I have a 1985 140 here that sat for many years and I'm trying to help the guy get the bugs worked out. I cleaned the carbs and replaced the VRO ({which was already disconnected) with a 3 hose pump. I changed the water pump impeller and lower unit oil and had him test it. It ran fine first trip out and he was happy.
Second time out it had rained and he was getting shocked back thru the ignition switch and the engine would not stay running. I unhooked the kill wire from the ignition and it ran fine. I put in a different ignition switch and all was well for a trip or two. Last week he went over and it won't start, This time I unhooked the kill wire from the switch and it still won't start. I unplugged the black/yellow at the switchbox and it fired right up. I hooked that back up and it stumbled around for 15 seconds or so and died.I unplugged the red plug from engine to controller, started it with my remote switch and it ran fine. I'm thinking there has to be an intermittent short in the harness somewhere, so I ran a wire from the black/yellow at the controller side of the red plug to the ignition and cut the black/yellow wire there. The boat started with the switch and ran fine, at least it did for the first half of today's trip, and then it started running on 2 cylinders.
He brought the boat to my house and I looked at a video he shot and figured it was on 2 cylinders. I pulled the cover off and tested for spark. Left side had good spark on both, right side had none on either. I unplugged the black and yellow at the pack and BINGO, hot blue 7/16 long spark on all 4 cylinders, engine now starts and runs fine. Funny thing is I plugged the black/yellow back together and it did not drop 2 cylinders, it continued to run fine, and we shut it down with the ignition switch.
Before I ever saw it someone had bypassed the safety switch in the binnacle controller so it has no start in gear protection, and no switch there to be tripping me up.
I put a new ignition switch in it, not a used one.
Can the kill circuit kill only half the box?
Every time he has taken it over it runs fine for a while the develops these spark issues
CDI troubleshooting guide suggests it is time to change the CDI box (powerpack). If you can't find issues in the kill circuit switches and unplugging the black/yellow restores spark, change the box. Could this have been a failing box all along? The kill circuit was certainly bleeding through the switch when I changed that. It lit me up like a Christmas tree. Could that have damaged the box? I hate to tell him he has to get a box and find out there is something else going on.
Where would you guys go on this next? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Second time out it had rained and he was getting shocked back thru the ignition switch and the engine would not stay running. I unhooked the kill wire from the ignition and it ran fine. I put in a different ignition switch and all was well for a trip or two. Last week he went over and it won't start, This time I unhooked the kill wire from the switch and it still won't start. I unplugged the black/yellow at the switchbox and it fired right up. I hooked that back up and it stumbled around for 15 seconds or so and died.I unplugged the red plug from engine to controller, started it with my remote switch and it ran fine. I'm thinking there has to be an intermittent short in the harness somewhere, so I ran a wire from the black/yellow at the controller side of the red plug to the ignition and cut the black/yellow wire there. The boat started with the switch and ran fine, at least it did for the first half of today's trip, and then it started running on 2 cylinders.
He brought the boat to my house and I looked at a video he shot and figured it was on 2 cylinders. I pulled the cover off and tested for spark. Left side had good spark on both, right side had none on either. I unplugged the black and yellow at the pack and BINGO, hot blue 7/16 long spark on all 4 cylinders, engine now starts and runs fine. Funny thing is I plugged the black/yellow back together and it did not drop 2 cylinders, it continued to run fine, and we shut it down with the ignition switch.
Before I ever saw it someone had bypassed the safety switch in the binnacle controller so it has no start in gear protection, and no switch there to be tripping me up.
I put a new ignition switch in it, not a used one.
Can the kill circuit kill only half the box?
Every time he has taken it over it runs fine for a while the develops these spark issues
CDI troubleshooting guide suggests it is time to change the CDI box (powerpack). If you can't find issues in the kill circuit switches and unplugging the black/yellow restores spark, change the box. Could this have been a failing box all along? The kill circuit was certainly bleeding through the switch when I changed that. It lit me up like a Christmas tree. Could that have damaged the box? I hate to tell him he has to get a box and find out there is something else going on.
Where would you guys go on this next? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.