1992 Sea Doo SP HELP!!

[boatbuilder42]

I just purchased a used 1992 Sea Doo SP.
When I bought it the previous owner started it up just fine. Then I took it to the lake and it wouldn't start unless it was on jumper cables. I recharged the battery over the week and then it started fine. But after about 1 1/2 of riding it wouldn't start again.

I then....put in a new battery and new plugs and it ran fine for about 2 hours, but then it went dead again. What can cause it to go dead so fast? I got the shop manual for the 1988-1996 Sea Doo's and the 1992 SP seems to not have a rectifier. I didn't know if that could be the culprit of draining the battery if that wasn't working properly but it looks like it doesn't have one. Only on 1993 models did the rectifier come into play.
Please help! Any information what so ever would help at this point.
Thanks,
Devan Hansen

[Technical Support]

They all have one.

Part # 278000123 around $55 from your local dealer

[boatbuilder42]

Where is the rectifier located at? Should I start there? What can cause the battery to drain so quickly...if that is indeed is what is happening?

[Technical Support]

It's in the electrical box with everything else, and yes that will drain your battery very quickly. www.hlsm.com for microfiche

[boatbuilder42]

Is there any way I can test my rectifier before I purchase a new one?

[Technical Support]

Idle the ski and test the voltage at the battery, see if it's below 12v

[boatbuilder42]

It won't start right now. Is there another test since I can't get it to start, or should I recharge this new battery again, and try to get it to fire and then run the voltage test on the battery?

[stevepaulus]

recharge the battery, need juice to do tests

[george]

did you properly fill and charge the new battery before you put it in service?

[Skyhawk76E]

There is one other item I would check. There are 2 coils in the magneto, one is for ignition and the other is for charging the battery.

On all 92 models the yellow and yellow/black wires go to the charging coil. If you disconnect these wires from their quick disconnects and use an ohm-meter, you should see .05 to .6 ohms across them. This is the textbook test of the charging coil.

I found a guy last week selling the entire electrical box from a 92 model he is parting out for $100. That's a really good deal, but I found another source for my needs. You can try him for the parts if it's not your charging coil. His email address is below:
daniel barmes [d_j.barmes@worldnet.att.net]

[stevepaulus]

good point.....but the battery needs to have juice.
How ya gonna get ohm readings with a dead electrical system.

[Technical Support]

You need a battery for voltage testing, not resistance.

[george]

when you do the stator ohm test the stator is (must be) disconnected from the battery, so in that case it doesn't matter. The "juice" comes from the 9volt in yout DMM..

However, it seems most likely Deven simply has a bad battery. I would try another known good battery before ripping into the
electrical system.

[Skyhawk76E]

The charging coil test is supposed to be done with the battery disconnected and the coil's connectors disconnected. You will have 2 wires coming into the box that are coming straight from the charging coil.

If you get to the point of opening the electrical box to test in there, you will probably find a LOT of corrosion. Each of my 92 model's connections were green with it. The corrosion can obviously affect the charge getting back to the battery (and other items).

I used a Dremmel tool with a spinning wire brush to polish the male connectors and a long drill-like bit on low speed to polish the female connectors.

These are just a couple of other things to try before you buy parts...

[boatbuilder42]

Thanks for all the replies...but let me clarify my issue.

I bought the ski 3 weeks ago and when I bought it the guy started it right up on the trailer. The next day I took it to the lake and it wouldn't start, so I took out the battery and had it fully charged. Put the charged battery back in and it would start right up. Then I ran it out on the lake for a little over an hour. Came back in, got off of the ski and then about 2 hours later hopped back on it for another ride...then it wouldn't start.

Next day...
Then I went and bought a brand new battery and new plugs.....started right up! Rode for a few hours....with some on and off during that time. Then I shut it down got off for awhile, went to get back on the ski to drive back into the Marina and it wouldn't start. Its like something is draining the battery. My dad suggested that it may be the rectifier causing the problem. Even on the weak battery it will try to fire, but not enough.

I am currently charging this brand new battery and then I am going to run a test if I can get it started to see if the rectifier is the problem. Also, in my manual it points out the rectifier as a Solenoid....are those two names interchangeable?
Same Part?