Re: Boat died QUICK
To be completely honest i have been unable to test the boat.... however, i know its not the coil to dizzy wire. Either the coil, distributor, or points cap and rotor completely destroyed itself. I'll find out after i test.
If you can easily get to and remove the distributor cap, you can easily test for spark thru the coil.
Remove the distributor cap and check to see that the points are closed. If so, then pull the HT wire out of the distributor cap and check that it reaches to ground. Then you can turn the key on and simply break the connection between the points using a screwdriver or, better yet, a non-conductor like a piece of wood or a stick. Hold the loose end of the HT wire (coming out of the coil) to ground, or just shy of ground, as you would when checking for spark at the spark plug. Be careful you don't jolt yourself with the HT wire when you break the points open.
When you have the key on (voltage to the points), breaking the points is what triggers the spark thru the coil. So by simply making and breaking the points (with the key on), you are making spark thru the coil HT wire, and you will see it jump to ground.
That's an easy way to do it without a helper and without having to crank the engine. Cranking the engine simply turns the distributor which, in turn, makes and breaks the points.
If you use a screwdriver to break the points, be sure that it's not grounding out and thus completing the circuit such that opening the points isn't breaking the circuit. That's tricky, so that's why it's better to use a nonconductor to break the points (wood, plastic, etc).
If the points aren't closed, you can either turn the engine a bit until they are closed, or simply "ground them closed" by completing the circuit between them using a screwdriver (with a good wood or plastic handle, although that's not HT you're dealing with there). If you do it that way, it's best not to actually complete the circuit at the contact points themselves as this may tend to burn them a bit, not doing them any good. You can simply complete the circuit somewhere else along the arm of the points and ground.
Obviously, the better way is to simply have the points closed to start with.
If you do it this way and have good HT spark through the coil, then you can likely be sure there's spark at the plugs. Unless your rotor is broken or there's some other wacky problem with the rotor/cap/spark plug wire(s).
You can test for that at the spark plug with your helper, as per normal (with the cap back on and everything back together, of course).
But the initial test will confirm good strong spark thru the coil, which elimnates the coil and the points as culprits (dirty or badly corroded/burned points can mean a faulty primary circuit connection, which translates to weak or no HT spark).
If your points themselves don't spark a bit when you break 'em, then you need to test for voltage to the points, and make sure that there's voltage (12v) at the points themselves.
If you have a bad condenser it could act as a ground wire and prevent you from getting any HT spark. You can take it out of the circuit and see if that gives you the HT spark that was missing when it was connected. The engine will run without the condenser. Its function is to soak up the "excess spark" when the points break (that would otherwise unduly burn the points and shorten their life).
