Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

neo95

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Apr 14, 2006
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I replaced my coil and need to know if I hooked it up correctly. The old coil is gone cause someone took it out to price a new one awhile ago. Could you guys please tell me if its connected right?<br /><br />heres my motor info:<br />VXL-11C<br />Make: Johnson<br />Year: 1965<br />HP: 60<br />WOT RPMS: 4500<br />Displacement: 70.7CID<br />Cylinder configuration: V-4<br />Weight: 225 lbs<br />Gearcase ratio: 20:23<br />Fuel/Oil mix: 50:1 87 octane gas to TCW-3 rated outboard oil.<br />Spark plugs: Champion J4C gapped at .030"<br />Lower unit oil: If electric shift, use only Bombardier 'Premium Blend' gearcase lube. <br />Otherwise, use 'HiVis' or standard 90W outboard gearcase oil.<br /><br />Model: VXL-110<br />Serial: J2517145<br /><br />Theres a black wire and a black wire with a red connector coming off the coil. <br />
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<br />I hooked the red/black wire to a red/black wire which was hanging outside the magneto assembly. I had a nut/screw and 2 non-metal washers that all seemed to go together right.<br />
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<br /> Then I took the black wire (ground?) on the coil and connected it to a screw that holds the coil into the magneto.
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Then I connected the black wire hanging outside the magneto to a screw that holds the cap on assuming it would complete the ground. <br />
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<br /><br />Heres a pic of it uninstalled:<br />
new%20coil.jpg
<br /><br />My bro has a manual that he is looking for and I know I should have it for this type stuff. But if you guys could help I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

also, what is this part? It looks like it should have a wire on it...<br />
DSC08206.JPG
 

Paul Moir

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

I know very little about the V-4s, but that bottom picture looks like a safety switch, which is used (among other things) to prevent the outboard from being started if the throttle is set too far forward. At least that's how it functions on the I-2 engines. It operates by grounding the solenoid's coil, which is to say it shorts that wire to the engine block when clicked.<br />So the unseen wire is the engine block itself, or in this case the magneto.<br /><br />It's just a suggestion, try editing your first post and changing your post title to include your engine's model number. Something like "Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto". That will attract the attention of those who know better this time of year since a general label like that tends to get lost in the clutter.
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

awesome. Thanks very much Paul. My current problem is a lack of spark so maybe that "missing" wire is the culprit. Is there a way to test the coil itself to see if its getting electricity? For example, when I crank the engine, can I put a light tester or volt meter on that black/red wire on the side of the magneto in the 2nd pic and get a reading from it?<br />Thanks again Paul and everyone else.
 

Joe Reeves

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

In full agreement with Paul. Wiring looks good to me. Remove the distributor cap, then attach a spark tester directly to the brass HT coil button to check the spark directly coming out of the coil.<br /><br />If you have spark from the coil but not when the cap/rotor is installed, the rotor is shorting out to the steel armature shaft that it sits upon.<br /><br />You can remove the drive belt and spin the pulley by hand.... makes the checking easier.
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Ok I will give that a try. I'll report back with the results. Thanks!
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

All right, I am getting spark from the coil. I put the dist. cap back on and get no spark from the plug wires. Thanks so much for the tip to remove the belt and turn the pulley by hand. That made all the difference. So following what you said Joe, about getting spark from the coil but not the cap/rotor, you figure the rotor is shorting out? What’s the next step to fix this? (And I hope you don’t say a new cap cause I don’t know if my local boat shop can even get one anymore.)Perhaps replace the rotor? Thanks again for the help everyone!
 

Joe Reeves

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Replace the rotor. Make sure you get the correct rotor as there are two. One for automotive ignition and one for the magneto.<br /><br />The one for the magneto has a weird shaped metal end hook, #580260<br /><br />The one for automotive ignition has a normal squared off type metal end, #580338<br /><br />(EDIT 05/11/06) I previously had the automotive rotor numbered as 580383... should have been numbered as 580338 (corrected above). The magneto rotor number is correct, being 580260.
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Originally posted by Joe Reeves:<br /> Replace the rotor. Make sure you get the correct rotor as there are two. One for automotive ignition and one for the magneto.<br /><br />The one for the magneto has a weird shaped metal end hook, #580260<br /><br />The one for automotive ignition has a normal squared off type metal end, #580383
Thanks so much Joe. I will be heading to the store tomorrow with the handy part number you supplied. I will report back with the results
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Well I bought a rotor. $39.95!! Good lord. Most rotors they say are like $3. <br />
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<br />I'll install it this weekend. <br />Heres a cool thing I figured out. My old plug wires were crimped inside the dist. cap. So the new ones I bought had now way of connecting properly. <br />
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<br />
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<br />I did some fiddling with the cap and discovered that you can unscrew the metal things they were crimped too!<br />
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<br />
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<br />(Does anyone know if I can order new brass pieces and or what they are called?)<br /> <br /> Thats great since no one in town can get a new cap for me since they dont make em any more<br />That leads me to another question. Can I use car plug wires on my boat motor? I noticed the boat wires had a metal stranded core and the car ones have some kind of fiber or something. Since plug wires cost $10 each at my local shop, can I just use some universal plug wires from an auto parts store?
 

