60 HP Merc no fire

kcbrown

Recruit
Joined
Jul 9, 2004
Messages
5
Hi, I am the new guy. I have a 97 60hp mercury on a pontoon. A little history now, It belongs to my father and he got it a few years ago, when he got it the fellow who had it before him had disconnected the warning module. I hooked it back up and it seemed to do fine. It gives one loud beeeeep when you turn the ignition on. Every since it has been hooked back up, it sounds like it has a cricket in the control box, odd clicks and chirps on occasion but not all the time. Basically it sounds like the warning horn is trying to sound but is not getting a complete ground or something. It has sounded a steady continuous beep from time to time but it has alway been when the motor was idling which I think would be normal, usually all that is neccessary to do it to lift the idle lever and run it up to increase water flow and it goes off. last week while fishing the horn just started going nuts, it stayed on after the key was turned on, would go off, come back on with a weaker sound. The motor had not been started to even get hot. Every time it was a continuous beeeeeep. The motor was watering good. THe only thing about this trip is that it was pouring rain and in the process of messing with it I could put my finger on the kill switch and get a mild shock out of it. The engine ran fine and with no problems. My father figured it was a bad ingniton switch so he purchased one for me to install. Now comes the good part. I go down yesterday to fish, start the thing, I get a continuous beep, I wiggle the key and the thing dies. Now I have no fire to the plugs. Needless to say, I did not get to fish. I went ahead and installed the new switch and it is still the same, no fire and the alarm is going off intermitantly when the key is in the on position. I figured it was the kill switch but continuity checks on the connecter plug in the power head shows OK. I did not have any help there so I was not able to do any other switch checks such as turning it to the start position. I have a Clymer shop manual that I have been going by and I have not been able to get back down there to mess with it any. Looking at the schematics it does not appear that the warning module could keep the engine from firing but I dont know. Is there anything "stupidly" obvious that I am missing and where should I go from here. The next step for me is to get it out of the dock and home where I can work on it better. The serial number on this thing is G565701 60hp ELPTO. I know this is a long post but appreciate any input anyone may have on this problem or problems.
 

Barnacle_Bill

Admiral
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
6,469
Re: 60 HP Merc no fire

Recheck the kill switch. The way it works is to ground the circuit to shut off the engine. In normal running position, there should be no continuity to ground.
 

kcbrown

Recruit
Joined
Jul 9, 2004
Messages
5
Re: 60 HP Merc no fire

Thanks, I will recheck the switch, what would explain the mild shock that I was getting on the switch? Would it be possible that there is a short somewhere in the control box that would be energizing the warning horn and possibly shorting to ground? The best I recollect, when I had the control box apart there was a bullet connector that the kill switch t'ed into which was the black/yellow wire. I pulled the kill switch connector out which in my thinking would eliminate it from the circut. Doing so still did not give me fire at the plugs. Thanks
 

kcbrown

Recruit
Joined
Jul 9, 2004
Messages
5
Re: 60 HP Merc no fire

I have got the boat home and have done some more checks on it. I have got down to where you are checking the DVA between the +&- terminals on the number 1 coil while cranking. I am not getting any voltage there. THe next step says to check the individual coils and if they are OK then replace the switch box. I am not getting fire to any of them, do I need to go ahead and check them or go ahead and get a new switch box? Everything up to this point has checked good. Are there any checks I can do on the warning module? Any help will be appreciated, Thanks.
 

kcbrown

Recruit
Joined
Jul 9, 2004
Messages
5
Re: 60 HP Merc no fire

I did check the coils and they did check fine. Still no fire. I recon several things have been plugged and unplugged but when things are plugged like they are supposed to be it dont work. Imagine that!!!! I have a switch box on the way, they are real proud of them things
 
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