Updated: Besides my Yamaha VX1100 Waverunner stalling I also cover engine light warning plus how to find error codes the dealer doesn’t tell you about.
The unseasonably warm weather had me itching to try out my recently purchased used Yamaha Waverunner. The battery was dead (original), so I replaced it with a new one (easier said than done… Had to fill it with acid, let stand an hour, then charge overnight) and launched my VX1100 at a nearby ramp.
I passed through some algae on my way through the channel which didn’t seem to have any impact and made it out to the lake. Waves! Hit the first one and felt exhilarated, both from the excitement and 50 degree water hitting my face :) Tackled a few more waves and then it dies! I tried to start it a number of times, and it would act like it was going to run, then die. Eventually it just wouldn’t start at all.
To make matters worse, I drifted to a dock where a wave decided to push the Wave Runner under and ended up breaking my mirror! In 10 minutes I went from a great high to an extreme low!
I found that if I waited 30 minutes and tried to run it again, it would start right up, idle for 30 to 40 seconds, then act like it was starved for fuel and die. When I took the seat off, I found a lot of smoke coming out but nothing was burning and figured the smoke would be blown out of the hull if it ran correctly. I’m not a mechanic, but I had a few ideas: Water in the gas, loose electrical wiring, green security light was on (why?), clogged intake valve and bad plugs.
I know, you’re wondering why I didn’t test this out on dry land rather than putting it in the lake? I had read in the manual that the way you attach a garden hose and run water into the Waverunner was different than what you might expect, and if done wrong, you could get water in the engine! If the engine dies and water is still running, it floods – and – since the engine stalls, that was a very real possibility!
TIP! when searching for an online manual, there are a TON of lame sites that grab the official manuals, stamp them with their logo, and then charge you for something you can get for free! The way to get around that is by searching for your model number in Google’s custom search using type .pdf. For example, I searched Google for VX1100 Manual and the results came up, then on the top right of the results, you’ll see a gear looking symbol, click this and choose “Advanced Search” and on that page, find “File Type” – change it from any format to “Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf)”. Now you can choose the actual manuals without having to pay the scrappers :)
I have a complete warranty on my Yamaha that covers anything, but I knew if I brought it in, I’d have to wait weeks to get it back; I took it out of the water, changed the plugs, fixed the mirror (easy fix there…) and found that the green security light going on when not running is normal. I had heard that fouled plugs were 98% of the problem with these machines and changed them just to be safe, but didn’t really think this was the problem.
The intake was free of weeds and figured if it were clogged, a warning alarm would have sounded, which never happened.
I checked most of the wires and just as I was about to check the last of them, I leaned on the rubber exhaust pipe shown in the picture and it completely disconnected! It had been disconnected but looked like it was attached and I had obviously missed it! Joy!
Turns out there should NEVER be any smoke in the hull and the engine was being stared for oxygen, much like I was when the fist cold wave hit me :) I simply reconnected the pipe, put my Yamaha VX100 Waverunner back in the water and it ran like a champ!
Boat problems are the worst, but if they turn out to be as easy as this was, it’s going to be a great summer :)
Update: 6/17/12
My engine warning light is going on when I idle for long periods of time. In researching this, I found that a bad impeller can cause the engine to overheat (could also be that I’m using 10w30 and should move to 20W-40 or 20w-50.
On a side note: I came across this video and now determined to learn more about doing this to my waverunner :)
Testing the VX1100 2007 model Yamaha Jet Ski On the water with restrictor removed and a new solas concord 18/22 impeller !
The Solas concord impeller – yh series – pitch 18/22 yh-cd 18/22 runs about $250.
To remove the restrictor, do the following, but be warned, many say this makes your wave-runner extremely dangerous!:
Update: 6/23/2012
I’m still fighting a warning light and found out I might have put too much oil in the Waverunner. I checked the air filter (yes, air, not oil) and found it filled with oil along with the air filter box. Turns out that getting the right amount of oil in this unit is NOT easy! To do it properly, you need to run it hard for 20 minutes, then stop and check the levels. My mistake was filling it halfway between the empty and full mark when the engine was cold – what I should have done was fill it right to empty – sounds backwards doesn’t it! Overfilling the way I did will not harm the engine but will foul up the plugs and impact performance as long as you catch the problem early.
