it never ends......

[mrbadfish]

I worked out all the kinks in my engine, made several repairs and got it running properly. I was able to crank it up no problem, give it full throttle, and let it run for a prolonged period with no troubles on the hose. I finally felt secure enough to take it for its 'post-op' maiden voyage. I launched the boat, and idled throught the no wake zone for about 10 minutes, and when I hit the channel, I opened her up and she accelerated fine and ran full speed for about 30 seconds and then just shut down, and would not start again. The only logical thing i can think of is this: One of the problems I had was a faulty primer solenoid, which I replaced. While I was going through this, I left some fuel lines open, which could have introduced carb clogging bits of whatever into the system. I had just finished rebuilding the carbuerator about 2 days prior to starting work on the solenoid problem. The strange thing is that I would assume if this were the case, it would have happened just as well on the hose. This is a 1986 30hp Evinrude. Should I clean the carbuerator 1 more time or try something else? Any suggestions would be great.....

Thanks AGAIN,
mrbadfish

 

[mrbadfish]

Re: it never ends......

PS This just occured to me....it could very well be a spark issue right? Is there a simple way to test for spark at the house, as to not have to bring it to a mechanic?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: it never ends......

What is the compression? With the spark plugs removed, do you have a hot blue spark that will jump a 7/16" gap?

If you had the flywheel off and did not torque the flywheel nut to factory specifications, that would allow the flywheel key to shear, effectively throwing the engine out of time.

Spark plugs should be Champion QL77JC4 plugs, gapped at .040 . Are they?

If all of the above are as they should be, I would assume the problem is fuel related...... perhaps you purchased some water with that last fill up? It happens.

I just noticed your 2nd post. Yes, you can easily check the spark, using either a manufactured tester which should be available at most automotive type stores, or if you're handy, build one as follows.

Spark Tester - Home Made
(J. Reeves)

A spark tester can be made with a piece of 1x4 or 1x6, drive a couple nails through it, then bend the pointed ends at a right angle. You can then adjust the gap by simply twisting the nail(s). Solder a spark plug wire to one which you can connect to the spark plug boots, and a ground wire of some kind to the other to connect to the powerhead somewhere.

Using the above, one could easily build a spark tester whereas they could connect 2, 4, 6, or 8 cylinders all at one time. The ground nail being straight up, the others being bent, aimed at the ground nail. A typical 4 cylinder tester follows:


..........X1..........X2

.................X..(grd)

..........X3..........X4

 

[mrbadfish]

Re: it never ends......

Spark plugs are right, and are gapped at what they came as, never had the flywheel off, and I dont know the exact compression but has alot of pressure coming out of the hole when plug removed. And as far as seeing if there is a hot blue spark with the plugs out, am I just supposed to just asses that visually? And if its the gas, should it not at least try to start or run at low speed? It would be a shame if iI bought water, with todays prices what they are, although I did go to a gas station I have never been to. It does sound like its not getting a spark, but can that just happen that quickly, cause like I had mentioned it was running fine on the hose and at idle in the water, or is my luck just that bad??:| Hope this additional information can help a little bit.

 

[jtexas]

Re: it never ends......

You can remove the spark plug, reconnect it to the lead and hold it against the engine block while somebody engages the starter. Use an insulated spark plug boot tool to avoid getting electrocuted. That will confirm whether spark exists, but not whether it's strong enough. For that you need the 7/16" gap referred to above.

Spark plug gapper, a few pennies at auto parts store.
Spark plug tester, a couple bucks - you'll have to do one at a time. Spark plugs can be in, the tester attaches to the spark plug lead and clamps to the engine block. If you have the plugs out, ground the other lead to the engine block with a jumper wire.
Just observe the spark while a helper engages the starter.

 

[mrbadfish]

Re: it never ends......

A few of you may remember my post a couple days ago about a spark/fuel issue. I went out and grabbed a spark tester and i am getting no spark on either cylinder!?!?!?!?! I had the tester set at 7/16" at first and then closed the gap significantly, with no spark still. I am wondering if i am possibly not getting a good ground because the block is painted? But I feel no spark is probably the case, as I am unable to start her up. Where do I start in getting her to fire again?

Thanks

 

[mrbadfish]

Re: it never ends......

?? anyone ??

 

[Walker]

Re: it never ends......

A manual and follow the ignition test procedures.

 

[mrbadfish]

Re: it never ends......

so the paint isnt preventing a good ground right?

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: it never ends......

Johnson/Evinrude Troubleshooting
Alternator Driven CD Ignitions
1978-2002
Two Stroke/Except Ficht
Two Cylinder Engines
No Fire at All:
1. Disconnect the black/yellow kill wire and retest. If the engine's ignition has fire, the kill circuit has a fault-check
the key switch, harness and shift switch.
2. Check the stator resistance. You should read approximately 500 ohms from the brown wire to engine ground.
(See DVA Charts).
3. Check the DVA output from the stator. You should have a reading of at least 150V or more from the brown
wire to brown/yellow (while connected to the pack).
4. Check the timer base’s resistance from the black/white wire to the white/black wire. Reading should be 10-20
ohms or 38-42 ohms.
5. Check the DVA output from the timer base. A reading of at least 0.5V or more from the black/white wire to the
white/black (while connected to the pack) is needed to fire the pack.
6. Check the cranking RPM. A cranking speed of less than 250-RPM will not allow the system to fire properly.
7. Check the DVA output on the orange wires from the power pack while connected to the ignition coils. You
should have a reading of at least 150V or more. If the readings are low, disconnect the orange wires from the
ignition coils and reconnect them to load resistors. Retest. If the reading is now good, the ignition coil is likely
bad. A continued low reading indicates a bad power pack.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: it never ends......

so the paint isnt preventing a good ground right?

Scrape some off and make sure it's grounded properly. Or run a wire from a good ground to the tester...

 

[jtexas]

Re: it never ends......

Make sure you're using a fully charged battery - to develop sufficient cranking RPMs.

Still no spark, rickd pasted the ignition troubleshooting steps above...first inspect all the wires and connectors from the stator to powerpack to ignition coils. Look for bare wires, cracked or burned insulation, corrosion, loose connections. Also where ground wires are bolted to the block.

Step 1 rules out the kill circuit: unplug the powerpack, push the pin attached to the black/yellow wire out of the plug, plug the connector back together, check for spark again. If you get spark then and need help troubleshooting that circuit, let us know.

If you need help with any of the subsequent steps also let us know.

good luck.

 

[mrbadfish]

Re: it never ends......

thanks guys, my vacation is over so its gonna be hard to have time 4 all of this but i will be hitting it on my days off, i'll let u a ll know whats comes up...

thanks again

 

[clint]

it never ends......

Clean all your ground leads, especially your coil conections against the motor block where coils rest. It does sounds like a bad ground. Good Luck!
Clint 8)