waverunner500 cdi conversion to GY6 CDI swap (no spark fix) WR500

In this video I illustrate how to convert a GY6 Scooter to work with the factory harness on a Yamaha waverunner 500 or wave jammer
the part can be found on amazon with a quick search for GY6 CDI
there are several to choose from for around 10-15$
much better than a 300$ used Yamaha one
feel free and email me at [e-mail] if you have any questions

[@captainpizz]

Want to thank you for your video. I've talked to multiple shops that said not worth working on my Yamaha Wave runner. I bought the CDI installed it with your diagram and it fired right up

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

That’s awesome. So glad it helped you. These old skis are totally worth keeping on the water. It’s a shame that shops just want to make money and don’t care about havin fun. Good work Jeff hope you have a fun summer on it

[@austinnesslage1375]

I did the same thing on my 89 yamaha 500, exact same cdi and same wiring but not getting any voltage or spark to the ignition coil?

[@brandonkuehl9983]

i just bought one i got on trade and came with a couple diffrent cdi boxes but i seen a wire that was white and black and didnt want to put it on ground if thats not where it went (i got it taken apart) so i stumbeled accross your video. helped me out alot. i should have it up and running once again. new to jet skis and this one look for the most part pretty basic. so im happy about that lol. just got stuck on one wire. so thank you for avoiding the head ache.

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Glad it helped you out. These skis are real easy to work on. no record setters but they are fun for an afternoon on the water For sure. Thanks For watching

[@rayrayadkins6178]

Just got the same type of jet ski you got and I got to get a carburetor for it and I got to get a coil and I got to get a starter relay box or solenoid I mean for it so I'm in for a surprise and the plugs were left out and I don't know if the motor is locked up yet but I got a lot of work to do on that so I'm enjoying the video I'm watching you do this one because I might have to replace it my CDI box too

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

You can take the cover of the pto and spin it by hand to make sure it isn’t locked up. Might put some oil down the holes too just for good measure

[@rayrayadkins6178]

Where is the pto cover located at

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@rayrayadkins6178 trying to remember. It should be just right behind the motor half moon cover that goes over the driveshaft coupler should be pretty easy to spot Then you can get your hand on it and turn it with no power to spin it

[@SnojetSteve]

Thanks for stuff like this. I have a 88' Jammer with no spark. I haven't really looked into it in detail yet though but this is cool info. By no limiter you mean no limp mode limiter for overheating or just no limiter at all?

[@stephensanchez5761]

I have a 1991 waverunner 650 it's not getting any fuel u have any idea's?

[@TheSlamnslash]

Thank you for doing this. I am sure it can be helpful. You need to be aware that the original CDI also controlled the timing advance. This China CDI is going to have a different advance curve. What is the difference between the two?

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

in my opinion that is irrelevant, i agree with you but this is a super underpowered ski and old so what really does that matter. it ran exactly the same 30 mph before and after. but if you want to spend 300$ on an oem cdi that would be the best bet. just wasnt gonna spend more than i did on the ski for that... thanks for watching

[@1fannsnn]

Will this work with my 96 slt 700??

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@1fannsnn don’t know Polaris but I assume it would. Your just gonna have to figure out your pin out

[@ralphyc81]

Chris awesome video. Is that China CDI the AC version that runs off the magneto or the DC version that runs of 12v battery?

[@xman608]

Hey man I had the same issue followed this and got my 1988 wave runner wr500G to spark again. I have one issue thought I keep shorting the CDI’s I’m at a third one

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

you have another issue then. this fixed this one going on 3 years now, no issues

[@bradleyn3334]

@Brandon Kuehl Thanks, you saved me alot of money! Any problems down the road with this? How many hours have you gotten out of this new CDI?

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

I sold it shortly after I did this. But the buddy that bought it is still riding it two seasons Since. I think it’s luck of the draw

[@BigFishEnergy]

@chris basile builds thanks! This is my first one and my next one will be a bigger and faster one.

