If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

[emoney]

Chrysler 50hp (507H3D), both coils are super hot to touch, even after
sitting for couple of hours? I saw an older thread that talked about this
on a Force, where the suggestion was to check the wiring to the switch?
First, if it's wired wrong, is that going to cause the coils to stay hot?
If so, I'm assuming the wiring is sending power to the coil at all time like
it's trying to constantly "start", right?

Could this problem be at the ignition switch itself, or is it something
that is in the main wiring harness on the side of the motor? Finally,
if the switch is aftermarket, is there a specific spot for all of the wires to
go, and if so, is this something that should be on a schematic from the
switch manufacturer?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

The switch should be wired so that power to the BLUE wire is delivered ONLY when the switch is on or in start position. On a six pole push to choke standard switch, this would be the "I" or ignition terminal. I think on some aftermarket switches it might be labelled "A" for accesories. The blue should NOT be attached to the Battery "B" "BAT" etc. terminal as this has power at all times. If you are unsure, test terminals with a 12 volt test light, and yes, a defective switch MIGHT cause a problem.

If the engine is not starting, you also need to check the point gap. It should be .020. If the rubbing blocks have worn or the points are staying closed for some reason, then power will always be running through the coils--if they are incorrectly wired.

The blue wire from the ignition switch attaches to the blue terminal on the engine and then one blue wire goes to the pos. terminal of each coil. White attaches from the neg. of each coil to its respective point set. When the points close, current flows through the coil to ground and an internal magnetic field is built. When the points open, current stops, the coil magnetic field collapses and a high voltage pulse is generated which jumps the sparkplug gap

 

[emoney]

Re: If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

I will check the wiring in the switch tonight when I get home.
I'm not having a starting problem, so I'm thinking that it's wired
wrong at the switch, but I think I might've also been having a drain
on the battery, which would now make sense. I'll post the results
later.

 

[emoney]

Re: If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

Well, I checked all the wiring and the switch and it all seems to be correctly
wired. The motor overheated yesterday due to the 'goober' not replacing
the water pump. Obviously, we got a 'lucky' burst of water when we put
it in the barrel at his shop. Anyway, I've since replaced the water pump,
so I should've rectified that issue. Would the motor overheating cause the
coils to be this hot?

I'm a little ignorant of these matters, but could you be a little more clear
on the "point gap"? Like, where am I looking for the 'points'?
Sorry to be so limited, but this is truly the first
motor I've ever even taken the cover off.

Thanks for all your advice, Frank. Thanks to you I was able to actually
change out the whole lower unit, which is how the 'water pump change' got
taken care of.

 

[emoney]

Re: If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

Also, the battery is still connected and the plugs are back in and they're
not hot now(I just checked). Wouldn't they be hot if the wires where the issue, or would
you have to try and start it first?

 

[soflaguy]

Re: If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

Having had overheat problems myself, I'll just add that it does stay hot for a long time after the overheating happens.

 

[emoney]

Re: If ignition switch is wired wrong, will coils be hot to touch?

Thanks for posting that, South Florida. It actually (not to be happy about
your overheating, lol) does make me feel better that mine isn't the first
time it's happened to someone. I had thought about that, but it just seemed
like an awful long time. I'm afraid I'm losing confidence in this motor (if I had
it to begin with) so I'm probably pretty paranoid about every little thing.