Johnson v-4 spark issue

W

whitennerdy

Recruit
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
5
I have a 1978 Johnson 115 with no spark on #1 cyl. I replaced the coil and it worked for a few trips and then lost spark again. The coil is still good and the rectifier checked out per my seloc manual so I replaced the power pack on that side. I still have no spark on #1 and the lead from the power pack to coil #1 has no power. The other coil lead has voltage and all 3 other cyl. have good spark. I'm guessing either a stator or timing base issue but those parts are pricey and the tests in the manual seem to require more equipment than my multimeter so I'm looking for some advice on where to look next please.
 
B

boobie

Supreme Mariner
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Nov 5, 2009
Messages
20,826
Re: Johnson v-4 spark issue

Guessing without testing with proper equip I'd say timer base.
 
McGR

McGR

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 19, 2004
Messages
654
Re: Johnson v-4 spark issue

Cylinder #1 and #2 share the same sensor from the timer base. So, if it is a timer base problem, #2 should be acting up too. Stator/charge coil issues would probably effect all cylinders, not just one. Perhaps you have a bad primary wire or ground to the coil, or possibly a bad plug wire.
 
B

boobie

Supreme Mariner
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Nov 5, 2009
Messages
20,826
Re: Johnson v-4 spark issue

When I was in service school back in '78 we were told that on a V-4 that if you had no spark on one cyl, it could be pack,coil, or sensor. That was the first yr of using two seperate power packs. Yes, '77 was different because they only had one pack and two cyl's shared the same sensor.
 
W

whitennerdy

Recruit
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
5
Re: Johnson v-4 spark issue

Thanks for all the help guys. I popped off the flywheel today and inspected the wiring and found the black w/yellow stripe wire from the stator to power pack felt a little crunchy under the insulation. I stripped back some insulation and found the wire blackened with corrosion. I've had this cause some problems in RC airplane wiring so I replace the wire and reassembled everything. I now have strong spark on all 4 cyl. I hope its the real fix and not an intermittent problem. The CDI link was great if I need to do more troubleshooting ;)
 
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