Re: [OMC-Boats] spark

yeah you might be on to something here. here's the situation with
the coils. ran it last year with a Napa coil (can't remember exact
# but i think 907). Thinking it might be bad, took that coil into
Napa for replacement. They could find the coil i had in their
system. So then we did the wild goose chase of me telling them to
check a " '70 or '71 Buick Skylark, or maybe a Kaiser Jeep V6 Odd
Fire Buick 225 CID 155". (I still am not clear on what to ask
for but I think that's close). Also said it was from an OMC boat,
etc. He came back with an almost identical looking coil, maybe #912
or something. Said it was the one referenced everywhere and also
said it was the common one by several other boats (bayliner, etc).

So slight chance I might have wrong coill. But I checked things,
tried to start, etc with my PREVEIOUS coil in there and still got
nothing. But as you say, maybe that one was wrong too, but got me
by last summer until it developed just enough corrosion inside to
die. Especially after sitting all winter (?)

1) I don't wanna screw with this, and rely on some Napa guy thumbing
through books and ending up with something that "should be right".
Can you tell me exactly where to go and what exact coil I should be
getting (ie whatever you and everyone else have in your boat)? I'll
just go buy one. No more trial and error.

2) I have a functioning ballast resistor. I don't use any voltage
meter, just my lighted screwdriver thing. The BR is getting power
via a red wire to it. This is a photo i took before i went shopping
for a new coil a few days ago (and so i would be able to get the wires
back as they were). I hooked up the new coil this exact same way.
See anything out of whack?:

On May 10, 2010, at 2:36 PM, BC Howk wrote:

