tower of power no balls

[octaneforce]

my 1985 mercury 115 will not give me the time of day. it will idle fair, but anything past 1/4 throttle it will bog and die. i have cleaned the carbs very thoroughly, rebuilt the fuel pump, new fuel lines, tried 3 different gas tanks with fresh gas, timed and synced motor, the compression is close to 115 on all cylinders, and i have made zero progress. if i slowly blip the throttle, i can work my way onto plane but its very annoying and the motor still has no power to pull a skier (which is almost all i use the boat for). i am at a loss with this pos.

 

[redjmp]

Re: tower of power no balls

Sorry to hear your inline brings you no joy.
We are here to help!
If you are sure you have good compression and good gas all that leaves is spark!
Myself, I would try pumping the ball while under load and see if it makes any difference before tearing moving on to the spark.
When you said that you did a link and sync, did you follow the procedure here: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=128495 ?

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

Sorry to hear your inline brings you no joy.
We are here to help!
If you are sure you have good compression and good gas all that leaves is spark!
Myself, I would try pumping the ball while under load and see if it makes any difference before tearing moving on to the spark.
When you said that you did a link and sync, did you follow the procedure here: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=128495 ?

yep, i could probably recite that procedure to you by memory. if i pump the ball while somebody is driving, i can get the motor to rev out at slightly higher rpms, but still far from perfect. but i really have to squeeze the daylights out of it. the ball is always firm.

 

[redjmp]

Re: tower of power no balls

Ok you'll need a DVA to properly test your electrical and a spark gap tester as well.

http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=ESP640&source=froogle&kw=ESP640
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=LIS50850
One of these could be handy as well :
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=LIS20610
And you'll need the info from CDI electronics website:
http://www.cdielectronics.com/downloads/Mercury_DVA.pdf
http://issuu.com/cdielectronics/doc...t.xml&backgroundColor=000000&showFlipBtn=true

Page 83 and 84

 

[emckelvy]

Re: tower of power no balls

Here's an inexpensive DVA adapter: http://www.americastoolwarehouse.com/automotive-tools/ESI-640.html

But before you order one, be sure to check the resistance of your stator Hi-Speed and Low-Speed windings as per the troubleshooting info previously posted.

I think you're gonna find that your hi-speed ign winding is either open, or has out-of-spec resistance.

Failure to rev up over 2000 rpm under load (after other issues such as basic ign, compression and fuel problems are ruled out) on an ADI motor is usually a bad stator. Very rarely you'll see bad reed valves but then it would likely idle poorly and spit fuel back out the carbs.

HTH & let us know what you find..........ed

 

[redjmp]

Re: tower of power no balls

Here's an inexpensive DVA adapter: http://www.americastoolwarehouse.com/automotive-tools/ESI-640.html

Same one I listed but yours costs more....

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

so you guys think this is electrical? it just seemed like a bizarre fuel problem to me. i have a BRAND NEW stator sitting around from a 90 horse tower of power i used to have. is it the same as the 115? if so, ill swap it in real quick and see if it helps. thanks for all the suggestions so far.

 

[jigmister]

Re: tower of power no balls

they are steering you the right way. If you are going to be your own mechanic get the dva adapter and volt meter if you do not have.
Spark tester is a must as well.
CDI insturctions will walk you through an entire electrical componet check.

I would start with the spark test on each plug.

with these tools and CDI lititure you will know weather or not to change the stator. Takes less than an hour once you get all the right tools and study the CDI guide.

dignose the problem before guessing. Be more than a guessing parts changer. It will save you time headache and money.
In a short amount of time your tower of power will have balls.

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

they are steering you the right way. If you are going to be your own mechanic get the dva adapter and volt meter if you do not already have it. Spark tester is a must as well.
CDI insturctions will walk you threw an entire electrical componet check.

I would start with the spark test on each plug.

the only thing i dont have is a dva adapter. ill have to see if somebody local has one. i dont want to wait for one to get shipped to my house. i hate wasting this nice weather!

ALSO- i realized today that my electronic choke doesnt work. when i push the key, nothing happens. it used to click and choke the motor. could this be part of my problem? maybe the motor is choking itself or pushing in too much fuel? can i override that thing just to be sure?

 

[jigmister]

Re: tower of power no balls

I learned how to troulbe shoot my own outboard here the same way a year ago.
Once I got the hang of it things came easy. DVA is the way to go. The shop maunal talks about ohming out the parts. Do not trust ohms. DVA is on the money every time.

 

[redjmp]

Re: tower of power no balls

The "choke" is an enrichment valve that lets fuel from the top float bowl flow down into hoses that feed the crankcase directly.
Very hard to start cold without it working. You should hear an audible click when you push the choke button.
Check the wiring for fraying or breakage at the connections...

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

The "choke" is an enrichment valve that lets fuel from the top float bowl flow down into hoses that feed the crankcase directly.
Very hard to start cold without it working. You should hear an audible click when you push the choke button.
Check the wiring for fraying or breakage at the connections...

yeah, i need a spray of starter fluid to get it going. the wiring at the motor is fine, i think the wiring at the key is whats causing that issue. regardless, i dont think that could cause my problem with poor running.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: tower of power no balls

If you keep useing starter fluid, that motor will be toast.

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

If you keep useing starter fluid, that motor will be toast.

i actually keep a spray bottle of premix on the boat for that reason. but ive been naughty the last few times i started it and i used starter fluid.

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

i swapped in the new stator i had laying around, took the boat out, and nothing changed. HOWEVER, i realized that if i turn off the motor, pump the crap out of the ball, start the motor and clear it out in neutral, and then take off immediately, the thing will run perfect. it gets up on plane and has power, but as soon as i get back to idle the problem starts all over again. WTF. this has to be a fuel problem. maybe i have a defective fuel pump.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: tower of power no balls

.............. maybe i have a defective fuel pump.

or defective hose, like an inner split, the flap restricting flow.

Disconnect the fuel hose to the carbs, crank the motor and SEE if fuel flows.

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

or defective hose, like an inner split, the flap restricting flow.

Disconnect the fuel hose to the carbs, crank the motor and SEE if fuel flows.

that will be the first thing i do when i fool with it tomorow.

 

[CV16]

Re: tower of power no balls

Did you replace all the fuel lines with new ones made to withstand the blended fuels we almost all have to use now?

 

[octaneforce]

Re: tower of power no balls

just went out to work on the motor. my power tilt stopped working, the wires around the soleniod flaked off, and my key is stuck in the cranking position so it wont stop turning over when i put the wires back together. this motor is officially going in the garbage. thank you to everyone for your help trying to save this thing.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: tower of power no balls

Where do live? and what day can I pick it up?