3.0 Wont Start Now!!

[jakehorton15]

Ok Ive got a 1990 3.0 Mercruiser in a Searay 170 and we dewinterized and started it a few weeks ago and after some cranking she finally fired up and ran fine with no stalling issues or anything like that. The carb is freshly rebuilt and was running fine. This weekend I went to install the Pertronix Ignitior 2 and Flamethrower 2 to convert it to electronic ignition but when I take off the distributor cap low and behold...a Pertronix Ignitor 1. So someone had already converted it to electronic ignition but I go ahead and install the new Ignitor and coil since I had them. I went to go start it all up and it would just crank and crank and crank but no starting or even seeming like it wanted to. We've checked the positioning of the rotor and set #1 to TDC and then set the plugs in order from there as 1,3,4,2, but still no start. Its sending fuel through the carb and we pulled each plug and checked for spark and we've got spark. I went ahead and put back in the old coil and Ignitor 1 thinking that would help and still nothing. We can smell some gas fumes coming from the exhaust while cranking but it just wont start up. I have no clue what to do next and was hoping some of you would have some suggestions.

 

[stonyloam]

1,3,4,2 clockwise right? Put a timing light on it to see where it is. Full 12V to the Ignitor II right?

 

[jakehorton15]

1,3,4,2 clockwise right? Put a timing light on it to see where it is. Full 12V to the Ignitor II right?

Yes 1324 clockwise is how I set it. Can you use a timing light to determine timing if the motor won't start? And yes I wired it directly to the starter post even and no luck. Even going completely back to the old coil and wiring setup that ran fine 3 weeks ago didn't work.

 

[m_steiger]

I can tell you right now you have have the distributor out of time. You need to put piston #1 at TDC on the compression stroke and then insert the distributor with the rotor button in the most general direction towards the #1cylinder post on the cap. From there you will have to you will to retime the engine. This procedure is required any time a distributor is removed from an engine.

 

[jakehorton15]

I can tell you right now you have have the distributor out of time. You need to put piston #1 at TDC on the compression stroke and then insert the distributor with the rotor button in the most general direction towards the #1cylinder post on the cap. From there you will have to you will to retime the engine. This procedure is required any time a distributor is removed from an engine.

So I need to pull the whole distributor as opposed to just setting the plugs based on where the rotor is facing when I lift off the cap?

 

[jakehorton15]

Even though I never removed the whole distributor from the engine? I just removed the cap and then the pertonix.

 

[m_steiger]

Never mind on that then, I was under the impression you removed the distributor, but you just removed the cap. Can you confirm that you are getting 12v to the + side of the coil? it should be a purple wire connected to the + side of the coil? You should have voltage there when the key is on and while cranking (needs to be a constant on voltage at all times unless the key is off)

 

[jakehorton15]

No I never removed the distributor just the cap. But yes there is a purple and a purple/yellow wire going to the +on the coil. But it would never read 12 volts to the coil. I wired a new wire directly from the + to the starter but may have gone to the wrong post on the starter. But I don't get why it won't start even after we went back to the original coil and Ignitor with the resistor wire.