550sx won't start - negative battery terminal melted

[Carl Nelson]

Hey guys,

Could really use your knowledge and expertise here. I have a 1991 550sx that has been running great every weekend. When I went to take it out the other day, the engine was turning over very slowly almost like the battery was dying. The day before it ran perfect, no issues. It would start but then it would stall out a few seconds later. Everntually it stopped firing altogether. I took off the cover and noticed the negative terminal post on the battery was completely melted. I figured it was either from a dying battery (its 3 years old) or a poor connection at the terminal so I bought a new battery. I put the new battery in and it turns over fine but still won't start. I reaplced the spark plugs and they arent sparking. Any ideas where to start checking first? It looks like the grounds from the battery are securely in place. Do you think the heat ended up frying one of these two wires as well? Or could it be an issue with the ebox or stator? Any help or thoughts is greatly appreciated!

Carl

 

[orangefinger]

check if stator negative if its melted , I assume starter went out ( got stuck if your negative on battery melted ) I would open up e box to see what other damage was caused ....

again as always opinions will differ ...

 

[Carl Nelson]

Ok thank you very much. I am a beginner when it comes to jet ski repairs. Are there any good guides or videos that show how to test ebox components? Is it just testing all the wires with a multimeter?

 

[BrettM0352]

If your starter shorted then it easily could have back fed through the entire electrical system.

I would start by visually inspecting the rest of the grounds in the system, like the stator negative and the ground wires on the coil mounting screw. Then check the inside of the ebox, the wiring harness, the stator, and the starter for any more meltage. Also look closely at your battery cables and starter cable, make sure the shielding isn't damaged exposing the wire, or the terminal ends aren't arcing against a ground, like the engine. Then I would check the resistance from connector end to end. If your multimeter reads anything way above zero, or it displays OL then you have a burnt or broken wire.

You'll need to test the stator, the cdi, and the ignition coil. If the rest of your grounds are burnt up, that would present a no spark scenario.

If you plan on keeping that ski for a while these manuals are pretty cheap and invaluable for assembly and diagnosing / testing problems.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/KAWASAKI-F...391149?hash=item3639d36c6d:g:gJMAAOSw05JbexVc

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1991-KAWAS...681923?hash=item213df97f03:g:5D8AAOSw-zha4yaW