140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

[port jeff boater]

hey all i have a 1986 fourwinns with a 140 mercruiser 4 cyl i/o. i am trying to winterize it but she wont turn over.. heres what i did...<br />obviously she has gas. also fully charged the batteries. took off the dist cap and its like brand new. also turned engine over and saw the points open and close, rotor turns, also gets a orange spark from the points. returned cap. checked plug connections. removed plugs and cleaned, tehey were pretty good had some wetness to the outside of it but nothing n the node.. took out one plug attached to the wire and left it along the block,, no sparkk.. took off plug from cap and held a screwdriver over the top to see if a jumping spark, but no good either .. put screw driver into top of cap where plug attaches because i wasnt sure if i was close enough for the spark to jump and still no spark... heres where i am aT.. someone suggested that my condenser could be bad.. please help thanks. its getting below freezing and dont need the block to crack,, also if it is the above. is it easy to change the points. i did do it a while ago myself but dont remember exactly. i believe i put it in the dist and then put the feelers in to gap it and then screwed it down.. thanks alot for all the help..

 

[K Hultgre]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

Port Jeff<br />could you post your results after following the instruction by "rattana", "merc 140 pontoon" and "Captain HooknFinger" in your previous post. It sounds to me you are getting weak spark (orange) you need blue. <br />If you are worried about the block freezing you can drain the block/riser/manifold, etc. without the engine running. Search for "winterizing" on this board and follow the instructions.

 

[Buttanic]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

A few suggestions.<br />1 Bad shift interrupter switch or switch out of adjustment.<br />2 Burnt coil. If the ignition switch was left on for a period of time without the engine running the coil can burn up. <br /><br />Buttanic

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

hey all. thanks for all your previous help.. i have now gotten her started.. changed the plugs points rotor and condenser.. turned her and she started right up ,, i mean right up.. now heres my question.. the manual recommed the points gap at .022, which is what i set it at.. is that correct. i was told to use a matchbook cover but the feeler gage was bigger than that. i went with the maunual specs. is this right.. .022? now i must ask this question. she idles at 1600 rpms. the last time out she idled at around 900 to 1000.. could the point gap make this difference? and is this too high of an idle? please let me know.. thanks for all your great help.. by the way jonny in patchogue thank you for the offer to locally help. i will keep your number for future reference if i need you,,,

 

[Buttanic]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

Changing the point gap will affect the ignition timing. It is possible that now the timing is some what advanced from what it was and that is causing the higher idle speed. Put a timing light on it and set it to spec. I think 8 degrees BTDC is correct on the 140.<br /><br />Buttanic

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

thanks buttanic,,, i think it is 6* btdc.. what if i gapped the points a little lower to say .019? would that lower the idle. the marina mechanic that sold me the tuneup kit told me the gap should be between .017 and .019.. even though the manual on the 140 i/o states .022.. ive yet to master timing the engine... and if i can avoid it . im better off.thanks for all the help and advice...

 

[fireship1]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

Hey, Port Jeff Boater! Check that timing! You really want to do this because if the timing is not correct and too overadvanced you could cause engine damage. It is very easy to set timing (it was most likely more challanging to install the point set!) You need to know your #1 spark plug (on the 140 it is the first plug nearest to you when you face the front of the engine) Hook up the pickup lead of an inductive timing light to this spark plug wire. Leave the spark plug wires hooked up eexactly where they are (you don't need to take them off or change anything) Check exactly what your timing setting is in a manual. Look at the crankshaft pully (the large pully at the bottom front of the engine) There is a small numbered scale on the right side of this pully. Find your timing setting number on this scale and paint a small white line on the little number that matches your timing setting with some white out fluid. Next look on the crankshaft pully where the belt rides in the groove.There is a small notch cut into the pully,that is the other timing mark you are looking for (you might have to use the key and bump the engine carefully to be able to see this mark) when you find it paint it with the white out as well. You will need a distributor adjustment wrench. (a few dollars at an auto parts store) It will allow you to loosen the small nut that is found under the distributor. this will allow you to make the ajustment. Hook up the other two leads of the timing light to the battery. This will supply power to the light. Loosen slightly the nut under the distributor till you can get it to turn left and right slightly. (don't turn too much, just slightly to make sure it will move)Now start the engine with earmuffs attached and allow it to warm up to opperating temp. Point the timing light at the scale on the side of the pully and pull the trigger on the light. The light will strobe and you will see the marks that you painted earlier. The object is to make them align with each other. Being careful of the moving parts rotate the distributor a little at a time left and right until the marks align perfectly. Note: the marks may twitch a little but for the most part they should be in alignment) Shut off the engine tighten the distributor hold down bolt, start it up again and reflash the lamp at the marks and make sure you did not disturb the adjustment when you tightened the hold down bolt. THATS IT! It's really not hard once you have done it. As far as your points go smaller gap is better than larger to me because the gap will become larger as a result of the points getting burned slightly due to the wear process. Whenever you mess with the point gap ALWAYS set the timing afterwards. Point gap has a direct result on ignition timing. I hope this helps you make your 140 purr!

 

[merc 140 pontoon]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

port jeff> i think it is 6* btdc<br /><br />No, Merc changes their specs all the time. The old idle speed for 140's used to be 500-600 rpm. Now for those beyond a certain serial number, it's been raised to 650-700 rpm. As a result, the base timing has been changed from 6 degBTDC to 8 degBTDC. See Merc Service Bulletin 95-11, http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Bullet/95/95_11.pdf . The idle specs are online somewhere; I just get them from a Clymer manual.

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

hey pontoon, thanks for the info.. its a little hard for me to understand.. according to this bulletin. are you saying that the point gap should be .016????? let me know please..

 

[merc 140 pontoon]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

Port Jeff -<br /><br />I noticed that, too. I will let a mechanic answer that. I run a Pertronix Ignitor electronic conversion module, so I don't mess with points and condensor. I've got enough issues without them!<br /><br />Another point--I'm trying to get my hands on an external tach. Everyone says that panel tachs can become inaccurate as they age, and obviously an accurate rpm reading is important for timing advance, idle mixture settings, vacuum, etc.<br /><br />Steve

 

[merc 140 pontoon]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

Aha, found some online tune-up specs. They show the new idle rpm spec, but these are apparently too old to have the new timing, 8 degBTDC. I still can't confirm the latest, greatest point gap setting.<br /> http://www.marinemechanic.com/specs/mc-ole-inline.htm <br /><br />Steve

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: 140 mercruiser wont turn over- no spark. help!!!!

YEP PONTOON,, THATS IDENTICAL TO my specs from the manual.. but still not sure if the .022 point gap is correct.. anyone else out there can tell me please.. thanksssss