73 85 hp evinrude no fire 1 cyl HELP

no spark on 1 cyl, swapped coil to another cylinder and the problem followed, so assumed bad coil. Replcd that coil and still have no fire on that cylinder. I did swap coil again on the powerpack and got fire to that cylinder. SO... does this mean i have a bad powerpack now or could we have something else going on? If so by what means can i test and prove this.. I dont want to just start buying parts...
also, if we have to crank motor with a gas filled rag over carbs, does this indicate a lack of fuel issue. It will crank this way and once it does will idle fine (obviously with a miss and we are not running it long at all). I have taken carbs off and apart and soaked 3 days in carb cleaner, then thourouly cleaned each carb before reassembly. Not sure if there is a simple way test anything on fuel system i.e. fuel pump, diagphram etc...
any and all help will be greatly appreciated, im just about to get discouraged. Bought the boat and havent put it in water yet.... I do have original service manual for this motor too..
thanks

Re: 73 85 hp evinrude no fire 1 cyl HELP

Anybody?? Really??

Re: 73 85 hp evinrude no fire 1 cyl HELP

If you have the manual the only way you can check out the ignition system is with an open air gap spark tester ( set at 7/16 " ) and a peak reading voltmeter or else a volt ohmmeter with a dva adapter. Check all your ignition ground connections and the next thing is to take a gamble on the power pack.

Re: 73 85 hp evinrude no fire 1 cyl HELP

Would that no tell you though that's it a powerpack if the new coil won't work on old position but mvd to another it does??? Also still unsure about the fuel issue as well!! Thanks for the help

Re: 73 85 hp evinrude no fire 1 cyl HELP

Also, my manual tells me to use a neon test light of which I can find nowhere.? Where can I find info on testing ignition issues with peak volt meter?
One last question, if your testing ONLY the powerpack, will a regular volt ohmmeter not work? I thought you were just testing the output FROM the powerpack?? Hope that doesn't sound to ignorant!!
Thanks boobie fir your help!!

Re: 73 85 hp evinrude no fire 1 cyl HELP

Not ignorant. The one that doesn't ask a question is ignornat. You have to have a peak reading volt meter or else a volt/ohmmeter with the dva adapter. A regular volt/ohhmmeter won't work. The neon tester went out years ago when they went to the peak reading meters. I've used both. You may want to go to CDI Electronics.com for some up dated test procedures or call 1-866-423-4832.