Motor Died!!!

[bozzanddww3]

I just bought a pontoon boat with a Mercury 70hp motor on it. It's a 1978 motor, serial number 4716659. The family and I took this boat out today, September 11, 2004 and the boat started and ran fine. We rode about 10 minutes cruising along just fine when I decided to light a cigarette with the dashboard lighter. As soon as I puushed the lighter in, the motor died and never started again. Was pulled back to the landing by a nice, fellow fisherman. I have checked everywhere for a fuse or circuit breaker with no luck. As I was checking the motor, I found that there was not spark to the plugs. Any suggestions at all would be "greatly" appreciated. Thnx!!!

 

[603tehe]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Check for a ground problem. You'll need to start from the lighter all the way back. Look for opens or bad connections. A volt/ohm meter works great for finding such problems.

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

I'll do it tomorrow. Thanks bunches. Will post what I find wrong with it. Also, did I mention that the cigarette lighter still works?

 

[Chucky P]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Does motor still crank. Motor should not stall with bad connection. If it cranks find the orange wire comeing from wire harness (plug in motor) to motor and disconect it. If it starts ,this wire is shorted in harness or control box. The orange wire should (when grounded)kill the motor I don't have 70hp wire diagram but orange is used in manual 1975-78 hope this helps chuck

 

[gasguzzler]

Re: Motor Died!!!

LOOSE OR DIRTY OR BROKEN WIRE OR WIRES FOR SURE

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Originally posted by Chucky P:<br /> Does motor still crank. Motor should not stall with bad connection. If it cranks find the orange wire comeing from wire harness (plug in motor) to motor and disconect it. If it starts ,this wire is shorted in harness or control box. The orange wire should (when grounded)kill the motor I don't have 70hp wire diagram but orange is used in manual 1975-78 hope this helps chuck

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

The motor turns over strong. Just no cranking. I got out there today with an ohm meter and took readings everywhere I could think. I checked all the connectiions of the solenoid and all 3 but the 12 volts coming in showed a short. Is this as it should be? I am lost when it comes to outboards in general. Funny how the cigarette lighter stopped the whole engine. Thnx, I'll keep looking!!

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Originally posted by gasguzzler:<br /> LOOSE OR DIRTY OR BROKEN WIRE OR WIRES FOR SURE

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

I have checked all the connections I could find and made sure they were tight. One would think it had blown a fuse by the lighter making it stop but I have found no such fuse, Thnx!!

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Motor Died!!!

There should be a fuse on the motor, An inline fuse. It will look like a small black connector inside that connector is the blown fuse. Look for that fuse

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Originally posted by hotrod007:<br /> There should be a fuse on the motor, An inline fuse. It will look like a small black connector inside that connector is the blown fuse. Look for that fuse

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Gosh, I've called myself scanning the entire engine and haven't found a fuse yet. Any clue to where this thing may be located? This thing has about whipped me!!

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Motor Died!!!

I'll bet my Wife.. That cig lighter popped a fuse or smoked a wire. IF im wrong your gunna have to come pick her up

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Originally posted by hotrod007:<br /> I'll bet my Wife.. That cig lighter popped a fuse or smoked a wire. IF im wrong your gunna have to come pick her up <br /><br />??? does the lighter still work?

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Well, seems I got no choice but to take the wife if only I could find the fuse. At least I could use her to bait the hooks or something. My manual shows nothing about a fuse in the whole book. Bad thing about it is that the lighter still works but I sure ain't interested in lighting a cigarette with it now. The only thing I got in there is a mercury switch which is controlled by whether the motor is tilted up on down in the start postition

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Motor Died!!!

I see it does still work, sry. Then Im gunna think it would have to be just a Coincidence.<br /><br />So in other words you are "not getting spark"

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Well, you get to keep the wife adn I am still at ground zero. I tell ya, this beats all I've ever seen

 

[bozzanddww3]

Re: Motor Died!!!

No spark at all. Not since I pushed that lighter in. I mean the second I pushed the lighter in, the motor stopped

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Well then start at square one. search "no spark" there are a lot of great trouble shooting tips here for "no spark".<br /><br />When I had "no spark" I believe the first and best one to do is unplug the main harness and try starting her by jumping the starter to solenoid.<br /><br />Unplugging the harness bypasses the kill switch and the ignition, that will rule them out.<br /><br />You should confirm “no spark first” You may have spark

 

[ob]

Re: Motor Died!!!

Does the cigarette lighter rely on its power source through the ignition switch?If so,the switch may be faulty which caused it to ground the ignition through the lighter ground.Just a guess.Good luck.