difference between blue and black

Hi,
ive been lurking on the forum for a week or so reading back, and just signed up a day or two ago.

Iran across in another thread some discussion of blue vrs black coil packs, where someone stated blue wouldnt work with black or something to that effect.

Im new to outboard engines and was wondering if anyone could explain this.

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Reason i ask, is i just bought an 88 force 125 with 3 black coil packs and one blue, and going to dig into it this weekend to trouble shoot it and see if i cant get if running (starter turns but engine wont fire, havent gotten into it yet to diagnose if fueling, or spark issue just yet, doing that on the long weekend ahead)


also if anyone has a link to a good write up to trouble shoot the electronics id be much appreciative of it. (what wires to test for what readings etc)

I have a digital copy of a manual coming to me that i "assume" should have this info.

I have what id like to call a decent knowledge of engines and their inner workings, however its limited to automobiles, no experience in 2 stroke.

Thanks
Canter

Re: difference between blue and black

go to www.outboardignition.com, they have full testing proceedures for Force ignition systems

Re: difference between blue and black

jkoppe,

Thanks for the link!!
much appreciated,


ill update the thread as i go along, there's a great wealth of knowledge here from reading back.

Re: difference between blue and black

I've got an 88-125 Force and all the CD's are blue in color and still original. However, I believe the only difference between the blue and black is the wire colors and connectors. In your case, it looks like they've tried using either or by modifying the connectors which can also be done. You can check which CD is the original by looking on the connections to see if which ones have been modified.

Re: difference between blue and black

ive run blue modules with black coils and and black modules with blue coils and havent had a single problem in four years and my boat is out every weekend, the connectors are different but they work just them same, havent had any issues

Re: difference between blue and black

Well,
I tore into her this past weekend, just before Beryl cam through and nearly made me NEED it HA!
I got her running via a squirt bottle and some mixed fuel into the carbs, runs great,
i let it run once, then it died out, (fueling from fresh gas out of a can)

After it cooled for a while i went back out and hooked the line back up to the fuel tank that has gas in it (sitting an unknown amount of time) started it back up and she ran without the help of more squirts into the carb (GREAT)

Herein lies the newest ISSUE.

the boat ran so dang good she doesnt want to turn off! key to off and nothing, had to choke the motor out by putting my hand over the throttle body.

ive been doing some reading in various places and have seen many suggestions.

iginiton switch,

wire disconected somewhere.

etc

is there any way i can streamline my hunt by testing the switch with a multimeter?

Re: difference between blue and black

Here's a wiring diagram that will help you trace the stop switch (kill switch or lanyard switch) and the ignition switch. Note on the top right hand corner the white wire connecting the stop switch and also the ignition switch. Notice the kill switch is in parallel with the ignition switch through the white wire and blue wire. The kill switch is normally open while the ignition switch is normally closed. When you turn the key away from the stop position, the white and blue wires get disconnected letting the engine run. When you turn the key back to the stop position the white and blue wires connects together and stop the engine. Trace the blue wire and you will notice it is connected to a black wire which is a ground wire. So in short, when the white wire connects to ground the engine stops.

Re: difference between blue and black

SCORE!

thank you JIGGZ! gonna see if i cant straighten this out tonight after work beofre i lose daylight.

thanks again!

Re: difference between blue and black

canter6 said:

SCORE!

thank you JIGGZ! gonna see if i cant straighten this out tonight after work beofre i lose daylight.

thanks again!

Click to expand...

Good to her she's running. As for your original question. Merc sold both blue and black coils. Some said the blues were actually made by Mallory but I don't have any proof of that. One thing for certain, Merc doesn't manufacture coils so I suspect it was just a matter of color choice when the contract was let out. The coils that are rated as "Racing" seem to always be black and are rated for higher than Max RPM ratings of all but race or high performance engines. You don't need them. One interesting side note, I've never had a blue with a cracked or broken core but I've had several blacks come that way out of the box.

Re: difference between blue and black

Blue was Prestolite.Don't know about black.
Mix and match.Never saw a difference.
The black coils are the same as the blue.
Outboards are designed to run wide open so all parts are considered racing????
As far as turning off with the key,you have the original wiring harness.
Look for a loose connection or a broken wire at the key.