no spark on a 1970-73 115

[honda450]

Working on a mercury 115 with no spark.
I did some looking at this system and appears to have a battery CDI system??
Did some testing and not getting any output out of the distribtor.
Got a different switch box and dist from a nother guy, switched out each one by one. Now the dist that he gave me was blue in color not tan like the one this motor has on it. Did some looken and that is off of a new one, but those also have a condeser connected with it on the switch box.
I do get some voltage out of the stator, but not sure how much it should have.
Which wire on here shuts off the spark or does it just cut battery voltage?
I was going to pull the coil and test it, when I started checking out this motor I was getting some weak spark here and there.

I was checken out some parts prices and came across this set up, has anyone installed one of these and does it work???
part #332-2986k
http://www.eastcoastmarineservice.com/ignsys.html#332-4895A5

 

[iraqarmyvet]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

I have the same problem with the same engine. The thing that looks like a condensor is actually a mercury switch. So if you flip your boat it shuts off your engine. Remove it and see if you have spark.

I have read some other post and its leading me to the Distrubutor. There are 3 wires that come off it to the switch box. im guessing the wires are all rotted out and crappy looking.

Im in the process now of trying to find a distributor.

good luck.

Keep every posted on what you find.

thanks

 

[iraqarmyvet]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

This is what another guy on here posted for me.

OK - First check. Make sure you have +12VDC on the red wire on the switchbox. It needs to be hot all the time. The white wire next to it is +12VDC from the ign key. Make sure it is only hot with the ign on. Disconnect the mercury switch sensor. It should be attached to the black wire from the distributor to the switchbox.

There is a troubleshooting test for this battery driven CDI test on the CDI Electonics website.

What I found was the key switch was all corroded, so I cleaned up the contacts and tested the neutral switch put everything back together and BAM

I have spark.

 

[honda450]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

Good to know but this one doesn't have the mercury switch attached to the distributor. But I am going to go back and check for battery voltage with the key on.

Thanks for all the help I'll let ya know what I end up finding.

 

[emckelvy]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

This should help:

MERCURY BATTERY-POWERED CDI TEST FOR DISTRIBUTOR MODELS

This test is for the 332-2986 switchbox used from 1967-1978 on all the inlines.

This test assumes your coil is good (problems with CDI coils are rare).

DISCONNECT BATTERY

1. Turn off ignition;

2. Disconnect all 3 distributor wires on the Port side of the switchbox (and the ?mercury switch? if present);

3. Remove the HV lead from the ign coil to the center of the dist. cap (remember it unplugs from the coil and unscrews from the cap);

4. Reconnect the HV lead to the COIL only;

5. Position the free end of the HV lead approx. 3/8" from ground (block, shrouds etc), and find a way to hold it there;

6. Jumper the brown and white terminals on the dist. side of the switchbox to each other.

RECONNECT BATTERY

7. Check that you have +12V at the red terminal (even with the ign off);

8. Turn on ignition and verify +12V at the white terminal (same side as the red terminal);

9. Ground the black terminal on the distributor side of the switchbox - this should cause a spark each time you touch ground.

If you get spark with the distributor bypassed, and it won't fire with the distributor connected, the trigger is bad and the entire distributor housing assy must be replaced.

If you get no spark using the test, the switchbox is probably bad. In that case, be sure to check for correct power on the switchbox, check all connections, and check the coil's resistance to make sure it's OK.

 

[honda450]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

Hey thanks that helps alot, better than swapping parts any day.

 

[honda450]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

Ok I got out to the father inlaws place and tested the system as instucted.

I have 12. volts at the red wire, and white wire with the key on. Jumped the brown and white wires on the dist. connected jumper to black and with coil disconteted from the dist. tapped black wire to ground, no spark. Switched out other CDI and same results. Ohmed coil, primary was 0.3 and secondary was 330 ohms. Seems to be have good readings.

Have you or anyone on here installed one of those coil/cdi packs, as they are 240.00 bucks and a cdi costs about the same.

 

[daveswaves]

Re: no spark on a 1970-73 115

Your description of what you jumped and grounded does not sound like the process that was suggested to test the system. Go through the process again, make sure you disconnect all 3 wires from the distributor side of the switchbox. The distributor will be completely disconnected and those wires will not be used in the process. You will be testing the switchbox and coil.
If you make spark the switchbox and coil are OK and the distributor trigger is bad. If you dont make spark the switchbox or coil is bad.