[Crackofdawn]

My boss didn't winterize her 2008 FX Cruiser - it hasn't been started since I think last September and it's been sitting covered in her garage since then. She offered to let me borrow it this Monday and of course I went to check it out today and it didn't start (big shocker). It didn't do a single thing when pushing the start button not even click.

I removed the battery (it was left connected all winter) and put it on a 2amp 12v motorcycle trickle charger (will try putting it back in after 4-5 hours and see if I get anything from the starter.

Aside from that is there anything cheap/fast/easy that can be done to get this thing to start before Monday?? I definitely don't want to spend much money getting someone else's ski to start and she's out of town right now. I'm hoping it will somehow magically start once the battery is charged but then again I don't even know if it will hold a charge. Is there some sort of fluid I should add to the gas or spray somewhere that might help if it doesn't start with just a battery charge?

Any other advice? Thanks in advance!

 

[Warnzie]

Well I guess get that battery charged but before the ski will start you will need good 12V's from the battery. How much fuel does it got in it at the moment? I would try drain the fuel out of it as It will probably be stail by now. That is probably all I would do.

 

[Crackofdawn]

Well I guess get that battery charged but before the ski will start you will need good 12V's from the battery. How much fuel does it got in it at the moment? I would try drain the fuel out of it as It will probably be stail by now. That is probably all I would do.

How do I drain the fuel out? Is there a way to do it without a pump? I'll have to find out how much is in there as if it's only a little bit it won't be too bad but if there is 10 gallons in there I don't know what I'll do.

 

[Warnzie]

Well if it was last filled up with Premium Unleaded you should be ok as supposibly Premo isnt meant to go stail. Um if there is only a little fuel in it just add some fuel additive to when you fill her up. Now with draining the fuel tank and only ways I know of is to pump or syfin it out unless there is a sump plug on the bottom which I doubt so you might need a pump to get the old fuel out or just syfin it out which is pretty easy. But if she is under 1/4full I wouldnt worry bout it just add a fuel additive and fill her up with Premo fuel and you should be able to ride till sunset!

Also might help to clean the spark plugs on it to! just pull em out and give them a clean.

 

[Crackofdawn]

Well if it was last filled up with Premium Unleaded you should be ok as supposibly Premo isnt meant to go stail. Um if there is only a little fuel in it just add some fuel additive to when you fill her up. Now with draining the fuel tank and only ways I know of is to pump or syfin it out unless there is a sump plug on the bottom which I doubt so you might need a pump to get the old fuel out or just syfin it out which is pretty easy. But if she is under 1/4full I wouldnt worry bout it just add a fuel additive and fill her up with Premo fuel and you should be able to ride till sunset!

Also might help to clean the spark plugs on it to! just pull em out and give them a clean.

I'll look into that as well. I tried reconnecting the battery after a 4 hour 2amp charge and it didn't even click when I hit the start button. My boss says she's going to pick up a new battery tomorrow so I'll install that and see what happens and go from there!

 

[Ernest T]

I'll look into that as well. I tried reconnecting the battery after a 4 hour 2amp charge and it didn't even click when I hit the start button. My boss says she's going to pick up a new battery tomorrow so I'll install that and see what happens and go from there!

If you let those batteries totally discharge they are pretty much toast. If it will turn over with a new battery, but not start, then I'd worry about the gas. Fill it up with new fuel and add HEET to get rid of condensation that mey be contaminating the fuel.

Remember not to run it more than 20 seconds or so out of the water without attaching a hose for cooling.

 

[Crackofdawn]

If you let those batteries totally discharge they are pretty much toast. If it will turn over with a new battery, but not start, then I'd worry about the gas. Fill it up with new fuel and add HEET to get rid of condensation that mey be contaminating the fuel.

Remember not to run it more than 20 seconds or so out of the water without attaching a hose for cooling.

:thumbsup: I'll try all this tomorrow after she gets the new battery. I need to find out how much gas is already in there as well!

 

[Crackofdawn]

Good news - bought a new battery, filled it up with electrolytes, gave it an hour, charged at 2amp for 2 1/2 hours, and the jet ski started right up (maybe 3 seconds of pushing the starter before it started). Not bad for 9 month old gas.

So my plan for tomorrow is just to take it to the gas station, fill it up the rest of the way (she says she thinks its 2/3 full but I don't see any way to tell how much gas is in it), and then take it straight to the Lake.

Anything else I should do to prepare? When it was running I let it run about 6-7 seconds, gave it a few revs, then let it run a couple more seconds and shut it off - no sputtering or anything that I could tell or hesitation out of the water. Just looking for advice to make this a smooth trip Should I add some octane booster or something to it? What octane gas should I put in?

Also since I've never used such a new jet ski and my boss seems rather clueless about her own jet ski (her husband usually does everything to it and he's out of town), I have a couple basic questions:

When filling it up with gas can I just put a nozzle right in and hold the trigger down and it will stop when it gets full like in a car? Or do I have to really watch carefully and fill slowly and stop manually when it gets full like on a motorcycle? Also I saw on the left handlebar it says N and then has a forward and reverse but I didn't see any way to actually turn the handle to go from N to anything else. I didn't try when the jet ski was on so I'm assuming when I get in the water and start it, I can just pull the little purple handle and turn the handlebar forward for forward or backwards for reverse - is that correct?

