2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Traxion

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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2009, tiller model, manual start, 8 hp four stroke. Second time on the water this year. Motor started/ran fine last trip. This trip motor would not start. Fuel was getting to the cylinders, plugs were wet. I thought I had flooded the motor but could not get it to start. When I got home I completely cleaned the carb. All was well. I checked for spark and had none. I went thru the service manual and worked my way through the ignition checks. Plugs/caps are fine. Kill switch tested fine. I was a bit confused in that the manual lists a neutral switch, but I could not locate one. I traced all wires to/from their locations and found nothing other than what I tested for. Pulser coil tested fine. Ignition coil tested with higher than normal resistance for both the lead wires and plug wires. But on my second test, it tested closer to normal. I don't have a high end multimeter so I am not sure how much I trust it. I tried some testing on the CDI based on the manual but I could not get anything to test correctly. My error or the meter.

Can anyone give me a little guidance here? A little mystified that it would fail that simply without use. Work one trip and not the next. Manual is OK but like I said meter isn't top notch.
 

pvanv

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

The Neutral switch is used on electric-start models, so doesn't apply in your case. You MUST use a good, ANALOG meter, or the ohm readings will mean little if anything. If you are trying to use a digital meter, you don't provide enough drive to the circuit under test to get reliable readings.
 

Traxion

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

I did use an analog meter for the coil and pulser coil. I tried with the CDI but read the note on the manual saying an analog must be used. My analog isn't high end but I will try. It makes sense with the CDI that an analog meter would be needed with the capacitors, etc. Are there any other tricks to testing the CDI unit? Have you found the CDI testing as per manual to be accurate?

Just checked and I'm still under warranty however my location service center is out over two months. Hate to purchase a new coil or CDI for nearly $200 when it could be under warranty but I can't wait that long.
 

pvanv

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

The Tohatsu ohm meter readings charts are very good. Keep in mind that your meter must run on 3vdc or less, in order to be safe with the CD circuitry. Coils are very simple, so if they check and there is no output from the CD, you likely have a bad CD. Why would your servicer have a 2 month B/O? I see 3AA060600M C.D. IGNITION UNIT (CU7256) $152.04 is in stock at the Dallas warehouse. Likewise, the siamese coil is available: 3V1060400M IGNITION COIL $48.53. What is your ZIP code?
 

Traxion

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Service center said they lost a couple guys and are way backed up. I guess that is what you get when they're the only ones that sell them in a 150 mile radius.

I'm going to recheck all my readings one more time. I'll round up a better analog meter and see what I can do. CD module seems to be the likely culprit but we'll double check everything. There are not any fuses on the manual start motors are there? I could not find any and the service manual showed them but for the electric start models.

ZIP is 57717. I've checked online and the parts are available too. Doubt there is any chance of getting reimbursed by Nissan for the stuff since it is under warranty. Newest piece on the boat and it's the first to go.
 

pvanv

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Talk to your dealer. Give them the test results. Have them contact the Factory guys. They can probably work out something in the way of warranty.
 

TOHATSU GURU

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Go to a Mercury dealer...Sames parts on the ignition system.
 

Traxion

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

I just found out a friend of my dad's has the same motor. I am going to retest everything and see how the results look. If needed I will swap CD and coil to see if it will work with different parts before I buy. Then I hope I can work with my dealer to get something worked out.

Thanks for all the help. I will update once I figure things out!
 

pvanv

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Make sure the motors are the exact same models. There are 2 different CD's. The early 8/9.8 CD has completely different wiring.
 

Traxion

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Well I went out and compared to the other motor. The coil and exciter all test identical to mine, so I think they are fine. I did not test the CDI or swap it because he was going to use the motor.

I did go through and test the CDI again. I think that is the culprit. When test, I pretty much go out of spec readings on the ignition coil circuit and ground circuit.

I'm going to take my readings and see if the local dealer will help me out. Parts are all that I need under warranty. We'll see how that works.

Thanks for the help.
 

TOHATSU GURU

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

It can be, but give me a call at 813-241-6654 and I will help you.
 

Traxion

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

TOHATSU GURU, thanks for the offer, but the folks at Tohatsu are taking care of me. I emailed them my test info and they're getting me parts. Good customer service experience!
 

Traxion

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

CD unit was the culprit. Stuck the new one in a the motor started right up. Thanks for all the help!
 

Davem3

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

CD unit was the culprit. Stuck the new one in a the motor started right up. Thanks for all the help!

we are lucky to have elvin and paul as guru's.
makes me feel really good about buying my new tohatsu's
 

Plandeck

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Problem with my 8hp 4stroke NSF8A2 seems the same...worked fine first month of the summer then all of a sudden would not spark at all. Problem is nissan factory parts outlet says CD unit 3AA-06060-0 is on back order. Any idea where else to get one?
 

pvanv

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Did you actually test the ignition components? CD failure on these is rare.
 

TOHATSU GURU

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Re: 2009 Nissan 8hp 4 Stroke- No Spark

Problem with my 8hp 4stroke NSF8A2 seems the same...worked fine first month of the summer then all of a sudden would not spark at all. Problem is nissan factory parts outlet says CD unit 3AA-06060-0 is on back order. Any idea where else to get one?

Depends on your CD and we do have them available. Give me a call with the serial number. 813-241-6654
 

Traxion

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Dug up my old thread because I'm facing the same issue again. I have tested everything but the CDI unit but symptoms are the exact same. Motor ran fine, shut it off and put it away. Went to run it again a week later and it would not start. No spark condition. Have gone thru the service manual checklist, just down to CDI unit.

Is there anything that could be causing this? The motor has approx. 300 hrs on it. I would guess the first failure was at 140 or so. It hasn't been used in saltwater or submerged. It is used primary for lower RPM trolling applications. I just do not understand why I may have had another CDI fail. Any ideas are appreciated!

Thanks!
 

pvanv

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Strange. In all the years I have been working on these, I have changed exactly one (1) CD on the MFS/NSF8/9.8A3. I suppose if the mounting bolts were too tight, causing the housing to crack... or if a peculiar electrical issue (such as a power surge on the boat if it's an electric start motor,.. or a lightning strike... what are the odds?), but we just don't see these failures very often. I believe I have a known-good (used) CD on the shelf that you could use to test. Drop me a PM if interested.
 
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