Electrical Problems on my X2!!

I am having issues with my x2!! I just put a fresh rebuilt stock engine in my ski. It has a coffman pipe, 44 mikuni carb, etc. I put the ski in the water a few weeks ago and it ran great for approximately 10 minutes... After that everytime I would squeeze the throttle I would get a shock through my fingers. It started off small and steadily got worse. On a swift river, it was a little scary!! Long story short I am having grounding issues.

After this incident the ski has not been in the water. But I have been trying to track down the problem. Busy with work and my multitude of other toys...I haven't had a lot of time to play. I started the ski the other day and it fired right up. I backed the truck over to give the water another shot and I hit the starter for one last measure and nothing. The engine turned over great, but no spark!! I tracked down that the coil was bad, but i'm afraid that i tested it wrong!

Can someone please give me a few pointers on testing the coil?
 

Crab

thanks darin...noswad!
Location
Seattle
I am having issues with my x2!! I just put a fresh rebuilt stock engine in my ski. It has a coffman pipe, 44 mikuni carb, etc. I put the ski in the water a few weeks ago and it ran great for approximately 10 minutes... After that everytime I would squeeze the throttle I would get a shock through my fingers. It started off small and steadily got worse. On a swift river, it was a little scary!! Long story short I am having grounding issues.

After this incident the ski has not been in the water. But I have been trying to track down the problem. Busy with work and my multitude of other toys...I haven't had a lot of time to play. I started the ski the other day and it fired right up. I backed the truck over to give the water another shot and I hit the starter for one last measure and nothing. The engine turned over great, but no spark!! I tracked down that the coil was bad, but i'm afraid that i tested it wrong!

Can someone please give me a few pointers on testing the coil?
Swap in a known good one, no test avaliable.
 
I thought you could check the resistance between the plug wires for the secondary coil. And then there is a series of checks for the primary... I only have my og coil. I dont want to spend 100+ to find out that it was something else.

What ignition do you run? Any trick setups worth the expense?
 

Crab

thanks darin...noswad!
Location
Seattle
I thought you could check the resistance between the plug wires for the secondary coil. And then there is a series of checks for the primary... I only have my og coil. I dont want to spend 100+ to find out that it was something else.

What ignition do you run? Any trick setups worth the expense?
650 electrics, the cdi tests are not reliable and basically worthless. The stator/charge coil tests however are good. Make sure they are in spec, then inspect all wires, connectors, and grounds. Clip back spark plug leads at least 1/2 inch for starters. You can't expect 20 year old boats with the OE coil to still be working right in some cases, heat, vibration, moisture and time take their toll.
 
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For the coil, you can check your plug wires with a resistance test but that's about it.

Take your stator cover off and make sure it is not full of water. I had similar symptoms and ended up being a stator cover full of water due to a bad seal or warped cover.
 
I found the problem! It was a broken wire on the stator causing the no spark. Unfortunately, I was tired when I took the flywheel off and the bolts I used to hold my puller chewed up the stator winding. I think I have a spare somewhere, hopefully.... Thanks for all your help!
 
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