Joe Reeves

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Apparently you yanked the plug wires out instead of unscrewing them.<br /><br />(Replacing Screw In Type Plug Wires)<br />(J. Reeves)<br /> <br />It's next to impossible to find replacement spark plug wires for the older engines that have the brass screw in terminals which screw into a distributor cap. The solution to correcting a spark plug wire (or a coil wire in some cases) of this type is as follows:<br /> <br />Purchase however many brass screw in terminals as you may require (OMC Part #510364). Price is about $1.75ea. If you also need the spark plug boots and the spring terminals that connect to the spark plugs, purchase them also (OMC Part #581027). This includes one boot and one spring connector. Price is about $3.25ea.<br /> <br />Purchase whatever amount of spark plug wire you need. Be sure to purchase the kind that has a steel twisted wire leading through the center of it....... not the carbon type plug wire that many automobiles now use.<br /> <br />Have a piece of 2"x4" handy or any other piece of wood that will suffice, and if you have a vise, clamp that piece of wood in it. Punch or drill whatever amount of holes you want in the top portion of the wood...... you want a almost perfect size hole that you can easily screw one of the brass screw in terminals into. I normally use just one hole, reusing it as many times as necessary. The terminal should screw or push in easily so that removal is just as easily...... but you do want the terminal to be held securely.<br /> <br />Using your old plug wire, cut the new wire to a length about one inch longer. If you have no old plug wire, just make sure that the wire is longer than you'll need as you can trim the other end later. The end that the brass screw in terminal will go on... cut the insulation back about 1/4". With your finger, seperate the wire strands so that they are seperated and angled off at about a 45° angle when viewing the wire being held straight up. Tint those wires with electrical solder, then fold them down against the wires insulation, cutting the excess of so that the wire ends do not extend past the circumference of the wires insulation, meaning..... holding the wire dead on, those tinted wires form a circle.<br /> <br />NOTE: Electrical solder is 60% Tin and 40% lead with a Rosin Flux Core, available just about anywhere.<br /><br />Before doing any solder work on the brass terminal, check to make sure that the wire you've just prepared will slide into the brass terminal withough being forced.<br /> <br />With a hand held propane torch with a pencil tip, heat the brass terminal just hot enough to fill it with "Electrical Solder". Do not use any other type solder. Do not overheat the terminal. When the solder is a liquid, filling the brass cup, having the prepared spark plug wire handy, insert the prepared wire end into the melted solder within the terminal..... and hold it there for a few seconds to have the connection secure. That should take care of the screw in brass terminal end. Use "Caution" as that melted solder could spit out somewhat as the wire is shoved into the brass terminal.<br /> <br />The above procedure also holds true for the engines that have "Battery Capacitance Discharge" ignition, which is a fancy name for a battery operated powerpack.... quite a few engines in the 1968 to 1972 range. That would be the type that has one coil whereas the coil wire screws into a distributor cap located under the flywheel.<br /> <br />The rubber boot, spark plug end.... With the wire cut to the length required, trim back 1/4" insulation again but do not solder tint the wires. Simply fan out the wires and fold them back against the insulation, cutting the excess off as explained above. Holding the spring wire terminal, estimate where the prong should be inserted so that the spring will be flush against the exposed wire. Hold the spring terminal away from the wires end (sideways) and insert the prong into the insulation and into the center wire, then swing the spring terminal in front of the exposed wire portion (makes a tight fit for continuity purposes).<br /> <br />Spraying the inner portion of the boot where the wire will insert with a small amount of WD40 makes the installation of the wire a easy project. That's it.... you're done.
 

neo95

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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Wow Joe! Thank you so much. That is exactly what I needed. I am off to the store to get the right wires. I'm gonna try to use the old brass fittings but its good to know I can get new ones if need be. It looks like I could have found that if I had searched. I am soaking in all the terminology so I can help my self via searching in the future. This site is invaluable to a boat owner. Thanks again and I'll let you guys know if she starts...
 

neo95

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Apr 14, 2006
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Re: Coil wiring on a VXL-11C magneto :No spark:

Well, I couldn’t get any steel stranded plug wire from any boat shops so I used automobile wires. The boat shop said they will work fine. The cables had brass clips on the ends so I collapsed them enough to fit into the brass dist. fittings. Then I soldered them together and screwed them into the cap. Put everything together and the motor starts! I need to fix some other things related to the fuel tank but I will be testing her out probably next week. Thanks again for the help everyone
 
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