I'm new here so hello everyone. This looks like an active forum so I thought I'd ask a question here.
I have a 1986 Avanti with an OMC 800 stringer mount powered by a 3.8L (229) GM engine. A little history: I had a lot of rot in the boat so I totally stripped it out and reinstalled a new transom, floor and stringers, then rebuilt the engine. In the process, I broke the overstroke switch off the shift control box. At the time I didn't know what it was for. Anyway I've been having frustrating problems with quick acceleration. (only in the water with the engine warmed up for a while) As soon as you threw the gas to it, it bogged. Well I went the carburetor route. I did my rebuild, no help, and then shelled out for a pro rebuild, no help. Then I started looking at ignition, points timing etc. Still no good. It's when I started looking for the ballast resistor (which I don't appear to have) that I started reading about the ESA and switches. Well the overstroke switch was broken in two but the contacts were still closed. ALL THE TIME. The button didn't matter. It was separated from the rest of the switch and contacts. I thought great, this means the ESA in on when I?m in gear. It makes sense. So I got a switch from Cherry (E72-40AT) mounted it to the arm and adjusted the stops. Well I got in the water and the ESA worked. The engine stumbled coming out of gear and smoothed out in neutral. It also stumbled going in gear and smoothed out just before throttle. So I got out of the cove and hit the throttle and it bogged again!! Finally I disconnected the ESA plug from the switches and presto, problem gone. Full throttle take offs all day without a hitch. Anyone seen this type of ESA failure before? It doesn't make sense.
I still have points and condenser in a prestolite distributor. (IBM 7021). My ESA module is a 982774 which matches up with a CDI 123-9898P. That could be my next step.
I have a 1986 Avanti with an OMC 800 stringer mount powered by a 3.8L (229) GM engine. A little history: I had a lot of rot in the boat so I totally stripped it out and reinstalled a new transom, floor and stringers, then rebuilt the engine. In the process, I broke the overstroke switch off the shift control box. At the time I didn't know what it was for. Anyway I've been having frustrating problems with quick acceleration. (only in the water with the engine warmed up for a while) As soon as you threw the gas to it, it bogged. Well I went the carburetor route. I did my rebuild, no help, and then shelled out for a pro rebuild, no help. Then I started looking at ignition, points timing etc. Still no good. It's when I started looking for the ballast resistor (which I don't appear to have) that I started reading about the ESA and switches. Well the overstroke switch was broken in two but the contacts were still closed. ALL THE TIME. The button didn't matter. It was separated from the rest of the switch and contacts. I thought great, this means the ESA in on when I?m in gear. It makes sense. So I got a switch from Cherry (E72-40AT) mounted it to the arm and adjusted the stops. Well I got in the water and the ESA worked. The engine stumbled coming out of gear and smoothed out in neutral. It also stumbled going in gear and smoothed out just before throttle. So I got out of the cove and hit the throttle and it bogged again!! Finally I disconnected the ESA plug from the switches and presto, problem gone. Full throttle take offs all day without a hitch. Anyone seen this type of ESA failure before? It doesn't make sense.
I still have points and condenser in a prestolite distributor. (IBM 7021). My ESA module is a 982774 which matches up with a CDI 123-9898P. That could be my next step.