually, just not soon enough for a run away motor. nothing like breaking in a new motor with a nice WOT run.

 

[x2skier]

As mentioned before, make sure it is running away to full RPM and not just slowly climbing.
If it's revving out of control the problem is more than likely an air leak. Spray carb cleaner around the carb / manifold mounting surface and near the rear seal. Keep in mind, this is a very crude way to check and will only detect major leaks. The best way to check is a leak down test.

How far was the engine tore down before it was sold? It might just be a poor seal or f'ed up gasket between the carb and manifold.

 

[McDog]

I pulled the jugs and head. No other engine disassembly. He told me it was slowly building RPM's from what I remember. I figure if it had an air leak, it would have shown some signs of it when I rode it before I sold it to him.

What kind of carb issues would cause the RPM's to slowly build?

 

[D-Roc]

I pulled the jugs and head. No other engine disassembly. He told me it was slowly building RPM's from what I remember. I figure if it had an air leak, it would have shown some signs of it when I rode it before I sold it to him.

What kind of carb issues would cause the RPM's to slowly build?

i am thinking to high of pop-off with an improper set low speed adjuster screw. in the water and out of the water can make the ski act alot different. skis don't tend to runaway with the engine loaded and runing on the idle circuits, on the trailer is a different story. this could be why you wouldn't notice an "airleak" while riding it for a short period.

 

[McDog]

I am going to say the stop switch is going bad #1. Even if he pulls the lanyard, it won't stop, because of the way the circuit is in the switches. The only way to kill it is to disconnect the battery.
Have him start by swapping the switch assembly with a good one- this is easy enough to do without much effort. That can determine if the switch is really at fault.
As for it building RPM's, I have had a few skis do this- and yes, low fuel can cause it for some reason. An exhaust leak (a small one) can cause this as well, not enough to have it free rev, which I have seen happen as well. You really need to see it firsthand yourself, and not take how he is describing it to you. "Building RPM's" is kind of a poor description.... he may just need to adjust the idle, or he could have a poorly adjusted throttle cable that is slipping if he is revving it as he flushes, etc. etc.
I am going to say the switch is going bad, and the other problem is attributed to user error or some minor mechanical problem. But you have got to go hear/see it for yourself.

I think you are right. I'm gonna have to check it out myself. It's just a PITA that I'm gonna have to "suck it up" and do.

 

[keefer]

Just unplug the connector near the Ebox with the white/black wires that goes to the handle pole. Start the engine and use a jumper wire to short the white/ black wires on the plug coming from the Ebox. The engine should shut off as this kills the CDI. Disconnecting the battery will not cause the engine to shut off because the CDI derives its power from the stator. Be prepared to service the start stop switch cluster. The contacts get tarnished and need to be cleaned every so often. If there is water intrusion into the switches you might have to replace them or have somebody like JSS rebuild the cluster for you. Good luck.

 

[ANT]

those stop buttons rarely ever go bad. If it's running out of gas it will definetly start to build R's sitting on the trailer. Make sure your looking at the right fuel line, the return is gonna have a lot of air in it.

Like someone said before, don't turn off the gas to kill it cause the oil that lubes the motor is in the gas so that'd be like draining the oil in your car to get it to shut off. Other stuff like people arleady said, holding throttle open, primer, choke, or stuffing a rag is the best way to kill it because the stop button is not going to kill a motor thats running away.

Do a pressure test and if the motor holds the pressure it's suppose to, pull the carb apart and check stuff out and replace the fuel line. If you ride in salt water, get rid of the fuel valve it's just a problem waiting to happen. Just run the line str8 to the carb.

 

[McDog]

Update:

The guy didn't want to bring me the ski back so I could check it out. I see him every couple of weeks at work because he is a product rep. He said he rode it last weekend and it performed perfectly. I guess it was just a "trailer" thing.

How far should my responsibility go for this thing? It has now ran fine for one outing, so whatever goes wrong with it next is on him , right?