No Spark problem, Please Guide Me.

I have a 24 ft Pontoon with a Force 40 on it. I was cruising down the lake and all of a sudden I lost about half power almost like it was running on one cylinder then about 30 seconds later lost all power. I have checked for spark and am not getting any off either plug. Is it possible both coils went out that lose together or should I be looking for something different. I am pretty mechanically inclined but this is my First outboard and am not up to date on the ignition system and what and how to test, any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Joe

Re: No Spark problem, Please Guide Me.

Make sure the "kill switch lanyard" is in place. If so, with the ignition switch in the run position, check for resistance on the black wires with yellow stripes from each of the CDM modules (coil packs). They should read "open", no continuity. If you do read resistance, then you have a short to ground on your ignition kill circuit which is prevenying the ignition system from firing the coils.

If that checks out OK, then check your stator. Unplug the Green/White and White/Green wires that go to the stator under the flywheel. You should read 500 - 700 ohms on the leads that go to the stator under the flywheel. The stator generates the voltage that go to the CDM modules (coil packs). If the stator is bad, then it will not generate enough voltage to operate the ignition system.

Re: No Spark problem, Please Guide Me.

Thanks for the reply, On the coil pack wires, there is a black,black w white stripe, I read across those 2 and had 0 short, I read across stator green wires and read 0 ohms there also. So is there anything else I need to check or am I safe to say stator is bad? Just for clarity I had my digital multi meter set on 20k . What is the process for removing stator ?

Re: No Spark problem, Please Guide Me.

Just for clarification, when you say you checked the stator wires and they read 0 ohms, that would mean a dead short...is that what you're saying? Either way, if reads a dead short or "open" the stator is bad.

Replacing the stator is simple. Getting the flywheel off can be difficult sometimes. If your flywheel has three small bolt holes around the center nut, you can use an automotive harmonic balancer puller like below. I believe Autozone will lend you one for a small refundable deposit. Do not use a puller that grabs the outer edge of the flywheel. You will most likely damage the flywheel. They are pretty expensive. Around $200 for a used one. Once you remove the flywheel, there are four bolts that hold the stator assy. in place. Note the position of the stator before you remove it. It's important to note so that the wires can reach the connectors on the wiring harness.

Re: No Spark problem, Please Guide Me.

Anybody else????

Re: No Spark problem, Please Guide Me.

Post the model and serial # of your motor so we can be certain which ignition system you have.

Go to CDIElectronics.com download and study their FREE Ignition Troubleshooting Guide

They have a section for each ignition system with complete testing details, telling you exactly which color wires to test and the volt/ohms readings you should see.

Repost any ???'s you may have along with your findings.