Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

iwombat

Captain
Joined
Jul 12, 2006
Messages
3,767
Re: Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

Oops, sorry about that. I read something earlier about points, and I thought we were dealing with a points ignition here. Nevermind the condenser theory.
 

CharlieB

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
5,617
Re: Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

Aaaaha!

This is a test, you will be graded.

What do cyl's 1 and 3 have in common?


No answer?


Give up?


They are both fired off the same set of points!
The early Electronic ignitions were really nothing more than a drell stretcher, an amplifier that used a low voltage and 'points to trigger the electronics. Points last a goodly long time once set correctly, and it's a DUAL point system. One set fires 1 and 3, while the other set fires 2 and 4.

Your problem is under the flywheel. one set of points is still wrong, or there is a faulty connection that is failing with heat.

The cooling system is doing its job but the crank, point plate is still warming and thus the metals expand, things change, a wire that is clamped tightly can become 'pinched' and short. Point gap that is too large becomes even larger, maybe to the extent that the points do not contact well enough to register 'closed'.

Look under the flywheel carefully.


Did anyone 'Pass' this test?
 

adogramacian

Cadet
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
14
Re: Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

Problem is that cyl #2 also fails. #4 is the only one that seems to always fire. Perhaps coincidence?

It will be a couple weeks before I can get back to working on the boat. In the meantime, I want to come up with a game plan. Do I replace the coil, even though it appears to be newer? Could the new powerpack the mechanic installed be defective? Or is it as simple as adjusting the points after the engine has warmed up?

The motor is 38yrs old. The mechanic who worked on it told me he cleaned at set the points, but should I purchase a new set of points? They're not cheap for this motor it turns out...

As far as the thermostat being "stuck" open, perhaps I should not worry about fixing that until after I get the ignition working flawlessly...unless you guys think the engine staying cold while other parts of it warm up might be adding to my problems.

Thanks for all the help...
 

adogramacian

Cadet
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
14
Re: Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

Its been a while since I last posted an update...since mid-October, it has been quite frigid to be doing any work outdoors on a motor (below freezing temperatures and all). I purchased 2 new sets of points from ebay (parts are now NLA), a new coil by CDI (instead of the green one), and a used vernatherm housing. I thoroughly cleaned the housing and installed new springs, gaskets, and vernatherm. I know throwing parts at a problem is not always the solution, but the engine never warms up so I am assuming the vernatherm in there is stuck open. Also, someone told me that a defective coil can cause problems if it heats up and is defective. If I get the engine running, that would be great. If I don't, at least I learned a little about how engines work. A friend of mine also gave me an old Elgin 7.5HP motor I hope to get running as a backup for when/if I get stuck out on the water. One thing is for sure: I can't wait for spring to arrive!
 

patrick4266

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Nov 29, 2007
Messages
591
Re: Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

I have the evinrude manual on that year and hp so if there is anything you want me to look up let me know.
 

adogramacian

Cadet
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
14
Re: Looking for advice before giving up on Evinrude 85HP

After a long winter, was finally able to get working again on the old motor. I purchased another new coil for the motor that is made by a different manufacturer. I am now getting a very strong spark, but the engine still craps out after 30 minutes. Over the next few weeks, I will be replacing the vernatherm housing with a unit I purchased online and rebuilt. I also have some new points to replace as well.
 
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