Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

[sakirider]

Hi,
i'm fairly new to the whole jet ski scene and have now been riding,my zxi 900 for just over a year,i purchased it second hand and up until this summer it had been running fine.Now a few problems are starting to creep in.

The main problem is getting the thing to start,it is showing all the symptoms of a stuffed battery e.g sluggish rotation,battery drawing down from 12v to around 8 or 9v..sometimes no movement at all,have checked the ignition box for anything out of the ordinary the solanoid seems to be making contact when i press the start button,but i did notice that the voltage across the solanoid terminals were in the milivolts range ,should it be this low?

I'm going through the process of elimination, starting with the battery,can anyone give me advice as to what other components i should eliminate from this problem.....

much appreciated sakirider :)

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

Starting with the battery is the fist thing, Not many batteries last more than two years. Fully charge it then reinstall and check its voltage while cranking, if it falls below 10.5 while cranking , replace, its not going to start. Second check the positive battery cable and the negative cable, inspect the whole cable and check the ends real well, if corrosion and burnt looking replace. Tell us what you find and we will go from there.

[sakirider]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

thanks for the pointer on checking the + and - wires ,i would not have looked there otherwise.They definately needed replacing they had evidence of burning all the way through.Ive now replaced them with a new wire with a bit more meat to them thinking that this may have fixed my starting problems....how wrong was i....When i posted my first thread i mentioned that when i pressed the start button , all i was getting was the clicking sound of the solanoid and that there was no drop in voltage ,and across the solanoid terminals were only reading millivolts..well now,when i press the start button im getting no clicking sound from the solanoid,the voltage still doesn't drop and when ive turned the key to the off position the terminals of the solanoid still read 12.6 volts across them without the key on.?????? how confused am i ?ive mentioned the word solanoid that many times in this post....that must be the next thing ive got to check?would you agree or could the problem still lie elsewhere? your advise would be great...thanks sakirider

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

Try jumping the solenoid,see if it cranks the motor over. Use a needle nose plyers and touch both lugs on the solenoid, what happens? If it cranks replace solenoid. Some times solenoids will just click and nothing happens and some times they dont click and nothing happens.

[sakirider]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

hi,
after jumping the solenoid as suggested,the motor cranked over.which means that the solenoid will need to be replaced yes?just a few questions concerning this.will i need to replace the solenoid with the exact same one ,or are there other alternatives,e.g universal solenoids.I'd like to know if i have more than one option to fix the problem as i do not know how easy it is to come by these particular devices...thanks again sakirider

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

I have interchanged sea-doo and late model polaris, But I dont know if its the same as yours. Send a picture of your solenoid and I will see if it matches any others.

[sakirider]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

sorry about the late reply to your last post,i've been spending the last few days hunting down a new or even used solenoid for the ski.No luck in finding one ,i'd have to have it sent in from the states,so what i've done is had it reconditioned and tested.I have just re-installed the solenoid and after all that it still won't turnover i'm determined to get to the bottom of this before summer comes to an end...your advise as to my next step would be greatly appreciated...Sakirider

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

I guess my next question is how do you recondition a solenoid?

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

Any way, If you tested it and it works, look into your power trim unit. Almost all your electrical runs through the power trim and you might have issues in there.

[sakirider]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

I have a friend that rewinds induction motors for a living and agreed to let me rewind the coil and give it a clean as best I could,I had tested it before re-installing it so I'm happy that it is in working condition.I will investigate the trim system and get back to you with what i find....thanks :)

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

Sounds good.

[joemckairnes]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

Is there a way to bypass the trim unit? I know if it is disconnected, it won't start.... Appreciate any insight!

[Technical Support]

Re: Starting problems kawasaki zxi 900

I have never by-passed one before, dont know what it would take.