1973 chrysler 85hp outboard no spark HELP PLEASE?

[tommythecat]

so i ran it and it was perfect it sounded so good. then i changed the old water pump and went to start it after a couple days and it did rain and i had a tarp over it all but i am sure moisture got in a bit. anyway when i went to start it now i have no spark on any cylinders! i used the multimeter and checked a few things. i see 13v getting to the white black stripe wire that goes into the distributor mine has no eye sensor it is points and i don't see any condenser at all anywhere that was weird to me but it did run remember before. the coil meter set to 1000k shows 0 on one and .546 on the other. i think that's good. the points look ok the rotor cap has a tiny chip out of the backside opposite of the metal tip would that cause this or would it be a stator how do i test it to see? magnapower box a coil and sensorless distributor. im stuck! please someone help?

 

[jerryjerry05]

File or sand the points.

 

[tommythecat]

i filed the points using 340 sandpaper very fine. they look new but still no spark! i don't get spark to any cylinder none. so what do i do next? if i take off the regulator to test it does anyone know what the numbers should be? what ohms or voltage or resistance for a multimeter? my magnapower ignition is nice and green on the back side so it looks to be good no discoloration on it anywhere. should i pull my flywheel and test the stator or ? if so do you know where to find the ohms chat for it also? i am getting so frustrated it ran so well and the whole family is ready tto use it. i did have to cut the trim harness three wires to get the motor off to repair the transom would this matter?

 

[Tassie 1]

Jeepers,
golly...
three threads in two different sections
the thing must be giving you the s...s

l'm only gonna reply to this one,
as well as doing what jerry has said, google CDI electronics ( something like that, haven't done it myself in 10 yrs ) go into their troubleshooting section and look for your motor,
lots of procedures and info re values etc etc should be there, used to be anyway, 10 yr blah blah

l'm gonna take a wild guess and say your cd unit is cactus...dead...knackered
not based on anything scientific or poring through troubleshooting guides,

just that symptons are the same as mine were 6 months ago lol
but l do have a preampifer dizzy

you can put an new aftermarket cd unit on it

 

[tommythecat]

Jeepers,
golly...
three threads in two different sections
the thing must be giving you the s...s

l'm only gonna reply to this one,
as well as doing what jerry has said, google CDI electronics ( something like that, haven't done it myself in 10 yrs ) go into their troubleshooting section and look for your motor,
lots of procedures and info re values etc etc should be there, used to be anyway, 10 yr blah blah

l'm gonna take a wild guess and say your cd unit is cactus...dead...knackered
not based on anything scientific or poring through troubleshooting guides,

just that symptons are the same as mine were 6 months ago lol
but l do have a preampifer dizzy

you can put an new aftermarket cd unit on it

i took mine off and it looks brand new the back is still green nice as it should be usually it burns up or discolors wont it? and the multimeter tests say it is getting voltage through it so i had moved on but mostly cause its $250.00 for it and i hate to spend it if that's not it. if i did replace it should i go to a streetfire msd ignition multi spark? do you know anything about those or upgrading it maybe somehow?

 

[tommythecat]

File or sand the points.

did it beautifully 340 grit paper no luck still no spark. i have no small condenser but on the other side there is a huge capacitor whats it for?

 

[tommythecat]

File or sand the points.

hey can the neutral safety switch do that? make it not give out a spark? i see it comes straight out of the cdi and i don't get a reading difference. i unhooked it and put the meter on resistance and got .2 if the switch was off or on does that sound bad? it turns over no matter it it is pressed or not so is the function to tell the cdi to put out spark ?

 

[Tassie 1]

I did reply to your question re the streetfire cd unit but have no idea where it went...

so now the short version, really really short

we bought the streetfire unit, had spark straight away,
started first real turn of key,
been on around 6 months
no probs YET...it is a old chrysler afterall
used once a week weather dependent
15 k's return to a moored boat
not used for much apart from that.

 

[jerryjerry05]

The neutral safety switch usually stops the motor from turning over.
I doesn't control the spark.

I think the huge thing is the rectifier/regulator???

 

[Tassie 1]

I think the huge thing is the rectifier/regulator???

Yep.

 

[tommythecat]

I did reply to your question re the streetfire cd unit but have no idea where it went...

so now the short version, really really short

we bought the streetfire unit, had spark straight away,
started first real turn of key,
been on around 6 months
no probs YET...it is a old chrysler afterall
used once a week weather dependent
15 k's return to a moored boat
not used for much apart from that.

could you tell me what unit to buy for mine? 3 cylinder 85hp chrysler 1973 model and do i add a condenser and i need to know what spark plugs to go with it? i have no clue but id love to have spark lol oh yea i also do not have a pre amp you had asked earlier. i have points only and no condenser anywhere! weird ive never seen points without one. there is a old capacitor huge d size but it looks like it goes mostly to the starter relay.

 

[tommythecat]

The neutral safety switch usually stops the motor from turning over.
I doesn't control the spark.

I think the huge thing is the rectifier/regulator???

there is a regulator i know but this is the only model ever made that has this huge capacitor. look at the diagram im not sure of its purpose completely .

 

[tommythecat]

ok here i made a small video to show what i can its on youtube cause it was a bit to big for this site i guess. look here>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmCCLvA29gE&feature=youtu.be

 

[Tassie 1]

We bought a MSD Streetfire CD Ignition system, part number 5520
Either ring them or go into a shop that sells their stuff,
tell them what motor you have and ignition system,
just to make sure, specially with your points etc

DON'T buy it off ebay etc etc

we did not add anything to ours, same plugs etc
only thing my son did ( l mostly watched and was the gofer lol ) was make up a plywood plate as the mounting holes for the new unit were different

if you don't want to go this way google something like " converting chrysler outboard ignition system to car coil system "
that's not exactly what the thread is called but try different wordings
l haven't done that for years now so can't remember exact names but you should get a few hits on the subject from different forums, including iboats

these folk use old ignition parts though not new,

 

[tommythecat]

I thank you. it has to be street fire if i upgrade at all. also i won't go the other way to a car coil oil filled gets to hot none have survived that i know of. oh they run good for awhile like three months tops then poof they burn out or catch fire. i will contact them like you say to upgrade but i need to nail down this problem of why i am not getting any spark first.

 

[Tassie 1]

Having watched your video just now,
your cd unit is different to what l had,
so take what l posted above with a grain of salt,

make sure you ask detailed questions before buying

 

[Tassie 1]

Also l pulled out my seloc manual with all the pics ( thought l'd thrown it out, never mind, still time lol )

could the capacitor be the noise suppressant capacitor fitted in the early 70's models,
has nothing to do with the ignition system,
just to suppres static in radios?

" D " size looking thing, one wire out the top,
earth looks to come out of it ( crap pic ) and attaches to the mount bracket