65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

[BigJ08]

I was out on the lake the other day, and my 1973 65 hp Evinrude died after a few surges and I couldn't get it restarted for anything. Compression is fine, so I'm thinking an electrical problem like a coil? I found that the bottom cylinder's spark is a little weak. Would a coil go out like that or could it be something else? Thanks.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Coil can fail for sure.

 

[BigJ08]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Yeah, I know the coil CAN go out, I really wanted to know if they just quit working to the point where the motor won't run at all. Any suggestions on how to test a coil?

 

[bktheking]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Check the plugs for spark, if spark is out on one plug swap the coils around, that will tell you for sure, test with what you already have.

 

[BigJ08]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Well I'll be damned. I just went out an hour ago and put the motor on the muffs, just because I had a hunch, and it fired right up just like nothing was wrong. Could I still have a coil going out? Or could I have another electrical issure that caused it to shut off, like maybe the temperature switch? I'm happy that it runs , but I want to get it reliable again.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

I don't know if these motors have a high temp cut out. Running on muffs it was running cold, running on the lake is a whole different scenario, running wide open builds up heat which can cause a lot of electrical issues, heat breakdown of a coil being one of them, this is the typical behaviour.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Your engine has three coils - having all three fail simultaneously would be unlikely. I would suspect either a failing powerpack or shift switch. Start it on the muffs and "rattle" the key switch. If it won't run on that attempt, still "rattle" the key switch. If it either quits running or does run after an initial failure, the key switch is probably the problem.

You can also do the "key switch test." Disconnect the black/yellow wire at the #6 terminal on the powerpack and use a spark checker to observe spark at each of the spark plug wires. With the black/yellow wire disconnected, crank the engine with the key switch. If you get spark on all three cylinders, you have bad wiring somewhere in the harness (black/yellow circuit), or you have a bad key switch. If you get no spark, or spark on one or two cylinders, you most likely have a bad powerpack.



???

 

[BigJ08]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

bk - When the motor failed on me, it hadn't gotten an enormous amount of use, thus idk how hot it would have been, but I have heard of heat causing failure like you're talking about. I will try swapping the coils around like you suggested.

Jay - I was hoping you would see this post, as you have always been a great help in the past. I will try the key switch test, even though it didn't give me any problems when I started it on the muffs yesterday. It can only help to eliminate possibilities.

Thanks for the help guys, stay tuned.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

I don't think swapping coils around will help as it started fine when it was cold, you need to get it to fail again and then diagnose it. You could have a loose wire or a bad ground or a failing powerpack, all 3 coils wouldn't die at one and even if you lost once it would run, just run like crap.


Just looking at the wiring diagram for your motor, you have a CDI unit that controls ignition, check the wiring going to it and to the power block where the wiring terminates.

 

[BigJ08]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Well I performed the test Jay outline and I got spark on all three, so I guess that means bad switch or wiring right? I'll check all the wiring to and from the key switch/remote control and under the motor cover. If I do have it out and it fails, is there a way to get the motor started by bypassing the switch?

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

You can do a continuity check on the black/yellow wires from the powerpack terminal to the plug (separate the halves) and then from the other side of the plug to the key switch terminal. Move the wires around while doing this to see if you have an intermittant problem. If there are no problems there, you have a bad switch - which is usually where this problem is.

Don't fool around trying to jackleg the wiring on this. The reason why you do the key switch test with the plug wires pulled, is because you can't shut the motor down electrically, if you leave the black/yellow circuit out. You will have to choke it to kill it.

The black/yellow circuit is a ground that "shorts the powerpack out." You want that to be functional!

Get a new switch from iboats or a BRP/OMC dealer. The BRP part will have an extra terminal on the back of the switch. Don't "freak!" If you look at it carefully, its merely one terminal with two posts on it. This was done because that particular terminal (purple wires, I think) has a lot of wires running to it and the extra post just makes life easier.



???

 

[BigJ08]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Thought I would update this. I still haven't gotten the switch yet, as I'm having a time getting the box open. My motor is a '73 but by looking though my manual and shop.evinrude I think the box is a '79 which is a different style. Anyone know how I can get this thing open? I've got the 3 screws on the one side out, but I can't seem to get the two big long ones out. Any help?

 

[allboutboats]

Re: 65 hp Evinrude died and won't restart

Well I performed the test Jay outline and I got spark on all three, so I guess that means bad switch or wiring right? I'll check all the wiring to and from the key switch/remote control and under the motor cover. If I do have it out and it fails, is there a way to get the motor started by bypassing the switch?

i heard of coils failing when they get warm because the coils when cold might show continuity ,when they start getting warm the coil wire might be opening up showing no continuity ,take a heat gun and warm the coils up and do a continuity check on it