> Sorry JD, hit send instead of save on my last e-mail......like I was
> saying :-)
>
> I'm certain it is something simple.....there is just no much to
> these ignition systems and if you already put the pertronix kit on
> there you already addressed the most complicated piece (imho)....
>
> Just so I'm clear...is the NEW coil on there now? if my foggy memory
> serves, you said you had 12VDC on the coil +....look this up for
> yourself (i.e. I may be mistaken) BUT I thought that the origional
> coil set up on these was 9.5 volts OR said another way your coil +
> should be connected to your ballast resistor which drops the voltage
> down from 12VDC to 9.5VDC...Soooo if you have a FACTORY COIL with
> 12VDC on it (I think) that may be your problem?
>
> ANOTHER possibility, if you have a NEW one there and it is a 12VDC
> coil (like some high performance ones you'd see on the shelf at an
> auto parts store) and you had IT connected to the 9.5 VDC side of
> your ballast resistor then THAT could be a problem (9.5 VDC when the
> coil expects 12)
>
> Sooooo if you got a wire crossed and hooked up 12VDC side of the
> ballast resistor to a 9.5VDC coil perhaps it could have worked for a
> little while then gone kaput OR PERHAPS the inverse is true and it
> sort of works having 9.5 VDC on a 12VDC coil and with just a little
> corrosion, took it out of tolerance and is now giving you no spark.
>
> Are either of these scenarios a possibility? If you are running on
> the old coil and have changed nothing, perhaps your old coil just
> gave up the ghost. Either way those links I sent about bench testing
> a coil (I hope) will come in handy. AND might be helpful to take a
> look at your ballast resistor to ensure that all the wires are in
> the right place and the resistor itself is healthy.....
>
> Hope this helps,
> Cheers,
> B.C.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> >On May 10, 2010, at 10:12 AM, BC Howk wrote:
> >
> >> JD,
> >>
> >> If you have the little spark plug thingy that lights up when the
> >> plug fires..then you already know you do not have spark, right? If
> >> you are curious if you are using the light correctly, I might
> >> suggest you try it on a known good plug wire, like your car/truck
> >> for example....
> >>
> >
> >yeah - i just used the light thing last year and it worked
> great....so
> >99.9% sure that's working - and you're right, since it's not lighting
> >
> >up on any of the plug wires Its looking like i have no spark. I'm
> >just trying to see where in the chain it's breaking down. So I'm
> >
> >trying to see if anything is being sent to the distributor from the
> >coil which is why i'm trying the coil wire.
> >
> >btw -- a few others have asked and I keep forgetting to mention - I
> >already have the pertronix pointless stuff in my distributor, so i
> >don't think it's a missing rotor or anything.
> >
> >
> >> BTW- I use a timing light to check for spark..you clamp one lead to
> >> battery positive, the other to ground, and there is an inductive
> >> clamp that you clip OVER your number one spark plug wire, have
> >> someone crank the engine over while you pull the trigger and viola
> >> if you see the strobe your in business.
> >
> >So in theory I could use clamp that inductive wire to the coil
> >wire? i'm by myself - but i'm thinking maybe the cord will reach
> >
> >and I can turn the key and pull the trigger at the same time.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> NO STROBE? Pop off the distibutor cap, check the brass connections
> >> on the cap for corrosion, take a bit of fine sandpaper to the
> >> contacts on your points, maybe just replace the points and
> condenser
> >> (part at any auto place, ask them for points and condenser from a
> 69
> >> jeepster with V6 OR get the pertronix kit PN#1165 jeep 225 odd
> >> fire).....I have a sneaky suspicion that a little cleaning of the
> >> contacts on your points and you will be right as rain
> >
> >unfortunately no, first thing i checked......pertronix contacts are
> >looking clean and shiny.
> >>
> >> I have had the same experience you are describing basically every
> >> year until I put on the pertronix kit. my timing light is THE
> TOOL I
> >> used to diagnose this easily, besides you will need one to properly
> >> tune you boat (on mine TIMING makes a HUGE difference in
> performance)
> >>
> >> We're in the same town...if you'd like a hand let me know.
> >
> >yeah thanks BC - i'm thinking i might take you up on that offer here
> >soon if I can't get it. I'm going to try a little bit more on my
> >own. This boat is about 95% "fixed" at this point. All last
> >
> >summer I spent chasing and fixing the overheat problem. Then it was
> >the little piece of metal that fell down in the cylinder so i had to
> >disassemble the head, etc to fix that. Then it was a the throttle
> >switch that broke apart on me and time spent fixing that. There's
> >not much left to fix on this boat! As you might recall, i
> >actually used it a few times last summer....and at the very end of
> the
> >season I started having this problem where it would just drop down to
> >zero RPM's right while accelerating to plane. So I think you and
> >another person suggested that might be the coil. So I bought a new
> >coil this weekend, and am just trying to get the dang thing started
> >for the first time this season so I can see if the new coil solved
> >the RPM problem. It was starting fine last summer. All I did was
> >winterize it since. Now just trying to start it up this summer and
> >getting no spark for some reason. So can't even look into prob #1
> >untl I get past this new prob #2. But I'm hoping this spark issue
> >is something really simple. So I wanna see if i can get it on my
> >own, then test out the new coil and see if that fixed the
> >deceleration problem. And if all goes right I might not even need
> >you. All I know is I DO NOT want to have this thing sit for
> >another summer while I "self teach" my way through this last little
> >
> >bit of problems.
> >
> >
> >>
> >> cheers,
> >> B.C.
> >>
> >>
> >> May 10, 2010 09:04:17 AM, jdood@... wrote:
> >> >ok - i can do that - ill figure out some way to sort of tie or
> clamp
> >> >it down.
> >> >
> >> > the metal of the connector is way up inside the rubber boot on
> the
> >> >end of the wire though and i don't think it slides back - so how
> >> >close do i need to get to metal to make it arc? 1"? 1/2"
> >?
> >> >If I
> >> >can't get a spark it might in fact be because the boot is getting
> >in
> >> >the way - adding another layer of confusion to my process of
> >> >elimination here.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > btw i meant clamping the wire in place somewhere with the
> >> >visegrips, not holding it :)
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >I've seen mechanics to this spark wire arc thing on occasion over
> >the
> >> >years, but i've never done it myself. I always sort of knew there
> >> >was something semi-dangerous about it, but never knew why -
> >> >especially when all the other 12v wiring stuff in a car or boat is
> >> >pretty harmless if you touch it. Now thanks to Lee I know what a
> >> >coil does - basically boosts up the voltage - now makes sense why
> >> >people use more caution with the plug wires. I guess the fat
> >> >wire running from the battery to the starter is probably one you
> >> don't
> >> >
> >> >want to touch also. Although there's no coil in that chain to
> boost
> >> >
> >> >the voltage up. This is where my stupidity kicks in.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >On May 10, 2010, at 3:42 AM, Justin DeSantis wrote:
> >> >
> >> >>> probably a stupid question but how do i do it without touching
> >the
> >> >
> >> >>> wire?
> >> >>> vise grips?
> >> >>
> >> >> NO! Vise grips are made of bare metal. It would be like touching
> >
> >> the
> >> >> wire. It won't kill you (probably) but you'll know you
> >did
> >> something
> >> >> wrong.
> >> >>
> >> >> just lay it on the engine?
> >> >>
> >> >> If you can, yes.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>> plus, we're talking about short
> >> >>> little 8-10" long wire that comes off the top of the
> >coil
> >> >>> here........its
> >> >>> not gonna reach too far and probalby won't just rest on
> >the engine
> >> >
> >> >>> either .
> >> >>
> >> >> Be creative. Lay something on it to hold it in place. Use a zip
> >
> >> tie.
> >> >> Some string. Like Roosevelt said "Do what you can, with what
> >you
> >> have,
> >> >> where you are."
> >> >
> >> >_______________________________________________
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> >> >OMC-Boats@...
> >> >http://lists.ultimate.com/mailman/listinfo/omc-boats
> >> >
> >
> >