dcollicott
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2009
- Messages
- 18
Here's the background: Johnson 1959 35HP Super Seahorse, with Johnson electric start, that has been running for years. It was getting hot and ran rough, so I took it to a pro two years ago, who replaced the impeller, did a carb job and some other things, and it was running great. However, I haven't used it in since, because I have been restoring the wood on the boat (a 1959 MFG Celeron) and the boat has been taken apart.
During renovation, I tried to start the engine, and the result was sparks thrown from the box mounted on the transom. So I stopped trying. Then, while re-mounting the starter power cable behind the dash I discovered that when somebody replaced the windshield some time around 30 years ago, they drilled a hole right through the cable. Apparently, until I disturbed it during my renovation work, it continued to conduct electricity properly, which I find amazing, but once I messed with it, the insulation started flaking apart and some of the wires came apart at that spot. Fortunately, there was a lot of extra length, so I was able to cut it and re-wire it. I am very sure I re-wired it properly, because I was careful to make a detailed diagram of which wire connected to which terminal on the dashboard switch. My guess is that the sparks were caused by a short in the damaged part of the wire.
Today: no sparks flying form the box on the transom, but also no spark at the spark plugs. The starter motor cranks wonderfully.
I'm wondering if perhaps the component in the box on the transom (solenoid?) was damaged when I saw those sparks flying out of it.
Any thoughts about this, and/or how to diagnose the box and its contents?
During renovation, I tried to start the engine, and the result was sparks thrown from the box mounted on the transom. So I stopped trying. Then, while re-mounting the starter power cable behind the dash I discovered that when somebody replaced the windshield some time around 30 years ago, they drilled a hole right through the cable. Apparently, until I disturbed it during my renovation work, it continued to conduct electricity properly, which I find amazing, but once I messed with it, the insulation started flaking apart and some of the wires came apart at that spot. Fortunately, there was a lot of extra length, so I was able to cut it and re-wire it. I am very sure I re-wired it properly, because I was careful to make a detailed diagram of which wire connected to which terminal on the dashboard switch. My guess is that the sparks were caused by a short in the damaged part of the wire.
Today: no sparks flying form the box on the transom, but also no spark at the spark plugs. The starter motor cranks wonderfully.
I'm wondering if perhaps the component in the box on the transom (solenoid?) was damaged when I saw those sparks flying out of it.
Any thoughts about this, and/or how to diagnose the box and its contents?