This motor has been a nightmare, but I wont let it win and all I want to do is take it to the lake. I bought the 1970 starcraft supersport with the 1973 Mercury 850 thunderbolt a couple months ago and have not been on the water yet. My days are limited here in Wyoming before it is time to winterize it. My first problem was when I got it home and was testing to see if it would start. My neighbor came over and was talking to me about the new project. It started fine then died. I was talking to him and he looks over my shoulder and said "your motor is smoking". I turn around and noticed smoke was coming from the CDI ignition pack. On further inspection it got so hot it was dripping plastic. I found it had some bad sheathing on the positive and negative wires under the splash well that were touching, I then electrical taped the wires. So then I get a used OEM ignition pack from a boat graveyard here. It starts up fine and I think it is good to go to the lake. Then it wont start sometimes and I started moving wires when it is running and found a bad boat to motor wire plug that had an issue. So I hard wired the motor and it started and I thought again I could go to the lake. Not so fast... It then starts to randomly start and not start. I found a worn carbon pin in the distributor cap and replaced that. Still starts and wont start randomly. I do the Ignition pack test many times when it wont start and I get spark every time I test it. So I go back to the boat graveyard and get a used trigger and it started so I thought it is time to finally take it to the lake. Not again but it sometimes wont start. It is a spark issue because when it does get spark it fires off instantly with the key engaged. It runs and sounds perfect when and if it starts. It has gone as many as three days of starting about 5 times a day without any issues and as few as ten minutes between starts to not start. The last two days it wont start at 9 am then starts instantly at noon and will start the rest of the day until the next day. Sure seems like once it gets spark it it good for the rest of the day. When it wont start I have tried moving wires with no success. I had my neighbor checking volts when cranking and dont remember the numbers but they seemed good. On the ignition pack the red wire always has power and the white wire has power with the key on. Any help would be appreciated! I have already spent the money to register the boat and I am too worried to drive to the lake just in case it wont start. All this makes no sense. I can do nothing to it when it wont start and next time i go try it, it fires right up...