switch box or stator?

[Gus Mortimer]

I just discovered my motor (82 90 L6) is only running on three cylinders. <br /> I have never had this motor in the water. I have done the water pump impeller and the carbs. but it was still running rough. after pulling a plug to see if it was missing I found that three cylinders are not firing, now I havent checked the stator or trigger yet but am about to. <br /> the three that are not firing are all fed from the same switch box so I almost just went and bought one...

• <br />
• Is it more common for a stator to go bad or a switch box?? do these just go out?<br /> If it is the switch box what could have caused this? could it just be a bad wire connection?<br />

<br />It has sat for about 5 years before I got it, but it was running when it was parked. <br /> I checked the ground from the switch box.

 

[Ken G]

Re: switch box or stator?

Swap the two switchboxes and see if your no spark follows the suspect switchbox. If the no spark moves to the other cylinders your switchbox is bad. They do occasionally go bad, I had one on a 4 month old motor crap out on me 15 years ago. <br /><br />I'm not sure about the type III ignition system like you have but my older inline 6 with the type II CD ignition is running fine without the stator connected to anything, it just doesn't charge a battery.

 

[Gus Mortimer]

Re: switch box or stator?

yes that makes sense, thanks

 

[Gus Mortimer]

Re: switch box or stator?

okay I did that and it did seem to folow the switch box...at first. After switching everything back things got weirder. the number one cylinder was not sparking coresponding with the number two not sparking before the switch now after switching back it will spark only weekly and number two has a meaty spark. number four has zero but one and four are on different boxes. I put everything back where it goes. I may have to do the swap again and take notes, I am second guessing myself now.<br /> could both boxes be going? when they go do you still get spark on one or two cylinders and not another?

 

[KCLOST]

Re: switch box or stator?

You only need to switch the red and blue wires from one box with the red/white and blue/white wires from the other...Not all the wires (just for reference). Once you do this, If the symptoms stay the SAME it's the switchbox, if the no spark condition moves to the other 3 cylinders its the Stator... This saves time.... And will let you know if both switchboxes are getting charged...<br /><br />Do that a few times and confirm what is happening.... Make sure every wire is in it's correct place!!!!!<br /><br />Let us know...

 

[LubeDude]

Re: switch box or stator?

Email me at:<br /><br />micaiah9@juno.com<br /><br />I have a used switchbox.

 

[Gus Mortimer]

Re: switch box or stator?

okay I think I just messed it up. I have no spark tester so was testing the painfull way and managed to ark to the same ground as the suspect switch box. Will this fry it? <br /> Also no matter what I do I get zero spark from #2, bad coil??<br /> When I did the swap I did it with all the wires so I guess I should go back and just do the stator wire swap. but now I am out of gas and will have to go get more.<br /> I should add. again. this motor was running when parked 5 or 6 years ago. could all this go bad just sitting????

 

[KCLOST]

Re: switch box or stator?

jr,<br /><br />re-read my post about the switchbox testing. I messed it up previously... I've corrected it now.... Sorry if I confused you...<br /><br />Ground is ground, so as long as the plug wires always hit some kind of ground, you should be ok... What you don't want to do is crank or run the engine without the plug wires grounded, or close enough to ground so the spark can jump the gap... If it's not able to hit ground, that could damage the switchboxes. #2 zero spark, does sound like a bad coil....

 

[Gus Mortimer]

Re: switch box or stator?

so I think I was doing everything right. but I cant trouble shoot a ghost. after re-testing everything several times I then only had a no spark on #2 so before going to buy a new one, just to make sure, I switched it with another coil(just the wires) and checked...and whaaa the coil is fine. after then checking the coil I hac switched the wires to, It also was working, in fact all plugs were firing off nicely!!??<br /> My only guess at this point is that there is a bad wire somewhere or a bad connection. where this is, I have no idea. I have gone through every one of them several times and even checked with tester between posts to see if it was the wire rather that the connection. I am stumped, I may just put it in tomorow and give it a few laps to see if and deamons show themselves. plus I havent been able to rev it at all on the muffs.