Dead as a Doornail - What's your story?

[home made tunnel]

Everyone has one of those head scratching stories... All goes well... then POOF !

Anyone else ever had a motor running, then just completely die out of no-where? Or prob some stupid little reason its not running?


Here's mine. Boat's been running like a dream all summer. Brought it home, threw it on the muffs on the hose to wash the salt out of her... Idling like a kitten... So I give it a little rev... it comes down to idle, and just shuts off. then NOTHING.... and I mean nothing... zero spark, all cylinders. Still cranks like a champ though.

I check the kill switch, I check fuses, I check the neutral switch, I jiggle wires here and there, I pull out the spark plug test light, I unplug the kill wire @ the motor (blk / yellow strip), I unplug the 2 yellow wires at the voltage regulator, nothing, nothing, nothingggggggggggggggggg
SO I pull the plugs, So then I swap coils, So then I try unplugging 1 coil at a time.... zip zilch nada.

Back to the drawing board... Pulling out the volt-meter to check resistance values on Trigger, Stator, Switch box, Etc.... UGHHHH.

Better in the driveway than on the water though!

[Da Bull]

Check key switch. Something has gone to ground.

[flabum1017]

Unplug the engine harness and crank it by jumping the solenoid and see if the spark comes back. Usually, no spark on all will be in the kill circuit.

[tunnelmike]

What they said ..................

[spybot]

I had a similar problem but i was only getting spark on the port side. I done all the test you have done,then replaced stator base and charge coils still no spark. Took out the yellow and black from the CDIs (this is meant to cut off all wiring from the boat side to the CDIs) Still no spark on port side. Then as a last resort i disconnected the red plug (johnson V4) which connects boat side to engine side electrics. Once that was unhooked i jumped the starter and hey presto spark across all pots. So i knew the fault was boat side electrics. Followed the wiring from said red plug back to the control box. Found the kill switch wire had chaffed through the outer cable leaving some bear wires. Fixed this (solder butt connector) This solved the problem. But you may want to check your key switch if these get wet they an have the effect of killing the spark.
By the way the strange thing about mine was the kill switch IS meant to kill ALL ignition spark BUT it only killed the port side !
This is what made me think it could not be the kill switch.
I feel your pain on this one bud.

[home made tunnel]

Hmm - Keyswitch.... Never thought of that.
I have a whole spare wire harness I can plug into the motor - and just leave battery cables on. Interestingggggg....
I'll be trying that this afternoon.

[spybot]

Yeah just unplug you harness. You wont need it. Just jump the starter and see if you have a spark. I was stuck for almost a week trying everything but never thought of that.
Hope you get her going

[home made tunnel]

Plugged in my other harness... fires right up. Wtf. Haha. Time to chase a gremlin.
How do you test a key switch?

[spybot]

Glad it worked for you. My factory manual is for a johnson so i cant help regarding testing your switch.

[home made tunnel]

It's a regular 6 wire merc switch with push choke. Hmm. Google here we go

[FMP]

Plugged in my other harness... fires right up. Wtf. Haha. Time to chase a gremlin.
How do you test a key switch?

With a motor in the driveway on muffs duhh or
Continuity

[XstreamVking]

Test? I think you already did and it failed. Get a new one and forgedaboutit.....

[home made tunnel]

GREMLINS !!!
So putting my spare wire harness and controls on, it started...
plugged my boat harness back in... and it started.

bizarre. Spark just vanished for a while, and came back.

[FMP]

Find it or paddle. Ign cylinder, wiggle key. Connectors not tight.

[spybot]

FMP has it. It must be the key in the barrel.