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@BigFishEnergy they are fun skis. Great starter. Yamaha makes a great watercraft. I’m gonna be making videos going through a 2000 xlt1200 and rebuilding the motor on a 91 superjet 650 here shortly so subscribe if you wanna follow along

[@BigFishEnergy]

@@chrisbasilebuilds Is there truly no governor on those CDI's? If so if I hit a wave and stay on the throttle it could send a piston straight through my chest - a bit concerning. I haven't taken it out on the water yet. What was your experience with RPMs rising when impeller rose above surface?

[@BigFishEnergy]

@@chrisbasilebuilds I thought more on this, and I think the RPM's not being limited shouldnt be an issue. This engine is only 30 HP and the GY6 CDI timing will likely suboptimal at 5k+ RPMS so the half second I am airborne shouldn't spin it to high.

[@BigFishEnergy]

Saved me $150 on a new CDI. Any issues in the last year with it?

[@darrellsomers5427]

I'm going to a DC CDI !

[@richardelinskas6663]

Excellent job! Thx for sharing this knowledge. Subscribed!

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Thanks Richard. Hope it helps some People out. Appreciate you watching

[@darrellsomers5427]

You can't leave the black wire from the srator not grounded ,if you do the starter doesn't work off the switch lol

[@maryippen646]

I'm interested in why you would not run more than 10 minutes, with the aftermarket CDI box please elaborate. Rev limiter is not a concern

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

You (could) run it as much as you wanted. What I meant was for my purposes it wouldn’t get used more than 10-15 minutes at a time. People taking turns riding it at the beach on our lake. No one was gonna ride miles on it. That’s what I meant

[@misaelsilvestre6147]

Este Cdi GY6 me funciona para una wave runner yamaha XL700 ??

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Could work the same way. But this pertains specifically to the wr500 waverunner and wave jammer

[@alexisduque3280]

Hey how many turns u put on the air needle on the cab. ?

[@piotrek6633]

Bravo Super

[@darrellsomers5427]

So what color of the cdi goes to the coil ?

[@imdefinitly18now]

Did the same thing, ran great for about 5 min then stalled out while on the lake. Motor locked up and was a different color from overheating. Where did I mess up I wonder?

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Well it sounds like it overheated. That could be from a lot of things. The downside of this fix is it removes the rev limiter. These skis are underpowered so if you just hold ‘em wide open for long periods of time that can happen. I believe the factory cdi also had an over heat shut down. Not exactly sure on that. Also could have lost a cooling hose. Water box could be bad. These skis are old who knows. Just gotta fix it and go have some more fun

[@imdefinitly18now]

@@chrisbasilebuilds Coolant hose was off! Thanks for your reply! Let the engine cool down a couple hours, turned over just fine, compresion still good (paint on the head is burnt now) but still rode her around for a couple hours no problem

[@dakflan4360]

Just curious if you think this is possibly my problem my ski starts and runs fine but the moment it hits the water has no power at full throttle falls on its face think this could be my issue

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Most likely not. They usually work or they don’t. Have you checked your compression? Or have you gone through your carb ? Those are usually the cause of no power on the water

[@shannonwilliams601]

Have you been running this and has it done pretty good or have you had problems with this CDI conversion

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

I ran it for a short time, sold it to a person I know and they have been riding it like that for another season so far. So far been fine

[@larrygoedtel7433]

Chris, I assume that the over temp lead is not used on this CDI. Are you concerned about over temp conditions?

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

You are correct. That is not accounted for on this cdi. Yes it is definitely a concern. The way I see it is a ski like this isn’t going to be run to its full potential being that it is 30+ years old at this point. It’s under powered from the get go. So as long as it’s not full throttle for more than 15+ minutes at a time (which you would never do) I assume it would be fine. The whole point of this video is a Yamaha replacement cdi (if you can find it) is over 300$ this is a cheap fix. It works but there is downfalls

[@larrygoedtel7433]

@@chrisbasilebuilds Thanks Chris. Ive seen some newer Yamaha CDIs (91 era) for 650s that seems to have the pins as the 500. I saw them for about $68. I wonder if they would work? Any thoughts?