The dealer told me that I could reuse my filter by cleaning it with a cleaning solution and spraying oil on it designed to collect dirt. I did this, but I also ordered a new washable filter just to be safe. The filter at the dealer was $120! Yes, $120 for an air filter… I ordered it online for $80, saving myself $40 :)
Unfortunately, after all this, I still have an engine warning light. If I take this into the dealer, I’m afraid I’ll end up paying a fortune, so I set out to find my own solution.
Turns out that by pressing the MPH / VOLT button for 8 seconds, you’ll get a number that can be cross-referenced with the table below to find more information about the problem.
01 Normal
13 Pickup coil malfunction
15 Engine temperature malfunction
19 Incorrect battery voltage
23 Intake air temperature malfunction
24 Cam position sensor
29 Intake air pressure malfunction
47 Slant detection switch
48 Incorrect data transmission
55 Steering switch malfunction
112-123 Electronic control throttle malfunction
124-128 Throttle position sensor malfunction
129 Electronic control throttle malfunction
130 Salmon detected under unit
131-135 Accelerator position malfunction
136-139 Electronic control throttle malfunction
141-145 Electronic control throttle malfunction
If you don’t see your code here, then you’ll need to buy a Yamaha Diagnostic System (YDS) on eBay for around $125.
In my case, I had engine warning code 19 indicating incorrect battery voltage. It seems to fluctuate from 11.5 to 12.4 with the warning being triggered at 11.5. Still looking into exactly what is causing this, ErnestT over at PWCForum (fantastic place by the way!) states it’s most likely a bad battery which should be load tested. He also states that I may have a loose connection to the battery, or a corroded lead on the connector at the rectifier/regulator. A bad rectifier/regulator is also possible, but unlikely. Note: when I removed the battery and tested voltage (didn’t do a load test) it was 12.2 and after charging it, it shows 13.2.
Here is an image showing the location of the rectifier:
Further reading states that a hard bump can kill some batteries and just before it started going bad, I had hit some big waves :) ErnestT highly recommends the Odyssey PC625 Battery over at BatteryMart which offers free shipping. He states that with my Walmart battery, as with all batteries not designed for a marine use, is that the severe vibration from the Waverunner will destroy them very quickly.
Picture of the Wrong Battery for a Waverunner!
I tried to return the battery to Walmart but there is only a 90 day warranty on the EverStart 16cl-b battery (shown above) which I purchased 100 days ago. Initially, I had explained to the garage employee that I was purchasing it for a waverunner and this is what he recommended but in the end, it came down to warranty. EverStart, right…
So, I ordered a real battery (Odyssey PC625) from BatteryMart for $98.50 – free shipping included. For what it’s worth, I prefer to buy local and found that BatteriesPlus was down the road but when I called, I was told it would be $120 + core charge and it would take a day or two for the order to arrive.
Update: It took only two days for my Odyssey PC625-P to arrive fully charged from BatteryMart and it came packed perfectly. Below are pictures of the correct battery for a Yamaha Waverunner :)
Update: 5/1/2014 – I needed another battery for an additional Waverunner I just purchased and ended up buying a PC625 from BatteryStuff rather than BatteryMart which had a price increase since the last purchase. I bought the Odyssey Battery for $101.00 after using a $5 off coupon. Battery arrived on time and works great!
Yet Another Update – wouldn’t it be nice if problems were simple?
Turns out the same thing is happening (Code 19) with the new battery, so I’m down to a bad voltage regulator / rectifier. Here are some picture of where the Yamaha VX1100 Waverunner voltage regulator / rectifier is located and what it looks like close up.
You can click on the thumbnail to see the full image.
