Our beloved 1996 spx started to have trim problems last week. I put it in the water and it worked for about 5 minutes and then nothing. My wife took it out 30 minutes later and it worked the rest of the day. The next time I took it out it did the same thing initially, then the gauge quit but the nozzle was moving. Since we have owned it (3 years) every time I close the front lid I can hear a blip of some kind of motor running for a split second. Sounds like it is coming from the gauge area. Any ideas?

Brian

Probalbly the VTS module going bad ,common on seadoo,I have replaced many, they start to act funny like that.

unplug the trim gauge first and see if it works better, we have seen alot of gauges go bad and do what you are discibing, if you need more info you can email me @ info@myseadoo.com

Good luck

My former ski, a 96 spx, did this all the time. I noticed there seemed to be a problem with water intrusion into the gauge, because it would often fog up or get water droplets inside. Never found a way to fix it.

I also noticed that sometimes, if I pressed really hard on the trim buttons, it would suddenly start working (although the gauge had died for the day). Wonder if a bad trim switch (button) could cause all these problems...

97yama-where is the module located? I have heard this can get expensive...right or wrong?

Spec185- I will try unplugging the gauge before we go on the water next time...thanks!

fullboogie- Thats exactly what started happening, noticed this summer that we are now getting condensation inside the gauge. Never had it before this year and it worked fine.

I think unplugging the gauge will let me know. Thanks for the replies guys I never would have suspected the gauge itself.

The module is in the back of the ski they are not to bad in price over $100 though ,easy to change you need a special socket tool for nut on back, slip joint pliers might work ,gauge it self does not even have to work for trim to work, could not be why it is not working ,some do get water in them depending how you ride if you dive them under water alot the only thing to do is buy a new one

By the way, the trim motor for these boats is nothing more than a sealed motor that looks EXACTLY like a power window motor from a car. I can rebuild these things in my sleep, so if anyone is interested, I can post instructions on how to do so.

Fullboogie, Is it a brush type motor?

Yep. Take the case apart, and use a razor blade to clean all the carbon between the copper pads. Then chuck the shaft assembly up into a drill or drill press, and fire it up. Using a strip of fine grit sandpaper, clean the face of the copper pads to a shine. Use a soldering iron to change the "brushes", which actually are carbon blocks, and you're done. I took the old brushes to a NAPA and the parts guy was nice enough to grab an armful of brushes to compare. We went through the boxes until we found the right size. The width/height is most important - if the new ones are too long, you can sand them down.

When finished, dip the whole thing (minus the electrical contacts) into this stuff called PlastiKote. It's a rubberized material used for coating the handles of hand tools. Totally waterproofs the motor.

very well written! thanks for the help. I am going to do that job next. I was goofing with the wires in the hinged area of the hood and did find a semi broken wire in the harness which seems to have done the job for now!

Brian