1979 Johnson 115hp - No spark?

[mesajeeper]

I do not have spark on any of thy cylinders. Here?s the story. When looking to purchase the new to me boat, the motor would not fire. I pulled the wire off of the spark plug top right, stuck a screw driver in the wire and help it ? inch from the block and nothing. Did the same to the top left, good spark and the engine started. We immediately shut it off and replaced the wire. Engine would not fire again. I noticed a leaking fuel line and assumed maybe that was the issue. The compression was good so I made the purchase. I thought maybe I had an issue with the one coil. So after spending the weekend rebuilding carbs, replacing all fuel lines, replacing the impeller etc. I went to test for spark today after work and I have not spark at any cylinder.

Any suggestions on where to start? I see that I have two power packs. I would guess the probability is low that both are bad? Also I doubt all 4 coils are bad too but what do I know. Anything that stands out that this could be? What is the best way to troubleshoot?

 

[boobie]

Re: 1979 Johnson 115hp - No spark?

Disconnect the black/yellow wires from both packs and see what happens.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1979 Johnson 115hp - No spark?

You can further test for control box wiring problems (key switch.) Disconnect the red plug (control box) inside the cowling. Jump start the starter and check for spark while the engine cranks. If you have spark on all cyls, then the problem is in the control box wiring. Unlikely that all 4 coils are bad and that both packs have gone out at the same time. That leaves the timer base and the stator. Once you learn more about the ignition firing issues, you can swap the coils and power packs for further testing. (each pack controls spark to one head.) You may find the ignition troubleshooting at: cdielectronics.com helpful.

 

[mesajeeper]

Re: 1979 Johnson 115hp - No spark?

I feel kinda stupid but I think I found the problem. The safety cord thingy at the helm may not have been compressing the button completely. I pushed it up further on and now I have spark at all cylinders. I did notice that my spark plug boots are cracked. It appears I can replace two of them but the other two appear to go directly into the coils. Do I have to relplace the coils to replace the plug wires?