1978 Mercury 80 hp outboard starting problem. No fire?

[Basstrackerpro17]

I just recently purchased an older boat with a 1978 Mercury 80 hp engine. The motor will turn over fine but will not crank. I do believe I'm not getting any fire from the plugs. I tried taking the plugs out one by one and ground them to the engine block to see if I could get a spark. No fire at all from all four plugs. Does anybody have any ideas what I can check to try to fix this problem? Could it be a problem in the key switch? Previous owner did say he changed it out when he replaced the starter? Please help. Thanks for any help!

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: 1978 Mercury 80 hp outboard starting problem. No fire?

Disconnect the black/yellow wire at the switchbox then recheck for spark. If you now have spark check his switch wiring. If you still don't have spark check the stator and switchbox. You will need a DVM to do this correctly but you can do some checking on the stator with an ohm meter.

 

[oldman570]

Re: 1978 Mercury 80 hp outboard starting problem. No fire?

Disconnect the black/yellow wire at the switchbox then recheck for spark. If you now have spark check his switch wiring. If you still don't have spark check the stator and switchbox. You will need a DVM to do this correctly but you can do some checking on the stator with an ohm meter.

Also check to see if ther is a kill switch on or near the controls .
Oldman570