Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

[Restorator]

I put the impeller in, and now it runs great - on 1 cylinder.

I switched the spark plugs around, but the bottom one is the hot one, so it's not the plugs. When I put it on full throttle, it coughs a little, as if the second cylinder is trying to start, but it doesn't quite catch. One time, it actually started going full speed with 2 cylinders after coughing for a while. It was very smooth with the 2 cylinders firing, and quite fast. But as soon as I throttled down and then tried to go full speed again, it wouldn't rev up. It just coughed. Considering this motor has been in storage for years and the ignition system didn't work at all, I thought that maybe I just need to run it for a while to restore full function. But someone said that one of the coils or whatever could be malfunctioning, meaning it's sending some of the current to the body as opposed to the plug.

Not sure how to best narrow down the problem. Any help?

 

[wickware]

Re: Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

What year and model # ?? If it?s 70?s and Magneto ignition system, pull the flywheel and send some close pictures of the points, coils and condensers in the Mag sys. This might show some indications of the lack of fire.

 

[Restorator]

Re: Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

Here's a picture from last year when I only had a spark in 1 plug and it wouldn't start at all.

 

[wickware]

Re: Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

1. Are the mag components as weathered as they appear to be?
2. Have you checked both points? gaps for clean .020 gaps?
3. Have you checked both points? gaps closed for continuity with an ohmmeter?
4. Is the point?s cam lob clean and smooth to not wear the rubbing blocks?
5. Do you add 2-3 drops of oil to the cam's wics to reduce wear?
6. Are the magnets and coil related surfaces clean and clear of rust?
7. What solved your spark on one cyl before?
8. If you are still only showing one cyl spark, have you switched Mag's parts to see if spark switches (with plugs out you should easily see this w/o totally assembling.
9. Checking plug?s spark while compressed could be next if they fire in open air if no results from above.

Please tell the results per question and more info that you notice. Good Luck!

 

[Restorator]

Re: Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

Thanks for helping first of all.

1. What do you mean are they as weathered as they appear to be? They look weathered to you? Don't judge a book by its cover Looks fine to me anyway. What mag components are you referring to specifically?
2. The points gaps were set by eye. I don't have a gage. But setting them isn't a very exact science because I have to use the screws. Seems like it can't be that exact because it's just a screw holding it down, not a bolt on a thread. Could a minute difference of a hundredth of an inch be the problem?
3. I haven't checked both points' gaps for continuity. How do I do that?
4. Cam looks clean and smooth.
5. I've added some. Don't know about 2-3 drops. I just put some oil there. Mineral oil I think.
6. Yes, pretty clean.
7. Don't remember for sure what I did, but I just kept messing with the points. Cleaned their contacts with like a file, then rubbing alcohol. Kept resetting them until I got sparks at both plugs. To get it to start, I set the point gaps to what looked like 0.02" to me at a point approximately an inch or so before the cylinder maxes out. It was all eyeball stuff. I re-did it a few times until I started getting a spark. The neighbor showed me how to do it. We just turned the cam until the cylinder was at its closest point to the spark plug hole. So we figured just a little before that point, the points should be at the gap.
8. I haven't made that switch. I'm not quite sure what things I have to isolate and switch to determine/narrow down what component the problem is in.
9. Don't know about checking plugs for sparks while compressed. I don't exactly want to spend a million bucks worth of testing equipment to get a free outboard running. I already spent money on the compression tester.


Thanks again.

 

[wickware]

Re: Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

Good Luck! You have to respect Specs and Processes on Mechanical needs vs guessing or not caring to get good results. Over & Out w/o any questions to me.

 

[Restorator]

Re: Chrysler 6 HP - 1/2 cylinders firing.

Thanks, wasn't really addressing my questions to you specifically (don't see much value in that resource). The things you tell me are the things I can read in any outboard manual on the first page of Troubleshooting. There are some other, more experience fellas here who can diagnose a problem correctly just by the provided information and a picture. And they won't tell you to go buy out the entire NAPA store to get your 4 hp outboard working.

Over and out to you too.

From the little quality advice that I have been able to accumulate, I believe the problem is a current leak somewhere under the flywheel, which I will have to investigate sometime when I get a chance.