Gray box vibrating. Bad relay? 580cc

[ccassone]

On my 92 gtx (580 )I had trouble with my starter so I took that out, and I also inspected the gray box. I unplugged the cube shaped relays plugged into the mpem and plugged them back in. I was in the gray box looking for fuses because my guages didn't work. So I found there was a little bit of water in the bottom of the gray box. The ski ran perfect everyday and I had no problems with my electronics except for the guages. So I found the bendix on the starter was really rusted so I fixed that. Now I put everything all back together and put in the battery. I hit the start button and it just makes a grinding noise coming from the gray box. It just vibrates inside the gray box. It is not the starter, it is coming from the gray box. I think it is the relay but why would the relay just go bad now? Could a bad ground cause this? I can't deal with this now! Now I have no working skis!! What do I do? Thanks, Charlie

[ccassone]

Why is that post hyperlinked? That seems funny. Charlie

[ccassone]

ttt

[Tiplickhahaha]

make sure all contacts are clean, the wires that need to be grounded are, and everything is right in the elec. box.

also, make sure the battery is charged.

did you change the starter with a new one or just replace?


What you can do is just take the pos + cable from the battery and the cable from the starter and connect them with a bolt or somthin and see if the starter turns just bypassing the relay all together.

if you dont hear anything bad starter atleast thats what i have been told*...

same thing is happening to my 550 did the test and nothing. 550 starter are known to go out.....


hope this helps.

[ccassone]

I don't really think the starter itself is bad right yet, because there is no juice getting to the starter. So that makes me think bad relay. I think my relay went bad because I put the battery in and pressed the start button and a spark and smoke came from the positive terminal. So I looked closed and when I tightened the ground onto the starter The connector pulled apart from the wire. So basically the system wasn't grounded. I tried the start button without knowing that the ground wire was not even connected. So could trying to start the ski without a ground wire kill a relay?

[ccassone]

I just went out and bought a new sollenoid for $20. I am worried though that if I put it in will it get instantly fried? What all of a sudden caused my old sollenoid to go out?

[RX951]

Those starter solonoids are prone to go out on the older doo's. Heat from the battery current makes the internals of the solonoid weak and eventually arc/short out inside.....symptoms: not starting, vibrating to even keeping the starter engaged all the time.

* Dry that box out really well. spray water dispersant in there, WD40, silicone spray ect.....clean all connections.

* Check all the starter connections too.

* Clean off any rusty connections and spray with lubricant.

* Also test your starter and make sure it is o.k. also.

* Also make sure that battery is fully charged and fresh.

[ccassone]

That's the thing, My starter was having problems. It would spins and spin but it wouldn't engage the flywheel. I would have to tap the starter with a screw driver and hammer to get it to work. Then the screw driver trick didn't work anymore. So what do you guys think happened? It has to be a bad starter for it to not engage the motor right? I bought a new sollenoid and I haven't put it in yet because I figured there may be a bad connection or something that I haven't checked. Thanks, Charlie

[RX951]

Sounds like this ski had water get in the hull pretty bad to the point where the CDI box and starter were underwater.

I bet you have some corrosion inside that starter also especially if the bendix was rusted like you said.

Replace that Starter too. I am almost sure it is corroded inside.

With a new solonoid and starter, and a fresh hot battery, good plugs and fresh fuel, it should start.

[ccassone]

I don't think I have cdi ignition on my 580. I didn't get any water in my hull. Every ride is absolutely bone dry inside the bilge. I never did anything to get water inside the hull. How much is a new starter?