Ignition Problems

[Hardcore]

1992 140 Evinrude V4 looper. Almost no spark on any cylinder. fired it up, it idled for about 45 seconds and died. wouldn't restart. hooked up a spark tester and it doesn't spark except for one flash every once in a while. While it was idling the tach was showing 4k which is obviously wrong.

i thought it was the power pack but i replaced it and it didnt fix it. it cant be the coils as all cylinders act the same. its not the ignition switch or stop switch because i tested that and got the same results. its not the SLOW function either as i tested it too.

FWIW i dont know what it is but the little module under the power pack was recently replaced but i dont know what that does.

the only thing i havn't tested is the stator, sensor coils and charge coils. i dont know which would have symptoms like these.

 

[Hardcore]

Ignition Part ID

Ignition Part ID

What is the little module that sits underneath the power pack on a 1992 140 looper evinrude? i removed the powerpack and noticed that the PO had replaced whatever that part is and i am currently having ignition problems. anyone know?

 

[jonesg]

Re: Ignition Problems

Did you disconnect the big red harness plug to test the kill circuit?
If yes, ok.

new PP already, hmm..ok.

what about the sensor, its optical right?

From Bill Kelley's mastertech site.
http://www.maxrules.com/fixomcoisignition.html

Disconnect the 5-pin connector on the port side of the power pack and see if the spark returns. If it does, use a meter set to ohms and see if the black/yellow wires are shorted to engine ground.

Check the battery voltage on the yellow/red striped wire while cranking the engine. If below 11 volts, charge the battery or check all battery cables.

Remove the sensor wheel and check for damage, especially where the top slots are located. Sometimes the wheels will break out where the windows overlap.

Check the sensor eyes for dirt, grease and the like. If you need to clean it, use denatured alcohol and a Q-tip. Do not use any other cleaning agent because damage to the optical lens will occur.

Disconnect the voltage regulator/rectifier and retest. If the engine now has spark, replace the regulator/rectifier.

 

[daselbee]

Re: Ignition Problems

No, this is NOT optical ignition.

The advice jonesg gave is for optical, and you do not have that type of ignition.

Disconnect the black/yellow wire AT THE POWERPACK and retry. If you have spark then, the problem is in the wiring harness.

But you say you have intermittent spark. Hmmmm.... It has to be either the trigger (timer base), stator, or powerpack, and very rarely, the flywheel magnets. If it were me, I would begin deep troubleshooting by measuring resistances and voltages of the ignition system per the OMC service manual. The trouble here is that you need a DVA adapter for your voltmeter to read the peak AC voltages generated in the ignition system. You can make one from Radio Shack parts. Search on "DVA adapter" and find the post that shows the circuit.

You can also look for obvious corrosion in the connectors, melted stator, etc. before you begin the electrical tests. Make sure you haven't pinched any wires to GND when re-mounting that new pack. It is awful tight under there.

That module under the powerpack is your water cooled reg/rectifier, and is unlikely to cause a no spark condition. If you still suspect it, simply disconnect the two yellow wires to remove it from the circuit temporarily. It is perfectly safe to do that. It will cause your tach to read wrong, most often no reading at all.

 

[daselbee]

Re: Ignition Part ID

Re: Ignition Part ID

Check your other post...it is your water cooled reg/rectifier.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Ignition Part ID

Re: Ignition Part ID

thread merged together, double posting not appreciated.

 

[daselbee]

Re: Ignition Part ID

Re: Ignition Part ID

A couple of extra thoughts...

The engine must be spinning at around 300 rpms to generate the proper voltages for ignition system operation. Make sure you have a strong charged battery.

If the stator is failing, it is possible that it would not put out enough voltage to energize the powerpack, or intermittently energize the pack...causing your intermittent spark. I guess I would home in on the stator...

Hope this helps.

 

[Hardcore]

Re: Ignition Problems

i checked the harness by unplugging the big red plug and arcing the starter. got identical results both ways. i noticed that when the motor was rebuilt they used JB weld to glue the magnets to the flywheel. i dont think they came loose though. it doesnt look like i can test the stator because my manual doesn't even mention a stator or how to test it.

i foolishly replaced the powerpack on the untested belief it was the problem but it wasn't. i've tested everything else in the ignition system that i can think of other than the sensor coils, charge coil and stator.

sorry for the double post.

 

[daselbee]

Re: Ignition Problems

Well, today is your luck day, I guess.
I have an OMC 1996 service manual that covers the 130hp looper. I checked P/Ns of the three key electrical components, and they are the same P/Ns for the PP (584041), Stator (583410), and Trigger (583508), that you have on your '92. So the ignition systems on the 92 140 and the 96 130 are the same.

How does this help you? Well, here are the readings from my 1996 manual for testing the stator and trigger, which will be the same for your motor.
Also, get an OMC service manual for your motor. It will be valuable for future reference if you continue to work on your motor yourself.

Charge coil test: (Charge coil is part of the stator)
Locate the rubber plug coming from the stator to the PP with two electrical contacts in it. The resistance between the two contacts should be 480 ohms, +- 50 ohms. It should read infinite ohms between each single terminal and the frame of the stator (ground).
The running output of the charge coil should be greater than 175v measured with a DVA meter.

The sensor coil tests for the trigger are:
Locate the two leads from the trigger, one forward and one aft, that have multiple electrical contacts, one having five and the other having four.
This is a quote:
"Attach voltmeter black lead to port timer base connector, terminal "E". Alternately attach voltmeter red lead to the remaining four port and four starboard connector terminals. Crank engine and observe meter at each connection."

You will see a very small "E" embossed on the rubber of the plug/connector.
Also, from the drawing, it looks like "E" is the middle pin on the row of three pins in the connector that has a total of five pins in it.

The voltage reading must be 0.5 volts or higher when using a DVA meter and reading the cranking voltage on each pin as described above.

The resistance is measured in the same manner, terminal "E" to alternately each other eight remaining terminals.

When reading the resistance between terminal "E" on the port timer base connector, and the other four terminals in the PORT connector, the resistance should be 45 +- 10 ohms.

When reading the resistance between terminal "E" on the port timer base connector, and the other four terminals in the STARBOARD connector, the resistance should be 130 +- 30 ohms. NOTE the DIFFERENCE.

When reading from any terminal to ground, it says "the meter must show a high reading". It gives no value.