115 yamaha motor with no spark.

Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Messages
4
I have a 115 horse yamaha outboard. I beleive it is a 1996 motor because this is what I see stamped on the back of the power head. when trying to start the motor, it will just turn over but will not fire. This happened to me out in the water. I started my boat took it out to warm it up a little and then returned to shore to pick up my passengers. the boat idled for maybe 5 min. and then died. I tried to start it again and I got nothing. I ran the main battery dead after about 20 min. of trying to start the motor. I switched batteries and proceeded to try starting it again. I would have given up at this point but one of my passengers thought it was ok to push off and it was a Highly windy day so we drifted out into the lake. SO, I kept trying to start the motor and finally got it to turn over and run. After getting it started it ran fine for that day. We loaded up and went home after catching a huge 1/16 pound bluegill for all day of fishing. I charged the batteries and took the boat out the following weekend and the boat would not start. This time I was unable to get it started. For 2 days now I have been trying to run down the problem and have come up with nothing. I changed out the plugs. I pulled the plugs out one at a time to see if there was any spark and I did not see any. I tried everything I know .
 

bigbrownbuku

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 17, 2004
Messages
885
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

first. buy a service manual, preferably the yamaha factory 1.<br />it is full of troubleshooting information and an excellent resource to backup any directions to go from this forum.
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Messages
4
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

I do not need to buy a manual I need someone to help me with a quick fix. I am buying this boat from my father. He lives in Indiana and I live in minnesota. If I cannot fix it here then he wants me to return it to the marina he deals with. I do not feel like driving the boat that far, getting it fixed and then returning to pick it up. Especially when I feel that it can be something minor. When running the motor ran fine. No sputtering, and no loss of power when in gear. I just need to find this problem. There are two things that I think maybe the culpret. One is the solinoid pack located near the starter ans the second maybe the coil packs that the spark plug wires come out of. This is just a guess but I do not think a manual can help me much.<br /><br />Thanks
 

Capt Ken

Commander
Joined
Jul 30, 2002
Messages
2,269
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

Yep, I gotta agree. You're too smart to need a manual.
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Messages
4
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

Don't be a jerk. What can a manual tell me that someone else cannot. I figured that if I post my problem on this site someone out of the millions of people who visit here might have had the same problem. If you do not know how to fix my problem then leave it to someone who does. I do not need sarcasim I need someone with mechanical knowledge of boat motors. A manual summerizes different problems and a lot of times they do not help. they are good at telling the names of the different parts but also good at not telling you the signs to look for when certain parts go bad. I have delt with a lot of repair manuals with automotive problems and have had to go to someone else who has had the same or similar problem to get the car fixed and from reading the forums on this web site I beleive it is the same case with Boat motors.<br /><br />Thank you.
 

bigbrownbuku

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 17, 2004
Messages
885
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

Originally posted by BenC:<br /> first. buy a service manual, preferably the yamaha factory 1.<br />it is full of troubleshooting information and an excellent resource to backup any directions to go from this forum.
more then 9/10 people that post problems here have never worked on an outboard. someone here giving you tips to fix your problem is akin to a lebanese man speaking to a mexican and only 1 of them speaks spanish.<br />your problem could be as simple as your choke doesnt work or your stop switch is shorted ranging to a bad pulsar/stator/ecu problem.<br />if you want help, help yourself and buy a manual then we are on the same page :)
 

mlekodaj

Recruit
Joined
Oct 10, 2005
Messages
2
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

I had a similar problem that you might not think of by reading a troubleshooting guide. My 1995 Yamaha 115 2-cycle recently began starting very hard about every other time. After much cranking and injecting gas into the carb and every other trick I could think of, it would eventually start with no apparent pattern. Then it would start instantly and run without problem for the rest of the day. I was absolutely convinced that this was a fuel delivery problem because once it started, it was good for the rest of the day. (Choke butterflies and primer bulb were good. Battery was nearly new and fully charged) But before I started dismantling the fuel system, I thought I should at least check the spark the next time it failed to start. Indeed, there was no spark. I began inspecting the electical system looking for any corrosion, loose connections, etc. Found none, the electrical system looked pristine. But what I did find was some residue in the fuse holder that supplies current to the engine. It did not look that bad, but I cleaned the fuse and the fuse holder anyway. Bottom line is the motor has started quickly every time since. That is only five or six times so far, so it still could be statistical, but I think there is a real good chance that I have fixed the problem.
 

mlekodaj

Recruit
Joined
Oct 10, 2005
Messages
2
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

I should have told you that the fuse I'm talking about is under the hood and comes off just where the heavy positive cable from the battery hooks on to the solenoid.<br /><br />Good Luck.
 

bosavy

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
130
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

Well matt i see u only want a quik fix then go to the route of the problem ,ben was trying to tell u there;s a dianostic system in the manual. It could be a number of things bad kill switch shorted wiring ;bad cdi unit but u have to start somwere not guessing
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: 115 yamaha motor with no spark.

Matt -- I'll bet a beer that the two things you think are the problem are not. If the coil packs were the problem, why would more than one fail? It just isn't likely and is sort of getting four flat tires simultaneously on your car (possible but not likely). The service manual has tests that can be conducted with a $10.00 multimeter from Radio Shack. The solenoid you mention is the starter solenoid and it has absolutely nothing to do with the ignition system. It enerizes the starter when you turn the key. The engine turns over so its obviously not the problem. Wiring problems such as faulty kill and ignition switches, bad wiring, faulty ignition boxes and stators are harder to troubleshoot and you can't tell if their good or bad by looking. That's why you need a manual if you want to fix this engine yourself. Schematics and troubleshooting and component test procedures are simply a must have if the simple tests don't solve the problem. By the way, just because the ignition switch makes the starter work, doesn't mean the ignition/kill side of it is ok. Here's one quick test. Pull the kill switch lanyard and then actuate it manually several times. Reattach the lanyard and give it a try. If it starts, you found the problem. If not, ahhhhh you need a manual.
 
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