Starflite 85 Magneto issue? (and Hello...)

[hjbdls]

Howdy folks! I actually created this account on behalf of a friend of mine (yes, at his request) who is having a (small?) issue with his boat....
First a few quick notes about him and myself. He has recently gotten into fixing up boats but neither one of us is new to mechanics. We have both been working on cars, trucks, equipment, lawnmowers, weedeaters, etc., etc.... big or small, gas or diesel, 2 stroke, 4 stroke... whatever.... As for current occupations: He is the operations supervisor for a chemical disposal plant, and I am a a "Hot Shot" truck driver (owner operator).

Now on to the problem:
The motor (1974 Evinrude Starflite 85) was running fine and the other day it started 'stumbling'.... the little engine that could type of thing... it didn't have the power or willingness to push the boat at WOT. Determination: time to clean the plugs, change the fuel filter, generic maintenance...
I was told that it had done this before, but that it quit after a while and started running fine again.
Yesterday morning we got up early to go fishing, got to the ramp and it wouldn't start!
Fuel: Check
Fire: NO!
2 of the (4) coils are new, there seems to be power everywhere and it is in neutral! While inspecting everything I noticed some "Oil" under the flywheel. Upon closer inspection the 'magnet' housings are cracked and that appears to be the source of the gooey oily substance! Could this be my starting and running 'castrated' issue?
Neither one of us likes 'Throwing Parts' at problems as that gets expensive really quick; and although we both agree that this part likely NEEDS to be replaced, if it is not likely part of this problem, then we would like to 'fix' this problem before wasting money on something else. You don't put new shoes on a dead horse...
Thanks in advance for your help and advice!
P.S. I did already go through the FAQ including the "Outboard wont start" post and I have taken some notes from other threads including this one that appears to possibly be a similar issue: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=257494

Thanks again,
Mike (the one at the keyboard aka:Gator) and Hal (The boat owner who hopefully I can teach how to use this forum as I know that he will be a great addition! and source of the screen name!)

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Starflite 85 Magneto issue? (and Hello...)

I would start with a shop manual (OEM only).

I would also start by testing for good spark on all cylinders and doing a compression test on all cylinders. You say NO SPARK ... is that all cylinders or just some. If it's all, then I would suspect a powerpack, timer base or stator, as these can take all out.

Also test for adequate fuel flow by activating the choke/primer when the engine chokes up. Inspect the fuel system carefully for any air leaks, poor tank vent, etc.

A shop manual will provide more complete trouble shooting info.

 

[hjbdls]

Re: Starflite 85 Magneto issue? (and Hello...)

Thanks, I will check the powerpack, timer base, and stator.
and YES.... NO Spark on all 4 cylinders!
Fuel flow is good, already checked that, and 'primed' the bulb while it was lugging just to make sure that that wasn't the issue. 'Priming' it had NO effect!
What is your opinion on the magneto?
Again, thanks for the initial response and looking forward to more!
~Mike

P.S. I know we need a manual, and are working on getting one... (in a spoiled little kids voice: but I wanna go fishing now!)
Ok.... temper tantrum is over, back to working on the boat! LOL

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: Starflite 85 Magneto issue? (and Hello...)

Those photo's are of the charge coils, they appear to have gotten hot, without these the engine will not fire. They are built into the charge stator on this engine. These produce the charge to the pulse pak, then triggered to the ignition coils, by the small inner coils called the sensor's shown in the photo's

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Starflite 85 Magneto issue? (and Hello...)

Shop manual will give procedure for testing timer base and charge coils with a VOM.

By "magneto" I suspect you are referring to the flywheel magnets? If they're all there and not loose, they are fine. If loose, they need to be reglued in place after thorough cleaning to make sure epoxy will hold.