Pre 97 Bf50A LRTA No Spark ?

[jimmymcg1]

Good morning everyone!

New to iboats forum and looking for some help.

I bought a Pre 1997 Honda Bf50A LRTA from my buddy last year. The motor has been running great , a few minor repairs over the last year such as new starter motor, and trim motor but nothing to major.

Right now I'm having issues getting spark and don't know where to go next to troubleshoot. All 3 sparkplugs are not sparking right now.

This problem happened randomly. Boat has been running great with no hesitation of starting. I tried to go out the other day and it would crank it's heart out but not start.

I'm not sure how to test the Stator , CDI box, or regulator/rectaficer. Should I just slowly start replacing parts of the ignition system ?

I also tried bypassing the killswitch but not sure if I did that 100% correctly either. There are two wires running to the killswitch, I tried unplugging one at a time and starting the engine, but still no spark.

 

[hondam]

Ignition problems on those motors are extremely rare, unhook the wiring harness from the motor and jump the starter solenoid to check the spark again.

DO NOT start just replacing parts, take it in to get fixed, you will save yourself a ton on money. Electrical parts are expensive and non returnable so once you buy it its yours.

 

[jimmymcg1]

Thank you for the quick reply. I will give that a try. Just out of curiosity, what would that tell me if I get spark by byypassing the wiring harness ? Is that a way to rule out a faulty safety lanyard?

 

[hondam]

It eliminates the possibility of anything in the boat that may be shorted out including the safety lanyard or ignition switch. I would also be checking the spark with a timing light or spark checker if you have one, trying to watch an arcing spark plugs leads to a lot of misdiagnosis.

 

[jimmymcg1]

Haven't had a chance to do much testing , as I have been out of town.
However I did get a chance to speak with my friend who sold me the boat. He had this same issue 2 years ago, and replaced the cdi box, which resolved the issue.

Is there an easy way to test the CDI box with a multimeter ? Also, if it is a bad cdi box , what would cause it to keep failing ?

 

[Sea Rider]

You need to have at hand the troubleshooting volt specs to test that CD along adequate (assume) DVA multimeters. Electrical components can go bad prematurely when having poor grounds contacts, that's oxidized, rusted, same issue on all powerhead grounds, worse if OB is old and electrical system has not been well maintained. When running check that bat charging system charges according to tech Honda specs, should not be overcharging whatsoever.

How expensive is that CD Box ?

Happy Boating

 

[jimmymcg1]

Hi all , just wanted to say thanks again for all the help and tips...I replaced the CDI Box this weekend , and she started right up with no issues!! I continued to use the boat all weekend and it seems to be running good.

I have friends who own Honda Bf50's that have never had to replace a CDI Box. This is the second CDI box that has been put in this engine over the last 6 years....What is causing my CDI box to go so quick ? Is it the voltage regulator ?

Thanks!

 

[jimmymcg1]

Bump ^^

 

[Sea Rider]

Probably the coil under flywheel or charging system is overcharging, need to determine checking against factory specs with a good tester.. All component grounds should be immaculate clean and shinny.

Happy Boating