1990 tracker evinrude 40 no spark

[patrickj]

I have a 1990 bass buggy pontoon with a 1990 evinrude tracker 40 horse. Ran great end of last year. Went to fire it up this year and no spark. Brand new fully charged batteries, spins full speed, has compression, rebuilt carbs a few weeks ago. It has no spark. I unhooked the rectifier and still no spark. Had a new rectifier and stator put on maybe 5 years ago. Fixing to order a stator because I think standard test procedure is unhook rectifier, if still no spark replace stator. Boat has no kill switch never has, went ahead and unhooked the black with yellow strip connector in the box on side of motor. Help is much appreciated!

 

[jakedaawg]

Locate five pin amphenol switch at power pack. Disconnect and jump all wires that are not blk and yellow. Do you have spark? If yes, test key witch.if no test switch but you are usually safe to replace pack but to save money you should get a peak reading voltmeter and do stator and trigger tests.

Cdielectronics. Com has a great troubleshooting guide for free on website

All of these were originally installed with some sort of kill switch.

 

[patrickj]

You're speaking foreign language to me, can you link me an ignition switch test guide... there is a lot of wires on the switch

 

[oldboat1]

should be a lanyard and clip (emergency cut-off switch) on the side of your control box -- think it's on the side, aft of the control lever. Maybe the lanyard and clip is laying on the deck somewhere.

 

[jakedaawg]

90 would have had a clip on the barrel of the ket switch I believe? its the mechanical kill.

 

[patrickj]

I know it should have a kill switch but in the last 15 years it hasn't, black and yello wire under dash is capped off, it's unhooked in the box on the motor it should be irrelevant at this point, it isn't shorted to ground at the motor. That is not what's causing this. Rectifier unhooked still no spark... what do I check next, I have a standard dvom with knowledge of how to use it

 

[patrickj]

Also there is no control box, this has a key on the dash, and 2 levers in the console one for gear shift one for accelerator

 

[oldboat1]

The CDI site is a good one for troubleshooting -- maybe already using it: http://www.ebasicpower.com/downloads/cditech/CDI-Troubleshooting_Guide.pdf

 

[patrickj]

Can I use a needle type volt meter to check for output on the orange wires that go to the coil box (unsure of it's name) if so what should the readings be?

 

[jakedaawg]

There is no magic bullet. To buy the right parts the first time you need the tools, the procedures, and the ability to use the tools to accomplish the procedures. Many here can help with two of the three and are glad to do so. Many don't loan their tools out over the net. I believe you can buy most of the stuff right here on this webstore. If your going to be your own mechanic an ivestment is in order. Remeber, those shops that charge so much, many of those techs have $30K or more invested in their equipment. If your not so inclined maybe a shop is in order.

 

[patrickj]

I have pretty much every tool I need to diagnose this. But when you say something like amphenol plug... I have no clue what that means.

 

[jakedaawg]

It's the rubber plug on the five wire lead that comes from the power pack.

You have some other issue though because you are running with both ends of the kill circuit un hooked.

Further testing needs to be done. A factory manual. A peak reading voltmeter. Will be necesary. 1st thing is to use your dvom and ohm test the key switch. Directions can be found in the sticky at top of forum.

2nd, is to hook the wires to the switch. Wire diagram again can be found in sticky. Does this motor turn off with the key? If so, look on back of switch. One M terminal has a blk wire, whats on the other M terminal?

This is where we start with your boat. It's gonna be a lot of questions and answers but it is solvable.

 

[jakedaawg]

To test the switch check for continuity between the poles that are noted by the blue line in the diagram with the key in the corresponding position. Any one of those fail and you bought yourself a new key switch.

 

[patrickj]

Ok, I believe I've narrowed it down to the stator, even though the black with yellow wire is unhooked at the control box, the stator side of that wire is shorted to ground, which kills the spark if I'm not mistaken

 

[patrickj]

It's the rubber plug on the five wire lead that comes from the power pack.

You have some other issue though because you are running with both ends of the kill circuit un hooked.

Further testing needs to be done. A factory manual. A peak reading voltmeter. Will be necesary. 1st thing is to use your dvom and ohm test the key switch. Directions can be found in the sticky at top of forum.

2nd, is to hook the wires to the switch. Wire diagram again can be found in sticky. Does this motor turn off with the key? If so, look on back of switch. One M terminal has a blk wire, whats on the other M terminal?

This is where we start with your boat. It's gonna be a lot of questions and answers but it is solvable.

As stated before, this motor was running end of last year, it was running a few months back when carbs got rebuilt, then one day no spark, boat has been wired the same way with no modification for 15 years

 

[jakedaawg]

As stated before, this motor was running end of last year, it was running a few months back when carbs got rebuilt, then one day no spark, boat has been wired the same way with no modification for 15 years

That may be, but if it is not how it is supposed to be we can not help from the net. Cant read minds or see what's where from here.

Folks here are more than willing to help. We need answers to questions to do so.

Many here have had there hands in many hundreds of this very motor. More than enough experience to talk you through this but you must remember we are doing it BLIND!

Wether or not it ran last year does not matter. Did it shut off with the key? If so what wires are connected to the "M" terminal on back of key switch.

From what you describe key switch sounds like a cause of your no spark condition.

 

[patrickj]

If the black with yellow stripe wire is shorted to ground at the stator, does that equal a bad stator? Main red hardness plug unhooked at motor, black with yellow unhooked at at power box, cut the black with yellow strip 1 inch from the stator and it's shorted to ground.

 

[jakedaawg]

The blk/yel does not goto or come from the stator. It comes from the power pack and goes to the key switch. It is the wire, that when the switch is in the off position, or the kill switch is activated puts ground to the ignition and turns the ignition off.

 

[jakedaawg]

Everybody always thinks stator. I don't know why, they are reliable.

 

[patrickj]

The blk/yel does not goto or come from the stator. It comes from the power pack and goes to the key switch. It is the wire, that when the switch is in the off position, or the kill switch is activated puts ground to the ignition and turns the ignition off.

Sorry you are correct, the power pack is mounted to the timer base, and next to the stator, so I guess my question is if the black and yellow wire is shorted at the power pack is the power pack bad? I'm thinking it is since it uses that circuit to ground out the ignition out, if it's grounded at the power pack and unhooked has to be it