1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

[beck4]

i have a 1987 70 hp evinrude with no spark. i replaced the power pack rectifier and plugs. i also hardwired the kill switch in the control box. i know thats a no no but what ever im desperate. still nothing. im told to replace the stator but im hesitant because they are so pricey and every time i replace something i get all excited that it is going to work. but then i am disapointed. now i have been told to replace the timer base. can anyone tell me what that does?? and am i missing anything. i was even thinking about replaceing the ignition switch but the engine cranks over fine. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP. its warm and i need to be on the water ASAP.

 

[mckee1787]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

Hopefully, you have the service manual for your model. There is a simple check
by disconnecting the stator wires from the wiring block and measuring the resistance with an ohm meter. The readings should match those that are in the manual.

 

[beck4]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

thanx mckee1787. i ordered a manual and im just waiting for it to arrive. also i checked the compresion and the results were 130 on top cylnder 135 on middle and 130 on bottom are these good numbers or no? i have been told to check the compresion but what does the compresion have to do with the spark issue?

 

[mckee1787]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

Those numbers are really good +/-10%. The spark is generated as the flywheel embedded magnets spins the magnetic field around the wire wrapped stator which then generates your low end spark voltage. Compression determines your
engines health in a way.

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

what does "hardwired the kill switch" mean? If you connected it directly to ground, or wired across it, then you're never going to get a spark, because you have shortcircuited the powerpack. That's how the kill circuit works.

Try disconnecting the black/yellow kill wire at the powerpack and repeating your spark test. [note, if the engine starts with the kill wire disconnected, you can't shut it off with the key...you'll have to choke it.]

The timer base has sensors (one for each cylinder) that detect specific flywheel magnets and signal the powerpack to deliver a spark.

 

[beck4]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

when i say hardwired the kill switch i am refering to the lanyard switch on the contol box. how could that short circuit the power pack. isnt hard wireing it the same as having the lanyard in all of the time??

 

[mikesea]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

does that mean you cut the switch out ,and,put the wires together to complete the kill circut?that would kill your pack.have you disconnected the engine harness,then jumped positive directly to the starter,?remove the plugs first,if engine starts ,no kill,so just check for spark,dont ground around the plug holes,you may start a fire

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

beck,
The purpose of the kill wire is to short-circuit the powerpack, so the current that was destined for the spark plugs goes directly to ground instead. The switch is open to run, closed to kill.

Hard wiring the kill switch is just like having the lanyard *out* all the time.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

when i say hardwired the kill switch i am refering to the lanyard switch on the contol box. how could that short circuit the power pack. isnt hard wireing it the same as having the lanyard in all of the time??

When the lanyard clip is on it is opening the switch which allows for spark, when the clip is off the circuit is closed grounding out the black/yellow wire going to the powerpack which stops the motor (kills all spark), as the others have said, undo the hardwire that you have done and retest.

 

[beck4]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

So have i ruined the power pack or will it be fine? If it will be fine ill just buy a new switch. I really hope i didnt ruin the pack they are expensive.

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

you didn't harm the powerpack, you just "turned it off," so to speak.

We haven't ruled out faulty powerpack, but if that turns out to be the case it was faulty out of the box. I hope you kept the old one -- there's way worse things than having a spare powerpack on hand.

Now...the first thing to do when you have a no-spark condition is to rule out a short-circuit on the black/yellow kill wire -- it might have gotten chafed or something and made accidental contact with the engine block or other ground.

One way to do that is to disconnect the red main wiring harness plug, and crank the motor by jumping the starter solenoid. Remove all the spark plugs first. Use an inline spark tester clipped to the engine block, set the gap at 7/16", attach the plug leads (one at a time) and look for a strong blue spark across the gap while cranking. The two plug leads you aren't testing need to be grounded to the block (use a couple jumper wires).

In this condition (wiring harness unplugged), both the keyswitch and safetly lanyard switch are out of the picture altogether.

Any questions, just ask.

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

beck4, this may sound harsh, but its good advice...

stop throwing parts at it and start actually troubleshooting it per the manual. they are invaluable. i was like this when i first got my boat... just throwing stuff at it based on what someone else may have suggested. i just wanted to get on the water. a factory service manual will actually have some troubleshooting tips in it to help you along. short of that, there has been some good advice offered here.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

So have i ruined the power pack or will it be fine? If it will be fine ill just buy a new switch. I really hope i didnt ruin the pack they are expensive.

Buy a new switch? Did you test the old one? May not have anything to do with the switch and everything to do with the component that has failed.

 

[beck4]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

i did test the switch prior to bypassing it. there was power continuously flowing and judging by what was said earlier in this post im guessing thats not rite. there was no change in the voltage with the lanyard in or out. so maybe it was grounding out the power pack all of the time. i will be disconecting the black/yellow wire this week end and see what happens. i will let you guys know. i also just recieved my evinrude manual and i am checking into the troubleshooting section. just to be sure, you all are talking about the black/yellow wire that is inside the control box and not a wire that is under the hood rite? i looked for one under the hood and didnt find 1. the only 1 i found is in the control box that goes directly into the kill switch. sorry for so many stupid questions but this is my first outboard.

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

They are one and the same...that wire goes from the powerpack at one end, through the wiring harness to the keyswitch and emergency kill switch (lanyard) at the other. It's there under the hood. Could be so dirty you didn't recognize it.

When you say "power flowing through" -- you mean it tests positive for continuity? Once the switch is closed (lanyard pulled out), you only get voltage for the time it takes the capacitor in the power pack to drain. Which I think is a very brief moment. Or maybe until the flywheel stops spinning. I'm no electrical engineer.

Yeah if the switch doesn't open, it's faulty.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

You shouldn't get any power on the wire, it's a ground????

 

[beck4]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

maybe i have more problems than i think. it definatly gave me a reading but i dont remember what it was. these things are so confusing, if it was a car id have it fixed by now.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

Did you disconnect the hard wire and retest. I had a ford ranger no start 2 days ago, I spent all weekend trying to fix it, finally did it with a new EEC relay, I could of rebuilt my outboard in the time I spent chasing a GD relay. Undo the hardwire and retest, it will never start with the 2 wires connected.

Going back to the black/yellow wire, you'd see voltage when cranking/running but I think you'd need a DVA to see it. I was referring to voltage with it as it sits, not running as you have no spark

 

[beck4]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

i havent checked it yet with the wire disconected i have to wait til friday, work is hectic. to your other question there is only a voltage reading when i crank on it not when it is just sitting. thanx again 4 all the help. if i still cant get spark this weekend does any1 want to buy a 87 evinrude 70 hp? ha.

 

[PFS]

Re: 1987 70 hp evinrude, im going crazy

Does your motor have a neutral safety switch? I had one of those gum up once, and all I had to do was take it apart and clean it.