78 Evinrude 115 stalled coming back and would not stay running

[ToolMaster]

I have 78 Evinrude 115 model #115899C <br />Ok, I got my carbs rebuilt, then I had a intermittent spark loss on one cylinder, I changed the coil, but it did not solve the problem, I was told some times a bad coil will also cause a power pack to fail, I did just swap the coils to see if it would run ok. It did get spark and all seemed ok, but when I took it for a ride, it felt like it was only running on 3 cylinders then on occasion it would kick in for a few seconds and run good then back to 3. today I replaced the power pack, and took it out, it ran great, full of power out on the water, but then coming back down the canal to where I keep it docked, its a long narrow canal, it started to bog down and by the time I tried to give it more gas it just died, and it would not start up and stay running after that, it would start up if I lift the warmer lever and start in neutral but would bog when I put it into gear, good thing I was only about 4 boat lengths away when this happened, and used the exiting exhaust to help me get closer to the dock. I am running it off of portable 6 gallon tanks, and this is only the second I used so far, I run it with a 50:1 mix, and I have 93 octane in the tank.<br /><br />The boat I just bought mid summer and really have yet to get to have a good trip out on it yet. It was rebuilt b4 the original owner stored it for 2 and a half years and sold it to me, so it only has about 50 hours on it since rebuild, and the cylinders have 115, 115, 115, 110, so its within good limits<br /><br /><br />Thanks for all the help; I just want to get this thing running so I can go fishing with my dad

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 78 Evinrude 115 stalled coming back and would not stay running

Fuel ixture of 50/1 is fine. 93 octane is a waste of money. That engine will perform normally and quite well on 87 octane.<br /><br />S/plugs should be Champion QL77JC4 plugs, gapped at .040.<br /><br />With the spark plugs removed, rig up some type of spark tester whereas you can set a gap of 7/16" to be jumped. On the solid state OMC ignition systems from 1973 to the present, the gap must be 7/16".<br /><br />The spark should jump the gap with a strong blue lightning like flame..... a real strong blue SNAP!<br /> <br />If there is erratic, weak or no spark, disconnect the RED main electrical plug at the engine. Crank the engine via the starter solenoid (jumper bat term to small 3/8" term nut, not the ground nut) and observe spark. If spark is now okay as stated above, the usual cause is a shorted ignition switch. In which case, replace the switch.<br /><br />Also... Check the black/yellow wire at the powerpack for voltage as follows:<br /><br />Remove the black/yellow wire at the powerpack. Connect a volt meter between that wire and the powerhead ground. Turn the ignition key to (engine NOT running) the ON position. If any voltage is present, that is also usually due to a faulty ignition switch. Note that the black/yellow wire must absolutely NOT have any voltage being applied to it. The slightest amount of voltage applied to it will destroy the powerpack.