Hello,
I posted last year with similar issue, this is a continuation of my ordeal - sorry on the length:
Quick summary: used 2002 Starcraft 1810 with a Mercruiser 3.0 engine - S/N OM035849 . Many mechanical issues from p/o but slowly whipping into shape. Last summer I got it out on the water for the first time and it pinged like crazy - checked the timing and it was running 32 degrees advanced all the time. Swapped the ignition module and with help from the forum I was able to get it all dialed in (I did not have the correct sequence to get it into base mode). We had a good summer - lots of cruising and skiing but toward the fall the idle speed would intermittently drop from 700 to 400 and stall out. Start it back up and was fine at 700.
While I was fiddling with the carb adjustments in the driveway (thinking that was the issue), I caught it happen and decided to put a timing light on and sure enough it was dropping into base timing mode all by itself! Restart and the ignition timing would go to 10 degrees, let it idle for a bit and then it randomly drop to 1 degree base timing mode without using a jumper.
It was toward the end of the season so I decided to call it and would swap the module in the spring. That part I had bought off of Amazon from A1 Performance parts.
I found a place that advertised genuine GM/ACDelco parts and ordered one - GM store on Amazon. It came in an AC delco box and had a GM logo on it so I figured it should be a quality part. Installed that and it would not go into base mode, nor would it advance at all - timing just stayed fixed at 10 degrees BTDC. I put a new pickup coil in last year as well so I know that was good.
Now a bit frustrated I bought a Sierra module from Wholesale Marine - this one did go into base timing mode when jumper-ed out, idle timing was 12 degrees, however max advance at 2500-3000rpm was 42 degrees BTDC!! I went and bought another advance timing light because I though for sure my timing light must have been bad - nope. Now I have 3 timing lights.
Scouring the web for ideas, I came across a post where a guy went through 5 modules before he got a good one, he even went to the trouble of setting a bench test setup with a scope and pulse generator to confirm the units were faulty. His final working part he got for OReileys Auto parts. This got me thinking that GM used this same ignition in many cars and replacement auto parts could not be that unreliable otherwise part stores would be out of business quick.
So I went to the local auto parts and got a Standard Motor Products module, installed it, started up, base timing mode when jumpered out - check, idle timing 10-12 degrees when jumper removed, check, max advance was ~23 degrees above 2500 rpm, check. Looked good, started 3-4 times in the driveway over the course of a week and all looked good. got it out on the water finally, after 20 minutes of cruising at 3500 rpm, gave it a bit more throttle and wham - engine cuts out. Had a friend tow us back to the marnina.
After a bunch of hunting around and trouble shooting I put the Sierra module back in and started right up and operated just as it did above - correct at idle but incorrect advance curve.
Am I snake bit on spare parts or am I missing something? Every module had a different failure mode as well- strange. At this point I am thinking I will just buy and complete Mercury Marine distributor and see how that goes.
Phil
I posted last year with similar issue, this is a continuation of my ordeal - sorry on the length:
Quick summary: used 2002 Starcraft 1810 with a Mercruiser 3.0 engine - S/N OM035849 . Many mechanical issues from p/o but slowly whipping into shape. Last summer I got it out on the water for the first time and it pinged like crazy - checked the timing and it was running 32 degrees advanced all the time. Swapped the ignition module and with help from the forum I was able to get it all dialed in (I did not have the correct sequence to get it into base mode). We had a good summer - lots of cruising and skiing but toward the fall the idle speed would intermittently drop from 700 to 400 and stall out. Start it back up and was fine at 700.
While I was fiddling with the carb adjustments in the driveway (thinking that was the issue), I caught it happen and decided to put a timing light on and sure enough it was dropping into base timing mode all by itself! Restart and the ignition timing would go to 10 degrees, let it idle for a bit and then it randomly drop to 1 degree base timing mode without using a jumper.
It was toward the end of the season so I decided to call it and would swap the module in the spring. That part I had bought off of Amazon from A1 Performance parts.
I found a place that advertised genuine GM/ACDelco parts and ordered one - GM store on Amazon. It came in an AC delco box and had a GM logo on it so I figured it should be a quality part. Installed that and it would not go into base mode, nor would it advance at all - timing just stayed fixed at 10 degrees BTDC. I put a new pickup coil in last year as well so I know that was good.
Now a bit frustrated I bought a Sierra module from Wholesale Marine - this one did go into base timing mode when jumper-ed out, idle timing was 12 degrees, however max advance at 2500-3000rpm was 42 degrees BTDC!! I went and bought another advance timing light because I though for sure my timing light must have been bad - nope. Now I have 3 timing lights.
Scouring the web for ideas, I came across a post where a guy went through 5 modules before he got a good one, he even went to the trouble of setting a bench test setup with a scope and pulse generator to confirm the units were faulty. His final working part he got for OReileys Auto parts. This got me thinking that GM used this same ignition in many cars and replacement auto parts could not be that unreliable otherwise part stores would be out of business quick.
So I went to the local auto parts and got a Standard Motor Products module, installed it, started up, base timing mode when jumpered out - check, idle timing 10-12 degrees when jumper removed, check, max advance was ~23 degrees above 2500 rpm, check. Looked good, started 3-4 times in the driveway over the course of a week and all looked good. got it out on the water finally, after 20 minutes of cruising at 3500 rpm, gave it a bit more throttle and wham - engine cuts out. Had a friend tow us back to the marnina.
After a bunch of hunting around and trouble shooting I put the Sierra module back in and started right up and operated just as it did above - correct at idle but incorrect advance curve.
Am I snake bit on spare parts or am I missing something? Every module had a different failure mode as well- strange. At this point I am thinking I will just buy and complete Mercury Marine distributor and see how that goes.
Phil
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