As you can see, there is heat damage to the point that it has cracked. I’m guessing this is causing the problem and in the process of replacing it. I ran the unit for about three minutes top speed and then checked the regulator, is was extremely hot!
Also worth mentioning is that the volts registered 12.2 at a cold start and would climb to 13.0 and then started to drop rapidly down to 12.1. My guess is that once it gets hot, it starts malfunctioning.
I’ll update this once I have more information. By the way, the part is 6D3-81960-00-00 RECTIFIER & REGULATOR ASSY and runs $105.05 VX1100BH.
Update: It’s been a week now and the new voltage regulator came in. I installed it, took it out and the voltage read 14.5 to 14.7, which it never reached with the old rectifier / regulator. I also ran it twice as long and it never dipped below that – needless to say, I’m one happy camper :)
The Yamaha Waverunner Walmart battery wasn’t the problem, but from everything I’ve read, it wouldn’t hold up for long, so I’m glad I purchased the correct one even though in the end it was the rectifier.
Hopefully, this will be the last of my problems for the year :)
Another Update: I was out in the big lake yesterday evening hitting the waves (about 2 feet) having a blast (what a thrill!) and after about an hour the engine stared to sputter on me as if it was going to die; water in the gas or fouled spark plugs. The plugs looked bad, so I changed them out but it didn’t solve the problem.
Turns out I’ve been getting small amounts of water in my gas and wondering on how to remove the water without having to drain the gas. There are a lot of suggestions out there, and a lot of people are making the mistake of putting standard rubbing alcohol in the tank.
Most dry gas you buy at the auto-parts store is made up of methanol or methyl alcohol which can deteriorate your o rings and fuel lines. Isopropyl alcohol does everything that methyl alcohol will without the the damage.
Isopropyl alcohol sucks up water because it’s missing a water molecule and when added to gas that has water, it effectively removes the water from the gas. The rubbing alcohol that is 70% already has water and won’t do you any good, you need the 98 or 99% found at the drug store. A popular brand name is Iso-Heet.
Another visitor suggested picking up a 32oz can of Klean-Strip denatured alcohol at Home depot will run you about $8 and contains 90-100% .
1oz of 98+% Isopropyl alcohol per gallon of gas seems to be the recommended solution.
Besides these small problems, this toy if worth every dollar! Once you’re on a waverunner flying across the water, hitting the waves, it’s as if a valve opens and drains every stressor you might have. To top things off, I’ve joined the Water Ballet Team and am becoming very proficient at it as can be seen in the picture below :) Truly an awesome experience!
Notes for myself: Spark Plug needed for my Wavrunner is a NGK spark plug CR9EB, 10mm Thread Size, 19mm (3/4″) Reach, 5/8″ (16mm) Hex Size, Gasket Seat, Resistor, Solid Terminal Nut, .028″-.031″ (0.7mm-0.8mm) Gap, Heat Range 9
NKG CR9EIX spark plug cross reference (replaces) NKG:CR9EB along with CR9EIX, C9E, CR9E, and the CR9EVX.
- Watercraft capacity:Maximum people on board: 3 person
- Maximum load capacity: 240 kg (530 lb)
- Dry weight: VX Deluxe 322 kg (710 lb)
- Maximum fuel consumption: 28.0 L/h (7.4 US gal/h) (6.2 Imp.gal/h)
- Cruising range at full throttle: 2.14 hour
- Trolling speed: 1650 ± 50 r/min
- Engine type: Liquid cooled 4-stroke, DOHC
- Number of cylinders: 4
- Engine displacement: 1052 cm
- Spark plug: NGK 6955 Spark Plug – as of 5/2022, this is the replacement for the older CR9EB. $25 for a 4 pack on Amazon.
