cranking

[sdiet]

I have a Johnson 25 hp, 1971. If I short the positive wire to the engine, motor will crank. If I use the starter switch, solenoid will engage but starter doesn't turn. Anyone have any ideas what's wrong.

 

[sdiet]

Re: cranking

Also, yesterday, I changed plug wires, and now have no spark. Does it matter which screw the coils are grounded to?

 

[marysboats]

Re: cranking

If you short a positive wire to the engine, you should get a big spark, and a burned wire. Are you talking about the wire from the neautral lock-out switch? That is a ground wire.

 

[sdiet]

Re: cranking

No I jumped from the battery cable connection at the solenoid to the engine with a screw driver, big spark but cranks.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: cranking

What is the negative wire on your battery connected to? Either we're not getting a clear picture of what you have set up or the wiring is really messed up. The negative wire ought to connect to the engine and the postitive to the solenoid, therefore connecting the two would short the battery. What are we not seeing here? Or do you mean by "engine" "Starter Motor"?<br /><br />As for your spark problem, make sure you got the spark plug wires seated in the coils. You should measure appx 4-7 kilohms to ground from the spark plug leads. It does not matter which screw you ground the coil's ground lead to, just as long as you don't mix up the ground and point lead. Also, it's very important to carefully tuck in your wires or they'll get rubbed through by the flywheel in short order. <br />Did you align the igntion coils properly and set the points? Didn't accidentally wire the top coil to the bottom point or something? (Each coil's point is just CCW of it).

 

[sdiet]

Re: cranking

Looks like I have the battery negative cable connected to the bottom of the starter. The positive cable connects to the backside of the solenoid, the short cable coming from the front of the solenoid is going to ground. Is that messed up?

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: cranking

Yup. Definitely. Makes you wonder why on earth they wired it that way.<br /><br />Normally, the postive battery cable goes to one of the big lugs on the solenoid, then the other big lug has a short length of wire that runs to the bottom of the starter. That is to say, the lug that sticks out the side of the starter at the bottom, not one of the two long thru bolts. The negative cable connects to the engine block somewhere. On yours I think they were using one of the screws that the solenoid is mounted to the bracket with.<br /><br />Try fixing that up and seeing if it starts working. I have my doubts about that solenoid, but we'll see.

 

[sdiet]

Re: cranking

I've had the starter off along time ago, possibly I miss routed the cables. But I'll change them around and see what happens.

 

[sdiet]

Re: cranking

I pulled the coils, one had continuity between the two lead wires, the other didn't. The one that didn't, didn't have the ohm reading either. So is this coil bad, and needs replaced?