mndunfee

I have a '95 Kawasaki 900 zxi I attempted to start this summer. Replaced the battery and the gauges light up, trim works, but you try to start and nothing. Won't even try to turnover. It's as if the battery is dead but it's brand new and has a full charge. Checked the obvious areas (fuses, wiring, kill switch, etc) and nothing. Any suggestions on where to begin troubleshooting? Any help is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!!

Cokedog32

make sure you are getting power back from your stator and that everything is grounded properly

ggauvin

The start button activates the starter relay (in the e-box)... do you hear a "click" from that relay??? The relay sends battery power to the starter motor itself. Can you check for voltage reaching the power stud on the motor while attempting to crank. Take it one step at a time... it has to be switch, relay, wiring, or finally motor. Of course there are the ground wires on the other side of the circuits. Look for rust, corrosion, loose/broken wires or connectors. Open the e-box... is there water/corrosion inside?.

deraeler

I have the same issue with both of my ski's. Thought I had a bad trickle charger, but borrowed a friend's and it says my batteries are OK. I know for a fact during testing I briefly had my battery wires backwards, but quickly noticed this and corrected it. Still, I think I may have fried my diodes/rectifier. I'm thinking either rectifiers or the Kill/Start switches. HEard rumors of these Kill switches going bad. Not sure how to test these. On one ski I did fully disassemble the CDI box and tested the starter relay - it tested out fine. Symptom is NO STARTING ACTIVITY AT ALL - not even a relay click....just dead, dead, dead. As if my kill switch was engaged. Really need help with this - hope this may help the other fellow with similar issue.

BTW - my CDI boxes are water-tight, and all wires are clean and corrosion free. Very hard to reach the starter motor contacts (have to remove the exhaust/expansion chamber just to get to it). These things run great once they start - I started one with a jump box, but it won't start on its own. I'm afraid to try that on the other one now, but this is what led me to think my batteries were bad.

ggauvin

Battery wired backwards is bad news... yes, that can take out the rectifier diodes and maybe the stator windings.
If jumping from a "jump box" will start the ski, then it is either a bad battery, or bad wiring. It depends upon exactly where you clamped the Jump Box wires. You probably clamped them "over" the battery terminal clamps, and/or you used a convenient bolt on the motor as ground. You would be bypassing the original clamps, or ground wire, while attached in this way... indicating those items might be the "bad" elements.

deraeler

So I'm having both skis checked out, it was bakin my noodle. I had my third battery tested and they said it's fried. Which kills me - it's only 2 yrs old. My only conclusion is that it may have been overcharged by my trickle charger, but allegedly when that thing goes green into 'storage' mode it should not be putting too much voltage into the battery. The two batteries in the skis are even older, and they take a beating on the water, but other than that I can't explain why they'd be shot. But I'm guessing the same thing happened to them. Thoughts?