1973 Evinrude 115 Ignition Problem

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fatboyntn

Cadet
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
29
I was running WOT down the lake and my engine died. It didn't sputter or give any other sign of trouble. It was as if the ignition was simply switched off.

I see molten dark green goo underneath the flywheel. This leads me to suspect the stator has melted down.

To troubleshoot the stator, I disconnected the charge coil from terminals #7 and #8 on the powerpack. I attached a high impedance voltmeter to the coil leads. During starting, the leads measured 3 volts AC. This seems to confirm the problem. I was expecting to see at least 100 volts on these leads, however I am not sure if I checked it properly.

If indeed the stator melted down, what can cause this?

To give some background on the motor, it has recently been placed back into service. It has less than 10 hours on it since the last time it ran in 1994. I did have to rebuild the carbs and replace the the lower unit lube.

Regards,
Terry
 
E

ezeke

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 19, 2003
Messages
12,532
Re: 1973 Evinrude 115 Ignition Problem

About half the time it is caused by an open circuit that is the result of a bad rectifier.

When the rectifier is burned by reversing the battery cables or other causes, the diodes are destroyed, but the wiring often fuses, allowing the full battery voltage to reach the stator and other ignition components.
 

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fatboyntn

Cadet
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
29
Re: 1973 Evinrude 115 Ignition Problem

That's it then. I just replaced rectifier. The battery side (red wire) had burned up on my old rectifier. I didn't test it for an open condition. The engine had no more than 1 or 2 hours of runtime with the new rectifier.

I will check it to make sure I wired the new one correctly (Though, that's kinda hard to mess up ;) ) and make sure it is operating correctly.
 
F

fatboyntn

Cadet
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
29
Re: 1973 Evinrude 115 Ignition Problem

I did some more troubleshooting last night. The stator shows infinite resistance across the charge coils (Brown #7 and Brown w/ Yellow #8). Pretty sure that indicates it is burned up. No real measurable voltage on these terminals during starting. That is what I would expect with an open circuit.

My new rectifier is operating and wired properly.

Looks like I am in the market for a new stator.

I will pull the flywheel and take a first hand look at the thing this weekend.

Thanks for everyone's help! I will follow-up and let you guys know when I am lake bound again!

Regards,
Terry
 
W

wmgraphics

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
47
Re: 1973 Evinrude 115 Ignition Problem

I have this same engine. Mine hasn't ran since 92'. Can you tell me of a few places where I can pick up some rebuild parts. Also what things did you do to get yours ready to run? Thanks Mike

wmgraphics@yahoo.com
 
F

fatboyntn

Cadet
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
29
Re: 1973 Evinrude 115 Ignition Problem

wmgraphics said:
I have this same engine. Mine hasn't ran since 92'. Can you tell me of a few places where I can pick up some rebuild parts. Also what things did you do to get yours ready to run? Thanks Mike

wmgraphics@yahoo.com
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

Pretty much the only thing I have done is replace the lower unit oil and rebuild the carbs. I replaced the fuel tanks, fuel line and cleaned out the fuel filter. I did make sure that I could turn the motor by hand a couple of revolutions before engaging the starter. Pretty much that was it. It had not ran since 1994.

I think you can get the carb rebuild kit here from iboats.com. You will need two of them.

I didn't go looking for problems, but I am sure I will find them at the worst possible time :D

Regards,
Terry

PS: I just found this in the FAQ. Very helpful.
 
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