- Spark plug gap: 0.7 – 0.8 mm (0.028–0.031 in)
- Regular unleaded gasoline
- Recommended engine oil type SAE: SAE 10W-30, 20W-40, 20W-50
- Recommended engine oil grade API: API SE,SF,SG,SH,SJ,SL
- Fuel tank total capacity: 60 L (15.9 US gal) (13.2 Imp.gal)
- Engine oil quantity with oil filter replacement: 2.2 L (2.33 US qt) (1.94 Imp.qt)
- Engine oil quantity without oil filter replacement: 2.0 L (2.11 US qt) (1.76 Imp.qt)
- Engine oil total quantity: 4.3 L (4.55 US qt) (3.78 Imp.qt)
Waverunner III Notes – Spark plugs end up fouled after a few runs:
Running NGK BR8HS (4322) spark plugs in my Waverunner III and they foul out after about 3 runs. Considering buying some BR7HS for a hotter burn hoping that they don’t get black as often. Research said that the black spark plug is your friend and telling you that your Yamaha is running rich on the low end.
Another suggestion, and one that seems safer, is to check the Gap of the spark plug; if the gap is .35, bump it up to .40 which gives you a wider gap and corresponding hotter burn.
Another suggestion was to use iridium ngk plugs while another said that a projected tip spark plug will run hotter and helps fouling problems at low speed.
Some state that running hotter plugs can lead to expensive repairs down the road.
Note: I checked the gap on the plugs I recently purchased and they were at .20, so I’m increasing the gap .10 so that it’s now .30 and will report back – I believe increasing the gap is the safest bet.
Also, see my tips on how to fix a Waverunner that won’t go over 35 and how to stop water from accumulating in the hull of your Jet Ski.
If you briefly press the start button, does the interment panel light up? Is there a load click and did your Waverunner take time starting before this new problem? If so, your starter relay may need to be replaced. Also, check the water intake and exhaust to make sure nothing is preventing the impeller from spinning.
Hi,
I have 2005 Yamaha VX 110. The battery went dead over winter. I have a jump starter. I connected it but I get no power to the jet ski. I put a new battery in the remote start but still nothing. Any idea why it is not getting power?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Rick,
Did you ever get the code? As for the manual, I’d check simply search for “2005 Yamaha VX1100 deluxe manual” in Google and see what PDF’s show up.
Also, the most awesome forum for finding solutions to your problem is pwcforum.com – these guys are fantastic as long as you give them complete details, and free! May take a few days for your answer, but it will save you a ton of money!
James, Great site keep up the good work!
I have a 2005 Yamaha VX1100D that I am having an issue with the “Check Engine” alarm. The ski appears to run fine, normal power, sound, etc….When it first appeared I took it to the local Yamaha dealer who was unable to get the alarm to reappear on the bench, and stated no codes were found, please pay me hundreds of dollars. As expected the next time we took it out it showed up again less than 10 minutes into the ride. The owner manual said the warning is a sensor. I plan to take it out and try to get the code this weekend. In addition I was unable to find a repair manual on line as you referenced above so I hope you can offer some guidance as to what is happening and a link to a repair manual.
I have 2013 FZS SHO. I just did first time flush. When I started the machine I noticed she was running rough. I realized I had turned the hose on first. I shut the water off, run the engine for 10 seconds (still running rough) and shut it of. Obviously I have flooded the engine. She has been seating now for 5 days in a warm boathouse, 25C.
Do I have a chance in heaven here, or have I damaged the engine?
Appreciate feedback.
Jo.
i have a yamaha fx sho cruiser and i have a fail the jet wint start
i have used the jet for all day long and when the day is finish with out any problem i stop the jet to go pick up the trailer to go home the jet wont start any more .
any ideia can be the problem i check fee thing and i dont get de spark .
We have a Yamaha VX1100 year 2013. We have it serviced annually by a dealer, had to put in a new battery this year, no problem. Put it in the water and almost immediately the alarm came on and it started to overheat. We got it to the lift, flushed it out to make sure there was no debris or trash, then tried it again. Ran great for about 5 minutes and them started to overheat again, just not getting any water through it. What do we need to do next?
