1995 Johnson 130 hp 90 degree v4 spark on only 1 coil.

[dukchunter]

Hey guys, Just bought this motor to replace a 1979 mercury very 150 Was stored in a warehouse since 1997. Motor was serviced and winterized before storage. Bought it from the owner who used it 1 season then bought a new boat. Not sure why but he then scrapped the old boat. Checked everything out and seemed legit. Very clean motor. Started doing the normal stuff for bringing a motor out of retirement. Replaced plugs wires coils water pump cleaned/ rebuilt carbs. Cleaned/ rebuilt fuel pump. Hooked everything up and tried to start it. It would fire but was backfiring terribly while cranking. Checked spark on all cylinders and found no spark except on the bottom left cylinder when looking from the prop side of the motor. Don't want to throw a lot of money at this so what's all u r opinions? Powerpack? The motor doesn't even have 100 hours on it. I wouldn't think the stator is bad. Is there a kill switch or something. Kind of lost. Was going to check the Powerpack and stator out this weekend by using the guide from cdi electronics website. Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[JDusza]

Stop spending on this right now. Not until you've diagnosed what's going on. Your wallet is screaming!!!
You changed coils already? Check that work and be sure they're properly wired.
Kill switch would kill the entire system, not cylinder selective.
Backfiring is indicative of bad timing. Are your coils and spark plug wires properly installed? Anything mismatched?
Checking into the cdi electronics troubleshooting guide at cdielectronics.com is the best thing to do. Take your time.
You should be able to use a multimeter with peak hold (DVM) and a voltage divider (DVA) to troubleshoot down to the component. You've already spent enough. The money spent on a DVA (about $30) adapter will pay for itself by nature of avoiding the guesswork. And, a stator is nothing to guess at ($200+) That's truly throwing $$ at it.
With a good DVM, DVA and the cdi electronics troubleshooting guide, you are all set.
J

 

[dukchunter]

Ok. Went there every thing. Every thing checked out good. Was really getting frustrated until I looked at the ground on top of the powerpack. I had taken this off and cleaned it 2 days ago and put it back on. Decided to check it again and ended up moving it to another bolt to ground it. Tested spark and now have spark on all cylinders jumping a gap of well over a half inch. Hooked all the plug wires up and she fired right of. How ever now it runs 2 or 3 seconds and shuts off. Looks like some more diagnosing for the weekend. Also going to disconnect the vro system and run straight mixed gas.

 

[JDusza]

Good news!! She wants to run and can run!!
See if it'll stay running if you manipulate the choke.
J

 

[boobie]

When it shuts off, do you still have spark ??

 

[dukchunter]

Yes I still have spark. Had it out on the lake the last two weekends and the motor idled around perfect ( the lake I usually use it on is mostly no wake). Idled to the no wake zone and anchored and shut her off. Pulled the cover off to make sure everything was cooling properly. Everything was cool to the touch. Put the cover back on and started back up. Went to around half throttle still ran great. Went to wot and she jumped on plane for about 15 secs then died from 5200 rpm to just shy of 3400 rpm and stayed there. Stopped and checked the somethings out and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Went again and this time got to 3200 rpm and stayed there never got any higher. Went back to the no wake and idled around with no issues the rest of the day. The second trip was no better as the first after checking all the lines from the fuel tank to make sure no air was being sucked in the fuel lines. Checked plugs they all seemed ok. They are also all brand new. It still refuses to get past that 3200 rpm mark. I've tried pumping the primer bulb to no avail. Pushing the choke in made it plane and reach 5000 rpm as long as it was held in. Let the choke out and it would go back to the 3200 rpm mark. I am now stumped as where to look. Carbs have all been cleaned thoroughly. Cleaned the fuel pump. Checked for bad hoses. Don't know where to look next

 

[wrench001]

I have the same exact issue with no top rmp. goosing the choke helps for a second or too also. on a 98 90hp. please update if u solve the problem. thanks. i have changed out everything...