Mercury 950 1967 no spark

[kstrick08]

I have owned the engine for 8 years. The engine has been idle for 2 years and stored outside covered with a tarp. I bought a new battery and installed it properly. when i turn the key the crank motor turns the engine and using my volt meter power is metering into the switchbox. I tested the spark with a spark plug tester, and tested the spark plug wires with an ohm meter. no spark and good with resistance on the wires. My repair manual indictates 2 problems areas. Distributor or switchbox. I followed the manual to take the distributor off and inspect. I see no visual signs of problems.
I open'd up the trigger and inspected that visualy
(of course i dont know what i am looking for)

My manual says to take the switch and distributor in to a shop for proper testing of ignition...

Leaving a engine sit for 2 years is never a good thing, but i am assuming that there is a common problem for such actions, but what is it?

I thought the points. but this engine does not have points... :-(

Can I do any tests before i go to the shop?
1.) can i test my coil with a volt meter, and how do i do that. all the wires are firmly attached and covered
2.) can i test the outgoing currrent from the switchbox with my meter?
3.) could it be as simple as a wire malfunction at the key and how would i test for that? although with the cranking motor working fine and the choke working fine, can i assume all else is fine?

or any advice to tests i can run to see where the problem is in my ignition system.

thank you.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

Here's a simple test from CDI

 

[kstrick08]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

Thanks i will give that a try and let you know

 

[kstrick08]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

performed tests according to above instructions - No spark on any cylinder -

1.) no spark at high tension lead
2.) white , Red terminals good
3.) brown trigger terminal good

* i do not have a DVA meter*
4.) not sure how to do this test. use a wire to connect the white and black trigger wires?
5.) no metering at the green terminal either DC or AC. not even a flinch. I would predict something from my meter, even if needle vibrated.

So..

trigger or switch?
does the stator have anything to do with these tests. I assume my marine battery would give me the initial spark im looking for.

When I look online for a switchbox for my 1967 mercury 950 the photo of the product looks completely different than mine. Is it a newer, better version?
and really $300.00... what if the engine still does not spark...

(side note) i made sure the battery was fully charged. I did purchase this new battery last season, never got to use it. It is a maintance free marnie battery. I have read i should not use this type of battery. But again.. i just
want to see spark.

i kinda wish i had points..


losing hope

 

[jhouser]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

I have the same motor with same problem. Have you had any luck getting it to run? Or getting spark?

 

[CDI Tech Support]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

Here's a simple test from CDI

Here's our latest troubleshooting pages on this ignition:

CDI Troubleshooting Guide

Shortcut:

Mercury 4 and 6 Cylinder - 332-2986

 

[CDI Tech Support]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

1.) no spark at high tension lead

Perform the jumper wire test in the illustration in our troubleshooting pages on this ignition here:

CDI Troubleshooting Guide

Shortcut:

Mercury 4 and 6 Cylinder - 332-2986

Make sure the trigger is completely disconnected before performing this test. What you are doing in this test is manually making the switch box spark.

does the stator have anything to do with these tests.

No. The stator on this ignition is only used to charge the battery.

When I look online for a switchbox for my 1967 mercury 950 the photo of the product looks completely different than mine. Is it a newer, better version?
and really $300.00...

Our replacement switch box part# 114-2986 does look different, but mounts exactly & performs exactly as the OEM switch box does. We've been manufacturing this switch box for 15+ years. I, myself, used to rebuild these switch boxes several years prior to our company manufacturing them. Our rebuilds in the 80s/early 90s worked fantastic, so our switch boxes are a well-known quality replacement.

Yes, it is a newer, better version because it carries a 2-year warranty. List price is $360.00. We sell direct or you can purchase through iboats.

It is a maintance free marnie battery.

Ouch. Being this is a battery-driven ignition (meaning the switch box receives a 12VDC input), battery type is ultra critical. Maintenance-free batteries are notorious for charging above 16VDC in non-regulated ignitions such as this one. Once it does charge above 16VDC, it will blow the switch box.

Replace the battery with a 850+ CCA dual purpose or cranking/starting non-maintenance-free. Avoid the supermarket/automotive store brands.

 

[Dave1027]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

Ouch. Being this is a battery-driven ignition (meaning the switch box receives a 12VDC input), battery type is ultra critical. Maintenance-free batteries are notorious for charging above 16VDC in non-regulated ignitions such as this one. Once it does charge above 16VDC, it will blow the switch box.

If that be the case why doesn't the mf'er come with a voltage regulator?

 

[CDI Tech Support]

Re: Mercury 950 1967 no spark

If that be the case why doesn't the mf'er come with a voltage regulator?

Ask the engineers who designed these ignitions in the mid-1960s.

The real answer is...unfortunately, many manufacturers in those days gave no consideration for what would ultimately happen to the customer's battery, rectifier & stator.

In those days, the batteries that were more readily available were the non-maintenance-free types (the lead acid types), which are ideal for outboards. But even over time, those type batteries will eventually no longer be able to regulate itself in a non-regulated application.

Nowadays, the maintenance-free batteries are the more readily available type (because they are sealed & are environmentally-friendly), so we are seeing MANY more charging issues because of these type of batteries that are used.

Regardless of which type of battery is used, a non-regulated application will eventually cause any battery to no longer be able to self-regulate. Batteries have no circuitry to regulate nor is designed to regulate.

That's where the combination regulator/rectifier comes in. It along with the suggested type battery (trickle-charged off a battery charger overnight before each & every use of the boat) will give your entire charging system optimum life.