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@larrygoedtel7433 saw the same thing. I know in Kawasaki they are literally all different. I just noticed they were all spec’d for 650/701 which is a different engine with a different e box so I didn’t want to take the chance. Found this write up in pwctoday.com that’s where I found this cdi replacement

[@doncookbc]

try a Milwaukee sodering gun 2488-20 M12 Soldering Iron

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

I have used it. Great iron. I don’t have Milwaukee batteries though. I’m a dewalt ryobi guy. Since this video I upgraded to the adjustable voltage ryobi and I’m very happy with it

[@hannawaygreen]

does that work for a 700 1993 wave runner too.? THANKS SUBSCRIBED

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

I’d assume it would. Just need to look through the wiring and make sure it’s the same. That would be the only thing

[@darrellsomers5427]

Should work on most anything its just a capacitor

[@diegoramo]

Hey bro nice video will that make the ski go faster I have a 1991 and it’s so slow I have no problems with spark or start up but it feels like I’m not using all the power from the engine

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Man these 500s are not fast. The cdi gets rid of the rev limiter but you only hit the rev limiter when your out of the water. So short answer no not really. These are just slow skis lol 😆

[@santiagobeltran845]

Good morfina i would like to know from watt motorcicle or were i can found that CDI

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

It’s from a scooter with a gy6 engine

[@santiagobeltran845]

@@chrisbasilebuilds thank you

[@PrayersinCommunion]

Este cdi funciona para una vxr 650 yamaha

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

The 650 cdi is like 75$ on eBay. I’d just do that. The only reason I did this on the 500 is because the cdi is 300+ $

[@robertthompson2635]

What was originally wrong with the ski? Mine cranks fine but no spark. Thinking this is the issue.

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Mine ran fine. One day on the lake after hours of ridding it. Died on the way back to the ramp. Never got spark back. Replaced cdi. Back in business. Could have been coils or stator too but it was the cdi in my case. Real common problem on these wr500s

[@robertthompson2635]

@@chrisbasilebuilds thank you! Is there any way I can test the cdi??

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@robertthompson2635 I’m sure there is. But I did some lookin around to see how to do so and came up with nothing was when I stumbled upon the write up on the green hulk forum where I got this idea. Figured for 10-15$ it was worth a shot so that’s the route I took. Worked for me. Thats where I also saw Yamaha 500s cdi can fail if you don’t ground the plug leads when your cranking it with no plugs ( I did that a few times) didn’t even think about it being a big deal. But these things are old. Doesn’t surprise me a circuit board randomly went bad in a 1989. Best of luck. Let me know how it goes

[@robertthompson2635]

@@chrisbasilebuilds I got one on the way that’s about all I can do and for $15 might as well. Thanks for the knowledge I’m not giving up on it yet. I’ll keep you posted. Gonna be watching the vid to install it.

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@robertthompson2635 i included the wiring diagram. And I chose to cut the stock barrel plugs off the old cdi so it was still plug in play. (Made me feel better about it 🤣) they really are fun skis. Talk about dollar for dollar the most fun you can have for the money on the lake. The Chris basile builds hq believes in ya. Thanks for watching. I really hope it helps

[@MarksOutdoorAdentures]

That does not work

[@darrencatellier7273]

Wats the new cdi part number pls

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

It’s a generic part. I found by just searching on Amazon for (gy6 cdi)

[@topesjiji4783]

5 or 6 pin plug ?

[@darrencatellier7273]

Im in same boat gonna try it lol

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@topesjiji4783 6 pin. According to my Amazon history looks like goofit was the brand I got

[@topesjiji4783]

Perfect i did try looking closely in the video and gatherd it was 6. But i really appreciate your quick response!

[@idabright503]

Goddamn electricians are annoying when they get the iron out. You couldve showed us how to wire everything in the time you talked about the damn iron and wire holding tool.

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

Your not wrong. I should have just used butt connectors, it would have been much faster. But I don’t like how bulky that would have been. And I like my wire holding tool 😂 thanks for watching hope it helped you in some form or fashion

[@idabright503]

@@chrisbasilebuilds helped out big time!! Sorry for dogging on ya like that lol appreciate the video🤘🏻

[@idabright503]

@@chrisbasilebuilds just out of curiosity, how much did you end up selling it for? With or without trailer?

[@chrisbasilebuilds]

@@idabright503 trying to remember I think like 2000$ with the trailer

[@user-ej1ch2kd6b]

привет всем есть инструкция эксплутации на ямаха 500т???