Could this be a bad starter?

Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
I finally cleaned up enough to have room to work on my fx1 so now I'm back to diagnosing the problems. When I try to start the ski it just makes a loud click but doesn't turn over at all. It started turning over once but it was way slower then normal. Last time it ran it felt like it was running on 1/4 power. That may have been bad plugs though.

What kind of preventative maintenence should I do while I'm at it? I'm going to try and replace the battery cables and starter cables. Anything else?
 
SJBrit

SJBrit

Extraordinary Alien
Location
Bradenton, FL
Dumb question: is your battery charged? Also, have you tried turning the motor over by hand to check that it is spinning free? Remove the plugs and reach down to spin the coupler to check. If you have a good battery and a clean spinning motor then i would check the starter cable connections before you replace them. A bad connection can cause starting issues.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
The coupler is located at the rear of your engine and is just under the rounded plastic cover. The SJ one's are held on by 2 bolts into the bedplate corners and a rubber retainer at the back.
 
ger87410

ger87410

How did I get here?
Location
Fort Worth
SJBrit said:
Dumb question: is your battery charged? Also, have you tried turning the motor over by hand to check that it is spinning free? Remove the plugs and reach down to spin the coupler to check. If you have a good battery and a clean spinning motor then i would check the starter cable connections before you replace them. A bad connection can cause starting issues.
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Forget the battery being charged...

Try swapping with a known good battery. That's the only way to rule out the battery. Can you short the starter straight to the battery on those skis like you can with a 550?
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
I pulled the intake grate and tried to spin the shaft but couldn't so I pulled most of the pump and I'm about try to start it. I did discover it has a solas 19-25 prop which I didn't know. I swapped the battery with another and as far as I know both were good but neither have been used in a while. One was over 14 volts though
 
Big Kahuna

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
You have to spin the motor at the coupler, only way to get good leverage on it.

Also, your cables could be bad causing you not to get enough AMPS to spin the starter.
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
Big Kahuna said:
You have to spin the motor at the coupler, only way to get good leverage on it.

Also, your cables could be bad causing you not to get enough AMPS to spin the starter.
Click to expand...

Can I jump the batt straight to the starter safely? If so how?

I remover the pump and shaft and still not starting.
 
Big Kahuna

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
You could hook a wire straight to the starter but do not have the battery grounded. Then touch the ground to the block and see if the starter turns over under load. Having the starter on a bench does not give it any load, it may spin like crazy but die when you install it back.
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
i couldnt figure out where to hook up to the starter so i pulled the flywheel cover and tried spinning the flywheel and couldnt get it to move at all. Should it be that hard to turn or can i pretty much assume the motor is seized? If the motor is seized what should i look for? Im planning on pulling it the next chance i can and i suppose disassembling it but i dont know what exactly to watch out for as ive never taken a motor apart before.
 
SJBrit

SJBrit

Extraordinary Alien
Location
Bradenton, FL
Shadow7874 said:
i couldnt figure out where to hook up to the starter so i pulled the flywheel cover and tried spinning the flywheel and couldnt get it to move at all. Should it be that hard to turn or can i pretty much assume the motor is seized? If the motor is seized what should i look for? Im planning on pulling it the next chance i can and i suppose disassembling it but i dont know what exactly to watch out for as ive never taken a motor apart before.
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Did you take the plugs out first? You won't be able to spin it with them in, and it should turn pretty easily with them out. Get a wrench or socket on the flywheel bolt - that's an easy way to turn it.
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
SJBrit said:
Did you take the plugs out first? You won't be able to spin it with them in, and it should turn pretty easily with them out. Get a wrench or socket on the flywheel bolt - that's an easy way to turn it.
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i didnt have the plugs completly out but they were loose enough to where i dont think it would have been an issue. Ill try again later. I ended up breaking the bolt free before it actually spun though.
 
SJBrit

SJBrit

Extraordinary Alien
Location
Bradenton, FL
Pump out, plugs out and the flywheel bolt broke free trying to turn the motor? Sorry to say that that doesn't sound good at all - you're looking at a full teardown at this point. When was the last tome this motor was running? You said it felt like it had low power?
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
It was running around October but then wouldn't start so it has been parked since. The last day I rode I barely had enough power to get on plane. Then it started having trouble starting. It would either click or turn over very slowly. If I have to tear it down would it be wise to mod it a little or just rebuild it? It's an fx1 so the pump is currently a limiting factor.
 
Shadow7874

Shadow7874

Location
Ocala, FL
stanton said:
ouch. you need to repair that thing most likely. pull the head and cylinder..
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how? im fairly sure i know how to pull the head but once i get past there im not so certain. Also where can i find the torque specs for anything i will need to disassemble? I assume this info is out there somewhere already but im not so sure as to what i should search for. This will be the first time ive done anything w/ the motor aside from stuff with the carbs so its new territory for me.
 
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