115 johnson coil testing

[j_cleaner]

I have what I think is a 1987 Johnson 115 v4. It has an individual coil pack for each cylinder. two of the coils got soaked when a water inlet hose broke, now when I crank it, it wont just sit at an idle, but also kinda smothers when i try to rev it up any. A local boat mechanic told me if the two coils on that side got wet they were probably shorted out. How do I test them, and please keep it simple as you can 'cause I am no mechanic, lol.

 

[RobbyA]

Re: 115 johnson coil testing

Boat Topics and Questions (not engine topics)

That being said, the guys over in the Johnson outboard forum have a plethora of knowledge and can help.

 

[cr2k]

Re: 115 johnson coil testing

Besides the big wire that goes to the spark plug there are 2 small wires to each coil, black is a ground, the other is the trigger wire for the coil. Swap them from the good coils and see if these coils now work. Do Not run the engine just test with a spark tester. If so and the others now Do Not work it is probably your power pack. (Switch Box)

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 115 johnson coil testing

It's unusual to have coils go bad, they usually have good dependability. I'd be inclined to let them dry out a little. Pull the wires off the terminals and let them sit for a few days. Also, you can swap coils and see of the "no spark" condition moves with the coils. If, after a few days, the same two coils are still not sparking, replace them.