60 hp Mercury ignition problem

[jtrbug]

I've got a 99 60hp mercury (3cyl) that is only firing on one cylinder (ctr). The top and bottom cylinders are not firing. The problem started three weeks ago when the motor started being hard to start. After changing plugs motor would start and run fine. If I shut it down momentarily and bumped starter it would restart no problem. After it sat a while and it would be hard to start again. After changing plugs several more times (on the water)I found that the top and bottom plugs were wet and had not fired at all. Checked spark on all three cylinders. Spark appears to be weak, not bright or with a audible snap. Motor is charging okay,14V. Bad switch box? Coils? Thanks

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: 60 hp Mercury ignition problem

Possibilities include a bad stator, switchbox, coils, trigger. One might think that if you're getting spark at one cylinder, then the stator must be okay. It could be weak and the strongest coil is managing to throw some spark. You'll need a manual with some procedures and specs. You can get one from iboats. Many public libraries have them, too. If you have an ohmmeter, you can test many of those components.

 

[jtrbug]

Re: 60 hp Mercury ignition problem

Thanks WillyB for your reply. Checked the electrical system with a VOM over weekend. Found I have a problem with switch box. Ordered part today. Thanks again.