First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

[firstimeboatowner1]

THANK YOU for reading!

Ok. i just bought a 1985 bayliner with a 85 hp outboard force motor. i have no idea where to start. its not getting a spark when i try and turn it on. should i start by replacing the ignition coils? is there any other trouble shooting i can do first? please hepl if posible. thanks again: -tyler-

 

[twostroke87]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

First off never buy a boat without ATLEAST hearing it run, and you should always take it out on the water also, but if thats not an option hear it run on land.

Now since its too late for that, are you getting no spark on any of the cylinders? If you are not getting any spark at all, its unlikely that you have all 4 coils bad at the same time. Chances are its your power pack(s) or your stator. Get yourself a repair manual for your engine and the necessary tools to perform tests to figure out which components are bad.

 

[JB]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=250874

 

[firstimeboatowner1]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

i bought it $400. i couldn't pass it up since it was so cheap. there are only three coils and 3 spark plugs.

 

[john from md]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

First, buy a Clymer Outboard Shop Manual for Force engines. You can get these from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

While you are waiting.

1. Ensure you have a good battery that has lots of life left in it. If the battery is marginal, the starter will take all the current leaving little for the CDI boxes and coils.

3. Disconnect the white wires from the terminal board on the left side of the engine. These are your kill wires and they ground our the CDI boxes to shut off the engine. If you have a short in the ignition switch or anywhere a white wire is grounded, you won't get spark.

4. Pull your plugs and ground them with small alligator type jumper wires from Radio Shack.

5. Have someone turn the key while you watch the plugs for a blue spark.

If this doesn't work, then wait until you get the book and you will have to go step by step to verify your wiring and system integrity.

John

 

[firstimeboatowner1]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

First, buy a Clymer Outboard Shop Manual for Force engines. You can get these from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

While you are waiting.

1. Ensure you have a good battery that has lots of life left in it. If the battery is marginal, the starter will take all the current leaving little for the CDI boxes and coils.

3. Disconnect the white wires from the terminal board on the left side of the engine. These are your kill wires and they ground our the CDI boxes to shut off the engine. If you have a short in the ignition switch or anywhere a white wire is grounded, you won't get spark.

4. Pull your plugs and ground them with small alligator type jumper wires from Radio Shack.

5. Have someone turn the key while you watch the plugs for a blue spark.

If this doesn't work, then wait until you get the book and you will have to go step by step to verify your wiring and system integrity.

John

hey john. so i replaced the ingnition switch today and put a brand new battery in it. it now rolls over. i stuck a phillips screw driver in where the sparkplug connects to and... no spark. i'm gonna buy a book tomarrow, but any other advice would be great! thanks for the advice so far.

 

[roscoe]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

Check the kill switch, it must be in the "run" position to get spark.

Where are you located?

 

[firstimeboatowner1]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

i'm located in bremerton WA. just ouside seattle.

 

[firstimeboatowner1]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

ok John,

1. where would my kill switch be located?
2. i disconected the white wires on the motor and the middle coil sparked faintly twice. then on repeated attemps nothing else. the other 2 never sparked.
3. is there any way to take the coils and CDI's in to get them teasted?
4. if i take the flywheel off to look at the stator is there springs and magnets or anything thats gonna pop out. or am i gonna have any trouble putting it back together?

 

[Unbalanced]

Re: First Time Ownner! Please Help!!!

If you got spark by disconnecting the white wire on the side of the block, then the kill switch or the key switch is faulty. The kill switch and key switch in the off position, ground the white wire. Your kill switch is either right next to the steering wheel on the left, or a pin that goes in the control unit (shift/throttle control lever).

The stator is similar to an alternator in that it generates AC voltage by the flywheel (which has magnets around the perimeter) spinning around the stator (coils of wire). The output of the stator goes to the rectifier (change AC into DC voltage) to charge the battery. The other outputs go to the CDI boxes. You can test the stator by ohming the leads - there are 3 pairs of wires. Each pair should have ~700 ohms.

When you crank the engine, the flywheel (magnets) spin around the stator (coils) to generate voltage for the battery and the CDI units. If the starter is not getting enough current to spin the motor fast enough, there will not be sufficient voltage for the CDI boxes / coils / spark.

Check that the battery is fully charge and the cables are clean and shiny with good contacts.