28 hp Envinrude - no spark

[mxfever]

I?m new to boating and purchased a mid 80?s pontoon this spring. It has a 28hp evinrude. It ran great and started without any hesitation numerous times this year until this last weekend. We ran it out to our favorite fishing spot and shut it off. After about ? an hour I went to start it to move to a different area. The engine started for about two seconds then died. It would only crank. After getting pulled back by another friendly boater we quickly diagnosed that we don?t have any spark. I was wondering if anybody has ever encountered this problem. I have a strong mechanical background but have never worked on an outboard so I don?t know what kind of ignition set up they use. I am thinking that I have a bad ignition module/CDI but I hate throwing parts to try and fixe something. Any suggestions?

 

[jasper60103]

Re: 28 hp Envinrude - no spark

So you're saying you don't have spark at either plug? First, I would verify spark with a spark tester. Pick up a spark tester at your local auto parts store for $6-7.

 

[mxfever]

Re: 28 hp Envinrude - no spark

You are correct. No spark on either cylinder. I used a brand new plug to make sure I could get a spark if one was present. In desperation my buddy even stuck his pinky in the plug wire while I was cranking and nothing.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: 28 hp Envinrude - no spark

Try here:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158071

then this:
http://www.cdielectronics.com/downloads/troubleshooting guide/OMC 2 Cylinder 1978-2006.pdf

If you don't have a DVA adapter, you'll need one like this:
http://www.mytoolsforyou.com/automotive-tools/ESI-640.html

 

[mxfever]

Re: 28 hp Envinrude - no spark

FANTASTIC! The second link is exactly what I was looking for! Now I can figure out what component failed. Thanks!