1972 100HP will fire once backwards after cranking

wireready

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
46
Have an ignition problem. Motor cranks, and I appear to have some fuel burning in the cylinders, but it won't fire up. When I stop cranking it stops. The good news is I have strong blue spark on all 4cylinders. Fuel is getting to plugs. But when I crank it, I will see a little exhaust smoke rising out of water, but it doesn't fire up- I don't even hear the familiar pop pop pop and normal RPM surge of ignition, so I'm thinking the fuel is being burned or partially burned, but with the pistons are in the wrong position when the spark occurs. If I hadn't noticed the exhaust smoke on the water, I'd never even have thought I had fuel burning in the cylinders- I don't have the familiar pops you hear when fuel ignites in the cylinder. I believe this has been an intermittent problem in the past, but now the motor won't fire up. I just get a little exhaust smoke as long as I keep cranking the motor.

Often after I stop cranking, the flywheel will kick backward nearly a full revolution, and when it doesn't kick backwards immediately when I stop cranking, if I leave the switch in the ON position- if I so much as touch the flywheel, jiggle the throttle, or even flick the choke solenoid a couple times, the motor will suddenly fire for one second- and the flywheel will go backwards about one revolution. Maybe this is normal, since the 1972 uses a battery style CDI and I figure anytime the sensor coil sends a pulse there will be a spark to a cylinder. But normally I would think one would have to turn the flywheel atleast a quarter turn to get a firing. If I so much as sneeze on the flywheel it will kick backwards once after I stop cranking.

Before I pull the flywheel to check for a sheered key, or a problem with the sensor coil, or timer base or anti-reverse spring etc... I was wondering if having the sensor coil connections reversed at the pulse pak could cause this symptom. The replacement pulse pak I got (which provides strong blue spark on all 4 cylinders) had very short leads to work with and I couldn't match the familiar color coding to the wires coming from the sensor coil, so I might have those two connections reversed. Would that mess up the timing of the ignition and cause this symptom? Or should I go get the flywheel puller and plan on a thorough inspection of my distributor, sensor and all the connections under the flywheel. I have the service manual, but I'm hoping to avoid pulling the flywheel if I can avoid it.

Also this pulse pak had an extra green wire coming out of it. I'm familiar with the blue, purple, the black grounds, and the two wires that connect to the sensor coil under the flywheel, but I don't know if the green wire needs to be connected. I don't see a connection for a green wire in the service manual. This appears to be an after market replacement pulse pak.

One last symptom. The old pulse pak would often cause a loud buzzing sound to be heard under the flywheel if I left the key in the on position after cranking. The new pulse pak doesn't do that. but I'm wondering if this is just another intermittent problem one gets if they have a loose or leaking sensor coil or problem with thier anti-reverse spring.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
28,226
Re: 1972 100HP will fire once backwards after cranking

Have an ignition problem. Motor cranks, and I appear to have some fuel burning in the cylinders, but it won't fire up. When I stop cranking it stops. The good news is I have strong blue spark on all 4cylinders. Fuel is getting to plugs. But when I crank it, I will see a little exhaust smoke rising out of water, but it doesn't fire up- I don't even hear the familiar pop pop pop and normal RPM surge of ignition, so I'm thinking the fuel is being burned or partially burned, but with the pistons are in the wrong position when the spark occurs. If I hadn't noticed the exhaust smoke on the water, I'd never even have thought I had fuel burning in the cylinders- I don't have the familiar pops you hear when fuel ignites in the cylinder. I believe this has been an intermittent problem in the past, but now the motor won't fire up. I just get a little exhaust smoke as long as I keep cranking the motor.

Often after I stop cranking, the flywheel will kick backward nearly a full revolution, and when it doesn't kick backwards immediately when I stop cranking, if I leave the switch in the ON position- if I so much as touch the flywheel, jiggle the throttle, or even flick the choke solenoid a couple times, the motor will suddenly fire for one second- and the flywheel will go backwards about one revolution. Maybe this is normal, since the 1972 uses a battery style CDI and I figure anytime the sensor coil sends a pulse there will be a spark to a cylinder. But normally I would think one would have to turn the flywheel atleast a quarter turn to get a firing. If I so much as sneeze on the flywheel it will kick backwards once after I stop cranking.

Before I pull the flywheel to check for a sheered key, or a problem with the sensor coil, or timer base or anti-reverse spring etc... I was wondering if having the sensor coil connections reversed at the pulse pak could cause this symptom. The replacement pulse pak I got (which provides strong blue spark on all 4 cylinders) had very short leads to work with and I couldn't match the familiar color coding to the wires coming from the sensor coil, so I might have those two connections reversed. Would that mess up the timing of the ignition and cause this symptom? Or should I go get the flywheel puller and plan on a thorough inspection of my distributor, sensor and all the connections under the flywheel. I have the service manual, but I'm hoping to avoid pulling the flywheel if I can avoid it.

Also this pulse pak had an extra green wire coming out of it. I'm familiar with the blue, purple, the black grounds, and the two wires that connect to the sensor coil under the flywheel, but I don't know if the green wire needs to be connected. I don't see a connection for a green wire in the service manual. This appears to be an after market replacement pulse pak.

One last symptom. The old pulse pak would often cause a loud buzzing sound to be heard under the flywheel if I left the key in the on position after cranking. The new pulse pak doesn't do that. but I'm wondering if this is just another intermittent problem one gets if they have a loose or leaking sensor coil or problem with thier anti-reverse spring.

The green wire (my diagram shows it as green with black stripe) goes to the anti-reverse cut-off terminal.

Any chance the spark plug wires are mixed up? Yeah, I know that would be hard to do, but some people try harder than others.

EDIT: Of course I've never tried it, but I imagine that if the sensor wires were reversed, it might cause it to fire at the wrong time. If fact that kind of sounds like a good assumption. But I dunno.
 

wireready

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
46
Re: 1972 100HP will fire once backwards after cranking

I reversed the connections to the sensor coil, and now the motor starts up everytime on the first crank.
 

Daviet

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Messages
8,958
Re: 1972 100HP will fire once backwards after cranking

How did the connections get reversed in the first place?
 

wireready

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
46
Re: 1972 100HP will fire once backwards after cranking

I replaced the amplifier and the used one I got had very short, well worn leads and they were both black and I couldn't really tell what the colored stripes were so I guessed. As soon as I reversed them, it started right up. Unless I have another gremlin and it was a coincidence, I suppose it makes a difference, -looking at the wiring diagram I figure they do since they are color coded. I guess the difference between getting the rising edge of the coil pulse from the sensor or the trailing pulse works out to quite a few degrees of advance on the timer base.
 
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