Hi guys, looking for help here, my fx cruser 2005 rotates but won’t start I try to do the code reading but nothing happens no codes at all, maybe I’m doing it wrong? I have spark also gas, just don’t know how to trouble shoot injectors if they working, any help is appreciated , thank you all regards
I Have yamaha wave runer vx cruser 08 and my engine wont crank i recharge the battery and the only thing i hear is a electrical noise where all the cables meet i think is my starter but i dont know wheres the starter in my yahama can you give me a idea to tell me wheres the starter
thanks, for the reply. I will be working in my 2014 Yamaha VX this weekend doing some exhaust work to it and will also remove the restrictor on it. I will keep you post it after I tested in the lake. thanks good day
Hi Osniel,
I say that because I read on one of the forums that if you remove it, you increase the odds of igniting fumes within the hull and could be dangerous. I do not know this for a fact, but I would remiss if I didn’t mention it.
Did you removed the restriction of your waverunner? Why do you say is dangerous? Two of the people I ride with have them removed. It seems that they go faster and one of them has the same waverunner vx and same year is really going faster than mine. I want to remove mine but in not sure. Any suggestions?
Good Day every one. Ive just bought a vx1100 2008 cruise. besides the restrictor mentioned above are there any other mods to be done to get better performance. does anyone have any specs for and after market exhaust???
Mike, any alarm codes? If so, press and hold the alarm cancel button for 8 seconds to get a readout of any fault codes (01 means normal). Is your air filter clogged? You could run your Waverunner without it for a short time to make sure. If that’s the problem, make sure you replace it with the stock filter as they are likely not the same as others.
Oil should be checked after running it hard for a while or you may get the wrong reading (too full, etc).
My two cents.
I have a 2008 fxho cruiser, was running good but when I would turn off it would not start back up. Now i have a high oil level and fuel level went down sooner then it should have.
2011 sx yamaha 1100
starts,idles. engine light and warning light come o,plus security light and alarm.
increase throttle engine doesn’t rev up.
any suggestions
john ebersole
My 2001 waverunner started beeping and the volts light is on. I checked and it is putting out a charge. After I shut it down it has no kind of power to the dash or starter, but after sitting for a spell it will start and stay running. It never shuts off on its own, just after it’s warmed up good and I shut it off does it not start.
I just purchased a 2008 VX Cruiser that is showing a malfunction code of 123 right out of winter storage. Do you know how to fix that? I have seen several people posting online with the same issue but no answers.
Thanks
Carl
Our 2001 waverunner will run fine for 15 minutes then die. You hit the stay button and click click will not start. After siting for 5 minutes it will start run a few yards and die same sequence does this sound familiar
Jay,
So did it work? what were your results and do you have and pictures I can attach to your comment for others to see?
Also, information on how you fabricated your own would be great!
Thanks!
Jim, I meant the intake manifold ribbon IE; the flame arrestor that’s located behind the throttle body. I removed mine, I did exactly the same as the you tube video that you have posted in your thread. I also fabricated my own power filter similar to the R&D Power Plenum Filter. I had a cold air intake fabricated similar to the Riva set up but decided to change to the shorter intake
Jay, do you mean the rectifier / voltage regulator? If so, yes I did and posted pictures (are they not showing for you?). That was definitely the problem and it runs like a champ now. It is easy to remove and check as well :)
Did you remove the restrictor yet ? ps very good thread, detailed and informative
Hi Jordy,
No, unless you filled it right to the top, past the full mark while cold, then the only damage would be your air filter. You’ll need to buy a new air filter as I did, and clean that air filter box of oil. I filled it to the low mark cold, then took it out 20 minutes and checked levels and noticed it was just right.
Bad thing is, that filter which I show on this page, can run $100!
I ran my 2008 wave runner after putting too much oil in it. I have since taken oil out and have not noticed any performance problems! Could I have damaged anything?
I’ve been having performance problems and replacing my plugs frequently and after reading your story, I checked the air filter and found oil! Thank you!!!
I’m betting that code 130 was not part of the original documentation :)
Those VX1100’s are some of the most solid toys around. We never have serious problems with them. Not surprising it turned out to be such a simple fix. Just don’t loose the remote, they are expensive.