1968 Johnson 55hp arcing to stator

[BonairII]

Trying to help neighbor with his motor. We spark tested and 2 cylinders weren't firing at all. I could hear some snapping so I looked under the flywheel and could see arcing to the stator. You can see the burn marks on all 3 spots where the wires screw in under the flywheel.

Cyl#1 is firing, but I still can see a small black mark on the stator where it has been intermittently arcing there also. We didn't see any obvious cracks in the plastic.

What causes this? Is he likely going to have to pull the flywheel and replace the distributor?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1968 Johnson 55hp arcing to stator

The 1968 55hp incorporates Battery Capacitance Discharge ignition, meaning that power to the powerpack is supplied by the battery, not the stator.

The stator on that model simply delivers charging voltage to charge the battery.

The arcing you see is the distributor cap shorting to ground, NOT from the stator. Unfortunately you need a new or a good used distributor cap.

 

[BonairII]

Re: 1968 Johnson 55hp arcing to stator

Ok. My neighbor was ready to buy a new stator, so maybe this will be cheaper.

Strike that....new dist cap is $300 bucks.

 

[boobie]

Re: 1968 Johnson 55hp arcing to stator

Try the top secret files at the begining of this forum and look for salvage yards.

 

[BonairII]

Re: 1968 Johnson 55hp arcing to stator

I saw a used one ebay for $125. My neighbor is a cheapskate(according to his family) and already tired of working on his boat(according to him). He's replaced the coil, amplifier, plug wires, and impeller....and he said today that he wanted a boat, not a "project".LOL

I reminded him that he only paid $400 bucks for the boat/motor/trailer(he's had it for a year)...so he should've expected to have to work on it a bit.

I'll have to wait and see if he snaps out of his bad mood....or he just puts the boat/motor up for sale.

I'll keep ya posted.