OMC Stringer ESA not working-Adapter housing not centering.

[Serf27]

I have diagnosed and tested all cables and done all cable and shift adapter housing adjustments.

I measured drag/resistance on main shift cables with a fish scale.
Both were under 2.5lb.


I set the over stroke switch per the manual.
Start engine
Rotate shift arm until in full reverse
Adjust reverse plate/bracket to depress over stroke switch
Rotate shift to full forward and adjust forward plate to depress over stroke switch.

The over stroke switch and ESA switch is working as it should when measured with a voltmeter.
Idle has been adjusted to 600 RPM.

When I move the V arm surrounding the ESA switch, the engine doesn’t stumble as the manual says it should.

I have read about fuses for the system, but I see no fuses listed in the manual.
All this comes from a lower case swap.
With my old lower case, I had no issues shifting on the water, with this case, it is hard to shift out of gear under load in water.
My new propeller is also larger.
I see the ESA drops the engine to 450 RPM. I thought 600 RPM would suffice to shift out of gear. I haven’t tried it with the lower idle under load, only on land.

But since all the switches measure properly, is the ESA module bad?

 

[kenny nunez]

Do you still have breaker points, or did you convert to a electronic ignition?
When the system is working it cuts the ignition where it scatters the ignition signal but not enough to stop the engine.
Did you test each switch that they are making contact? Sometimes the pins and females in the rubber plugs back out and do not make contact.

 

[Serf27]

Thank you for the reply.

I am not sure about the distributor.
It looks original with what appears a ground wire going to it. I think from the ESA as I’ve read it sends ground impulses to cut the power.

Yes, I tested each switch. The over stroke switch and the ESA switch.
I believe the over stroke switch is always open until depressed and the ESA switch is the opposite.
What the manual said to test for, I tested and it confirmed what the manual said.

I cleaned the electrical connector on the switches and the ESA pigtail.
The female connector did look like the contact points had been pushed back a bit.

I can try to jump the signals tomorrow on the ESA pigtail.
It’s basically just jumping the male end pins right?

 

[Redrig]

When I move the V arm surrounding the ESA switch, the engine doesn’t stumble as the manual says it should.

Have you tested the continuity of this switch?

Cuz tapping that switch should stumble the engine. Holding the switch in even a second kills my engine

Based on that sentence above , either that switch is bad, your wiring , or your esa .

 

[Serf27]

Yes I have tested continuity on the switch and have cleaned the wiring connections.

Tapping or holding the switch does nothing.

 

[Lou C]

If the switches work as they should it could be the ESA. Mine went bad about 7 years ago and I replaced it & the switches. The little buttons on the switches were worn out & they were sticking. Got the ESA from CDI electronics.

 

[Redrig]

Yes I have tested continuity on the switch and have cleaned the wiring connections.

Tapping or holding the switch does nothing.

If both of the switches and wiring / connections are good and depressing the switch doesn't do anything ...... you have a bad ESA module.

there should be a very noticeable change in your engine RPM when that switch gets depressed. (with drive in neutral , overstroke switch not depressed)

in your OEM manual there is a section that walks through the specific process of troubleshooting it.

 

[Lou C]

On mine when you trigger the interrupt switch it drops the idle from 600 to 450

 

[Serf27]

Yea I’ve tested the switches and adjusted the over stroke switch per manual instructions. Ohmmeter says they’re working as the manual says.

I lowered the idle to 600 rpm and the switches don’t drop the idle down any further.
The ESA mounting bolts are receiving 12v too. Guess the module is bad.

But the ESA module helps with shifting out of gear. With my old gear case 2 weeks ago, it shifted fine out of gear. The new gear case didn’t shift out of gear fine.
Coincidence the the ESA module went bad at the same time I put the new drive on?

 

[Serf27]

I pulled the ESA module off.
I connected it back just to make sure it was bad. I wired the ground wire from the ESA to an engine bracket, move the ESA V Cam and TA-DA. Engine rpm dropped.
Released ESA switch and rpm rises.

Since it’s just a ring terminal the ground wire, I can wire the ground anywhere right?
I’m not sure if it had improper ground or disconnecting and reconnecting the plugs for it cleaned debris, but it’s working now when I move the ESA switch BY HAND.


NEW ISSUE:
When moving the shift arm, the V cam on the shift arm gets close to the ESA switch but doesn’t trigger it. I CAN move the V cam by hand, but the shift arm doesn’t move far enough.

The manual doesn’t say anything about the ESA switch position or adjustment.
Could it be because this is on land and there is no load on the prop?

Any ideas why please. So close.

Pictures of ESA ground ring and shift converter.

 

[Serf27]

Here is a video I took of it.
The main issue was the 4 pin male connector not making contact, even with the little retainer. I pushed the wires in as tight as I could. If it keeps losing contact, I will hard wire this connector.
I also relocated the module, the stock location makes the module a little difficult to get to and puts stress on the connectors.

ESA switch still not being triggered by the shift arm.

 

[Redrig]

That's normal. There is no load on the prop and no tension on the shift cable when you are on land. When you're in the water all of that will change and the switch will get pressed in during a shift.

Good job on tracking down the ground problem.

Interesting side note . If I held my switch down that long it would certainly kill my engine. A quick tap like a shift and it Studders the engine to 450 . and mine shifts just fine.

But there is no way I could hold it down as long as you did and stay running. Your video has me wondering if my module is bad now.

 

[Serf27]

Excellent, thank you for confirming. All these issue getting figured 1 by 1!

One last question.

The over stroke switch is supposed to
Disable the ESA while in gear.

So on the water, as soon as I move the shift
Cable towards neutral(while in gear) the ESA switch should be depressed and as soon as the over stroke switch is free, the ESA kicks on?

The manual was a bit confusing.
It said to turn the shift arm to full forward or reverse, adjust over stroke actuator until continuity is lost and then move actuator up 1 point. Up 1 point for continued contact I am assume.

I did this, but it seems the actuator releases the over stroke switch after I am already in neutral.

Is this also another case of “on water it will act different”

Thanks.

 

[Serf27]

Took it out today. Shifting was a lot better.
The ESA did not want to work this morning though. I pulled the wires with pins out of their boots and connected the wires and all went well today. Shifting in and out of gears smooth.
I felt 1 clunk from the rear when the boat died towards the end of the day. Unsure if it’s gearcase related.

 

[kenny nunez]

Remember what I stated in post #2. There are some special tools that are used to remove and replace the small pin male/female connectors. You did the best thing by removing the connectors. Now there is no doubt that the connections are good.

 

[Serf27]

Yes thank you.
I am going to just permanently hard wire those 2 connectors this week.