1981 Evinrude 35HP E35RCIG. Need help diagnosing mis misfire at all speeds. Videos.

[redheaddiesel]

Hi Everyone. I'm borrowing this motor from a friend as a "try before you buy" deal. It appears to be misfiring throughout the RPM range.

I have four short youtube videos showing it in WOT, Mid range, Idling in gear, and idling at the dock. The motor kicks pretty hard when it does it at the high and mid range.

This '81 is actually new for me. It's the first non-points ignition that I've worked on, FYI.

I'd love to hear back on a) is this a misfire, and b) is there a recommended troubleshooting process besides buying and replacing parts?

Thanks,

Matt.

 

[redheaddiesel]

And I misspelled misfire. And I'm a teacher. Oops...

 

[racerone]

Perhaps it is jumping in and out of gear at full throttle.---I am not there to do some simple checks on it.

 

[redheaddiesel]

Thanks so much for the reply! It's definitely not that. You'll see it throughout the rpm range, even when in neutral. There's less than a minute of video and it shows it throughout the process. Again, thanks!

 

[racerone]

Well then perhaps there are 2 problems with it.----Ignition miss and you would use a timing light to find that,----To me it also seems to be jumping out of gear, but you disagree and that is OK too.

 

[redheaddiesel]

I need to be a better listener. My track record would be to ignore you chasing my wrong idea only to find that you're right in the end. Is there a way for me to confirm jumping out of gear? Did you watch the videos and it looks like that to you? Thanks again for taking the time to reply! I appreciate it. Matt.

 

[kbait]

Really sounds like a gearcase issue. Bad clutch dog would explain high speed jump/miss, but not in neutral.

When motor is running, powerhead/driveshaft/pinion gear and both forward and reverse gears are always spinning. If you have a chipped gear tooth or 2 on pinion - forward - or reverse gear, that would definitely account for your symptoms. To test, pull lower unit off and start motor on stand (you can run it for 20 seconds without overheating..). If your ‘miss’ is gone, disassemble gearcase and inspect..remember to post results
Good luck!

 

[ob]

Check the easy stuff first like sparkplugs and leads including the end boots and then follow the advice above with respect to a timing light. Make sure there are no cracks,splits, or loose connections of plug wires to plugs ends and coil ends.

 

[redheaddiesel]

Well then perhaps there are 2 problems with it.----Ignition miss and you would use a timing light to find that,----To me it also seems to be jumping out of gear, but you disagree and that is OK too.

I swapped out coils and powerpack with a good motor. Issue remains. I googled your hunches, racerone, and I'm pretty sure you were right and it's a worn clutch dog. I do still have a misfire/conch out at low rpms, and you also said it might be two issues. Again, I think you're right.

Do you have an opinion on replacing parts vs. buying a used lower unit?

Thanks!

Matt.

 

[oldboat1]

Timing light lays somewhere in the back where you can see it while running (look for interruptions in flashes, indicating a misfire). If you try the interesting test kbait suggests to rule out non-l.u. issues, I would hook up a snug fitting to the water tube, and run hose water about half open (like with a flusher). Run only at idle or fast idle, and watch out for a runaway -- keep shop rags handy to shove in the carb intake to stall it.