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Recruit
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2013
- Messages
- 1
Hi
I have a 1990 2 cylinder 6hp 2 stroke (long shaft) mercury engine that I use to power my old sailboat and get it from our marina out onto the Chesapeake Bay, where I've been trying to learn to sail.
I'm about besides myself here in frustration as it seems one engine issue or another invariably keeps me from ever being able to get out and hoist my sails. The latest, is the most frustrating. After winterizing and then tuning up the engine this spring, it ran perfectly. I pulled the cord to start it 10 times, and each time it started right up. It has a new filter, new gas (with both the proper 50-1 oil mix and Stabalize in it). It runs off a 6 gallon tank that I entirely cleaned out too.
About a month ago, I was out on the bay with my family, enjoy the day sailing. Mid afternoon, we noticed some black clouds coming in and started hearing weather reports of thunderstorms north and south of us, so we decided to start heading in. As we started to approach the sea wall entrance to our harbor, I went and cranked the engine to get it running. But it wouldn't start. I tried again, and again and again. no luck. It was in neutral, I could pull the rope, it would spin but the plugs never sparked and it never even tried to turn over. We dropped the anchor and had the tow boat come to rescue us.
At the time, I figured it was some short in the kill switch. But when I got home, with the engine mounted on a stand in the garage, I tested both the kill switch on the tiller and the main kill switch on the engine. Neither were shorted out. I then checked the fuel lines, and the carb. They seemed fine, there was plenty of gas. And even spraying starter fluid directly into the engine didn't help it turn over (even with the dirtiest most fouled up carb, starter fluid always gets the engine to at least turn over). NExt, I checked the spark plugs. They were brand new this spring. Had worked fine, and really only ran for maybe 2-4 hours total in their lifespan. Had no crude on them or signs of wear, but they wouldn't spark. Pulled out a spark plug tester, again, wouldn't spark. Put new plugs in, those too don't spark. Which leads me to believe, its an electrical problem.
It could be the coil, but using my multimeter to do an Ohms test and using this chart http://www.outboardignition.com/page39.asp it had the proper current running through it. so that tells me its either the switch box or the stator? Is there any way to test either? Frankly, I could simply replace both, but I have no desires to spend more on parts than I did on the engine to replace parts that rarely if ever break. Is there something else I should be looking at here? Any other suggestions as to why the plugs might not be firing? Or the engine wont turn over (and why would it happen so suddenly?)
Its enough to convince me to sell the boat and quit boating altogether.
I have a 1990 2 cylinder 6hp 2 stroke (long shaft) mercury engine that I use to power my old sailboat and get it from our marina out onto the Chesapeake Bay, where I've been trying to learn to sail.
I'm about besides myself here in frustration as it seems one engine issue or another invariably keeps me from ever being able to get out and hoist my sails. The latest, is the most frustrating. After winterizing and then tuning up the engine this spring, it ran perfectly. I pulled the cord to start it 10 times, and each time it started right up. It has a new filter, new gas (with both the proper 50-1 oil mix and Stabalize in it). It runs off a 6 gallon tank that I entirely cleaned out too.
About a month ago, I was out on the bay with my family, enjoy the day sailing. Mid afternoon, we noticed some black clouds coming in and started hearing weather reports of thunderstorms north and south of us, so we decided to start heading in. As we started to approach the sea wall entrance to our harbor, I went and cranked the engine to get it running. But it wouldn't start. I tried again, and again and again. no luck. It was in neutral, I could pull the rope, it would spin but the plugs never sparked and it never even tried to turn over. We dropped the anchor and had the tow boat come to rescue us.
At the time, I figured it was some short in the kill switch. But when I got home, with the engine mounted on a stand in the garage, I tested both the kill switch on the tiller and the main kill switch on the engine. Neither were shorted out. I then checked the fuel lines, and the carb. They seemed fine, there was plenty of gas. And even spraying starter fluid directly into the engine didn't help it turn over (even with the dirtiest most fouled up carb, starter fluid always gets the engine to at least turn over). NExt, I checked the spark plugs. They were brand new this spring. Had worked fine, and really only ran for maybe 2-4 hours total in their lifespan. Had no crude on them or signs of wear, but they wouldn't spark. Pulled out a spark plug tester, again, wouldn't spark. Put new plugs in, those too don't spark. Which leads me to believe, its an electrical problem.
It could be the coil, but using my multimeter to do an Ohms test and using this chart http://www.outboardignition.com/page39.asp it had the proper current running through it. so that tells me its either the switch box or the stator? Is there any way to test either? Frankly, I could simply replace both, but I have no desires to spend more on parts than I did on the engine to replace parts that rarely if ever break. Is there something else I should be looking at here? Any other suggestions as to why the plugs might not be firing? Or the engine wont turn over (and why would it happen so suddenly?)
Its enough to convince me to sell the boat and quit boating altogether.