[mkwpgca]

I just inherited my dads old 66 Evinrude Fastwin 18hp, and am trying to get
it started after many years in storage. I've changed the oil in the bottom
end, removed and cleaned the carb, checked and regapped the plugs (they were
put in new when it was put away), and I put a little oil into the cylinders
before turning it over. It turns over fine, but will not fire. I've
confirmed it's getting gas, and there is spark, although I'm not sure how to
tell if the spark is "weak" or not. Even squirting a little gas in through
the spark plug holes won't get it to fire for a few seconds. After a few
hours of fruitless pulling and a very sore shoulder, I decided to put my
multimeter across the kill switch contacts, and found that there is
continuity between them. I've confirmed that the actual switch is not the
problem, as with the switch removed, there is still a short between the 2
black wires that lead to it. Before I jump to conclusions, am I right in
guessing there should be no short here? What do these wires lead to? I
always assumed the kill switch killed the spark, but since there is spark on
both plugs, I'm confused. My gut is telling me to order a "tune up" kit, and
replace all the ignition parts since they're probably original, but I'd
appreciate any advice from those with experience working on outboards, as
the closest I've come to working on these is resuscitating old lawnmowers
and snowblowers.

Sorry for the long post,
Mike Kayer
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

[R.Johnson]

Those two wire's connect to the point's ground plate, so you would have continuity across the wire's. The ignition should fire across a 1/4" gap. After sitting this long, you probably have oxidized point's, or possibly age cracked coil's. The best route would be, look, and see.

[F_R]

More than likely bad coils. They are famous for that. Agreed that continuity is normal between the wires. They attach to the points the same place as the coil and condenser do. Even if one set of points is open, there is still continuity through the coils' primary windings. That's why connecting them together via the kill switch works....it shorts everything out.

[mkwpgca]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I replaced the plugs (.30), points (.20), and condensers, now it gets a "fat" blue spark, definitely stronger than before. The motor will now start, and run for anywhere between a few seconds and a few minutes, before sputtering out. Sometimes upon trying to restart, it will backfire. If i try to give it more throttle, it quickly dies. I havent checked the needle valve yet, and the coils were definitely cracked, not sure where to go next. Don't want to throw any unnecessary money at this right now, just want it to run smoothly in a barrel for now. Should I look into the carb adjustments? Or does this seem like a coil problem?

[mkwpgca]

Replacing the coils was the ticket to fixing the starting problems, runs without stalling now! I also put in a carb kit, as the original packing had basically turned to dust. Now for some fine tuning. Thanks!