LOW VOLTAGE WARNING: 2010 SeaDoo RXT 215

[RaFlames]

GH community I need you again....this is an on going follow-up of sorts, my recently purchased 2010 RXT 215, it has had this low voltage warning light & check engine light issue every since I got it in May. I've changed the Battery, as well as the voltage regulator/rectifier twice ,one Amazon piece of crap, and recently a BRP OEM rectifier (as well as a new oil cooler, oil pressure sensor, relay fuse, Map pressure sensor and both ride plate fittings) . it runs fine for 20mins or so. then when I hit the throttle hard it cuts on, then off again when i was go slow...this continued till I had to pack it up and leave the lake (which is an hour away) needless to say very disappointing...for the wife and I. GH has been very helpful with every issue mentioned, I hope you guys can help me with this one as well...thanks in advance...

[jpt7779]

There are 3 yellow wires coming from the back of the PTO housing from the stator. This is what generates power to the VR. There is a connection half way on the right side you need to check for corrosion / burned up, as it is a very common failure point with electrical problems.

Get a shop manual if you don’t have one.

Report back.

[RaFlames]

Hey jpt7779 if the connection is bad, will I have to replace the stator w/ new connection, or can I some how just fix/repair the connection?

[nmpeter]

the typical repair here is to remove the connector, clip off the damaged wiring and solder it all back together, then waterproof the connection with heat shrink tubing and then hang a tag that says "I'm sorry about this" where the splice is.

as the next guy that has to pull the engine is going to say some very unkind things when that splice is encountered

of course if you have the inclination and the pricey tools needed to restore the connection to oem status you could do that too. I do not

cheap regulators often overload the a/c lines by forcing maximum output ( and shunting all the power to ground) and the connector (luckily) fails before the stator is damaged

that rates as one of the most common seadoo electrical repairs, which is why I seldom use aftermarket electrics, and when I do its typically cause the customer has sticker shock over the cost of the oem part.

Of course, I don't warranty work like that for more then 7 days. I get my aftermarkets from a source a little more reputable then the vendors on the river company

and with a properly installed deka agm battery I haven't had any comebacks, except once where they guy used his ski to jump start his pals ski and blew up the regulator again

pro tip: jump starting with the donor engine running is looking for trouble, be it on a truck, or a jetski, as is jump starting in general. Jump _charging_ can be helpful, but don't fall to the temptation to tr to crank the engine while the other ski is running. I knew the ins and outs of this long before I started working on boats. When I was in college, i worked for the AAA doing road calls at night and made lots of extra cash helping the friend who came to assist the client after they killed their electrical systems by repeated attempts to start an engine

[jpt7779]

Hey jpt7779 if the connection is bad, will I have to replace the stator w/ new connection, or can I some how just fix/repair the connection?

It depends!

Connection may be fine and you have another issue.
Connection may be fried, if so you can replace male / female ends with proper tools. Or cut the wires and splice.

The stator should be checked out per shop manual with a ohm tester.

[RaFlames]

hey guys I followed the 3 yellow wires from the rectifier to the stator, this is what I found (about half way).. does this mean someone before me did this resplice? or is this where my problem is and I need to redo..to make sure they're properly connected?

[nmpeter]

that appears to be a pretty low quality connection, I would resplice the wires, solder them and apply heat shrink tubing

while the wiring is open, measure the a/c voltage output from the stator . spec is in the service manual

as you see now, somebody already had to repair this known weak point in the harness ( and notice no "sorry about this" tag) and anything from here is possible.

measure the voltage at the battery with the engine idling and running at 5k rpm for a few seconds

report back with all the measurements and we'll see what has to happen next

[RaFlames]

thanks again, Captain Pete...I'll do it and report back...

[RaFlames]

what gauge wire do you think that is Captain Pete?

[jpt7779]

Clearly the previous owner had issues with this, if it was mine I would install a 300 ski stator which has higher power amperage and solid wires straight to the VR.

[nmpeter]

that's what I would do, given the opportunity..............

given the consequences of any kind of trouble on the water out of the sight of land requires some steps be taken

I grew up on dealing with the puny alternator output on motorcycles and always in the quest for more watts..mainly in the day for some tree burning headlights

today its all sorts of other things you've got drawing on the systems, so a move to a high output alternator/stator /whatever you want to call it) is an easy move assuming it's 100% bolt on, which I assume it is.

and as far as the question goes....I'd be using stranded 12 gauge wire there, just the splice alone introduces some loss, so take steps to minimize it, and some high quality electrical solder. I don't even know whats sold today, the last time I bought a roll was in 1998 and its that deadly tin/lead/rosin stuff. Luckily I don't do any work in california. Make sure its for electrical work that's all I'm sayin. No Crimping!

[1tommygunner1927]

hey guys I followed the 3 yellow wires from the rectifier to the stator, this is what I found (about half way).. does this mean someone before me did this resplice? or is this where my problem is and I need to redo..to make sure they're properly connected?

The main cause for this is corrosion at the battery cable, part number 278002815. This cable attaches at the battery positive post and the starter relay and has 2- 12 gauge leads which connects the the fuse box. One lead connects to a 3 post 12 volt buss bar, the other lead connect to a 30 amp fuse-battery.

Corrosion increases resistance at the starter relay and the lead at the buss bar and stator connectors burning all 3 connections. Volt readings will be normal at low rpm but will show low voltage at higher rpms.

[RaFlames]

hey jpt7779 is this the correct stator you mentioned? also would i have to change the connector?

[1tommygunner1927]

hey jpt7779 is this the correct stator you mentioned? also would i have to change the connector?

This is one part you want to buy new and OEM ONLY!

The older style stator has a 3 pin connector mid way in the harness to the regulator/recifier (RR). The 300 stator wiring runs directly to the RR.

[jpt7779]

Appears to be, BUT no way in hell I would put that used stator in my ski. As 1tommygunner1927 said, install a brand new OEM part as you don’t want to have to do this again!