Alright thanks everyone for the help so far, was immensely useful!

 

[Ernest T]

When filling it up with gas can I just put a nozzle right in and hold the trigger down and it will stop when it gets full like in a car? Or do I have to really watch carefully and fill slowly and stop manually when it gets full like on a motorcycle? Also I saw on the left handlebar it says N and then has a forward and reverse but I didn't see any way to actually turn the handle to go from N to anything else. I didn't try when the jet ski was on so I'm assuming when I get in the water and start it, I can just pull the little purple handle and turn the handlebar forward for forward or backwards for reverse - is that correct?

Alright thanks everyone for the help so far, was immensely useful!

Pull the seats off while you are filling it and you can see the gas level in the tank. 2 inches from the top of the tank is considered full. I have found that some gas nozzels work better than others. Don't be surprised if you end up with gas spurting back out when it is only 1/2 full all over the side of the ski. You have to play with the nozzle angle to get the best position and pump slowly. Yamahas run fine on regular gas. I doubt you will need any additives if it started OK already.

The "N" is neutral trim, and if you are riding alone or even with just one passenger in relatively calm water you probably will not need to change it. If you have multiple riders or or towing, rough conditions etc., you can trim the bow up or down for a better ride (like a boat). There may be a release button that you have to push while twisting the grip to change the trim (I can't remember on that model).

The reverse handle is on the right side of the ski next to the glove box. You pull it straight back to engage the reverse. With the reverse you will go in the opposite direction that you think you will when you turn the handlebars. Pull the reverse handle all the way out and it will drop a plate over the nozzle to push the water forward. Don't pull the reverse handle out when you are at speed going forward, or you will rip the reverse gate off the ski. You should engage the reverse only at idle speed. You can hold the reverse handle about 1/2 way out to maintain a neutral position at idle. You will always be moving one direction or the other while the engine is running. Kill the engine to hold position.

Most important thing to remember is that when you release the throttle you have no steering control on a ski, since the steering is from the jet thrust. To avoid collisions maintain a little throttle and turn hard. When you release the throttle you will go straight ahead regardless of how you turn the handlebars.

Remember to check to make sure the two drain plugs are screwed in on the back of the ski before you put it in the water!

HAVE FUN!

 

[Crackofdawn]

Pull the seats off while you are filling it and you can see the gas level in the tank. 2 inches from the top of the tank is considered full. I have found that some gas nozzels work better than others. Don't be surprised if you end up with gas spurting back out when it is only 1/2 full all over the side of the ski. You have to play with the nozzle angle to get the best position and pump slowly. Yamahas run fine on regular gas. I doubt you will need any additives if it started OK already.

The "N" is neutral trim, and if you are riding alone or even with just one passenger in relatively calm water you probably will not need to change it. If you have multiple riders or or towing, rough conditions etc., you can trim the bow up or down for a better ride (like a boat). There may be a release button that you have to push while twisting the grip to change the trim (I can't remember on that model).

The reverse handle is on the right side of the ski next to the glove box. You pull it straight back to engage the reverse. With the reverse you will go in the opposite direction that you think you will when you turn the handlebars. Pull the reverse handle all the way out and it will drop a plate over the nozzle to push the water forward. Don't pull the reverse handle out when you are at speed going forward, or you will rip the reverse gate off the ski. You should engage the reverse only at idle speed. You can hold the reverse handle about 1/2 way out to maintain a neutral position at idle. You will always be moving one direction or the other while the engine is running. Kill the engine to hold position.

Most important thing to remember is that when you release the throttle you have no steering control on a ski, since the steering is from the jet thrust. To avoid collisions maintain a little throttle and turn hard. When you release the throttle you will go straight ahead regardless of how you turn the handlebars.

Remember to check to make sure the two drain plugs are screwed in on the back of the ski before you put it in the water!

HAVE FUN!

Thanks Ernest! I have ridden Jet Skis before but its been quite awhile. All good things to keep in mind. Now if only the weather will cooperate - it was pouring about 30 min ago but the sun is starting to poke out

 

[Ernest T]

Thanks Ernest! - it was pouring about 30 min ago but the sun is starting to poke out

Man, I'm hearing you. Yesterday the weather guys were saying 20% at most, and it has been pouring here all day. Looks like I'll have to wait until next weekend to terrorize the lake.:lightingzapA:

 

[Crackofdawn]

Yep - we had to call off the lake day 85% chance of rain for the entire day at the lake, and it's been pouring with lightning and thunder almost all day. We're going to try for next Sunday now so heres to hoping.

The good thing is my boss gave me the code to her neighborhood gate and her garage and told me I can borrow her waverunner any time I want now as long as they aren't using it, so I guess this means I don't have to buy one, at least for awhile

 

[Crackofdawn]

Thought I'd post again in here - Saturday Night I put a bottle of ISO-HEET into my boss' jet ski and then filled up the tank with 93 octane (about 9.7 gallons). Let it sit overnight, Sunday we took the ski to the lake and it started up first try, and ran perfect the entire day with no issues - was maxing out around 62mph with 1 person on it (FX Cruiser, non HO).

So I guess it all worked out