Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

[Bluecollar]

Hooked the battery cables up on a 96 Sea Doo xp and smoke came out of the back of the ski from what appears to be the vts unit. I made sure the cables were correct when hooked up and now when the lanyard is placed on the post I get no power at all (no guages, no beeps, nothing) I can use a jumper wire across the relay and it will turn the motor over but not fire the plugs. This ski has sat for over a year now without being cranked. The vts motor does work when connected directly to the battery but not with the switch on the handlebars. Also the 7.5 amp fuse in the back box keeps blowing when I replace it. I can tell with the cover off the vts housing that water has been inside and would appreciate if someone could point me in the right direction on this before I buy parts I don't need. Does the vts have something to do with the ignition on this ski? Thanks!

[Seadoomax]

Re: Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

Check all your fuses for the starting problem you may have the 15 amp blown. As far as the VTS need to pull that fuse so it doesnt run down your battery. if your box has water in it then you most likely need to replace it

[Bluecollar]

Re: Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

I've checked the other fuses and all are good. I can go without the trim but what is keeping it from turning over and starting? I'm getting absolutely nothing right now at all. Will a bad vts module prevent the ski from cranking?

[Seadoomax]

Re: Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

you need to make sure you are checking both fuse boxes there are two

[Bill O'Neal2]

Re: Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

No, but a bad starter relay or bad starter motor will. Test the relay by jumping the two large connectors together. If the starter works, replace the relay. It is in the electrical box next to the battery. Put the little black wire from the coil box back onto the negative battery terminal. Check your ground cables.

[Bluecollar]

Re: Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

All other fuses are good in the rear box and the mpem box up front. I can jump the two positive wires together in the back box and it will turn over but it's not firing when I do that. By what you are saying to me it sounds like it may be the mpem.

[Bill O'Neal2]

Re: Need Help! Smoke came out of VTS

The 7.5 amp fuse is being overloaded by the VTS motor. That is why the 7.5 amp fuse blows. Some guys install a 10 amp fuse and their VTS works again. SD does not recommend using a 10 amp fuse.
The 7.5 amp fuse has nothing to do with the ignition.

There is a 15 amp fuse that protects the charging system. There is a 5 amp fuse that protects the ignition.

Looking at a fuse is not the same as testing the fuse. Sometimes the fuse is good, but the fuse holder is not good. Always test a fuse in it's position on the mpem or wherever it goes with a test light or multimeter.
A 1996 XP has a small black ground wire that comes from the coil box and connects to the neg side of the battery. This wire is often overlooked when changing a battery. It is also known to rot inside of the plastic sheath insulation and not make contact. If this happens, you get nothing when you attach the lanyard, no guages, no starting, no ignition. It is what grounds the front electrical box through the wire loom. The negative battery cable is known to break off of the ear on the starter motor, or get corrosion inside of the insulation. But, your stater works when you jump the solenoid, so that cable must be OK.

If you had a dead short circuit in the magneto housing or rectifier, you would be blowing the 15 amp fuse.

Very few 1996 MPEMs or CDI's ever fail in my experences. I cannot remember ever needing to replace one in a 1996 XP, GSX or GTX.

Tether posts fail. Tethers fail. Ignition pickups fail. Magnetos fail. start stop switches fail, starter relays fail, starter motors fail, batteries fail and ocassionally a wire inside of a wireloom breaks or a fuse holder fails.