Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

[mercsmp]

Hi all. My motor was running fine until I replaced the stator. My brother used my boat and after fishing all day could not get it to start. When he brought it back to me, I disconnected the line coming out of the fuel pump and tried to crank it to make sure the pump was working. It was. I checked the spark and none of the plugs were getting fire. I had an old stator and put that on but still no fire. After reading the manual and this forum, I found that the kill switch had been flipped accidentally. I flipped it back and then I was getting fire at all plugs but I couldn't get the motor to crank. I put the original stator back on and the motor cranked fine in my yard with the ear muffs on. I didn't put it in gear. I took it to the lake today and it cranked when I gave it gas but would go dead at idle. After a while, it would stay cranked at idle but as soon as I put it in gear it would go dead. I tried to give it gas quickly but that still didn't work. I have a manual and was looking at instructions for setting the timing but it is confusing to me. When I rotate the flywheel until the number one piston is at the .464 mark, the .464 mark on the timing decal is nowhere near the timing pointer. There is a notch in the bolt that the flywheel fits on, so it only fits on in a specific position. Is the timing my problem? Can someone explain to me how to set the timing? Am I off base here? Is there something else that I could have done that causes the motor to go dead when I put it in gear. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

Your post is confusing, however, I can tell you how to set the timing. Set the #1 piston to TDC using a screwdriver thru the spark plug hole. Now using a dial indicator, caliper or even a steel ruler, measure (or zero dial indicator) from the top of ther piston crown to the water jacket cover edge. Add .464" to this meeasurement. Now turn the flywheel CCW a few inches and then turn it CW until the piston is .464" below TDC. The timing pointer should point to the .464 mark on the decal. If not, the outer flywheel may be installed improperly. Remove the eight 5/16" bolts and rotate the outer flywheel until the timing pointer reads correctly.

Now set idle pickup timing and max timing advance to spec.

 

[mercsmp]

Re: Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

Sorry about the confusion. The main point was that I took the flywheel off and replaced the stator. Now the motor will start in idle but immediately goes dead when I give it any throttle. I'll set the timing as you described it. I will need to remove the bolts to reposition the outer flywheel since the .464 mark on the decal is probably 6 inches or more away from the pointer when I set the top piston to .464 below TDC. Would the timing have anything to do with the motor going dead as soon as I give it any throttle?

 

[Fed up]

Re: Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

I had the same problem a few months back. Scratched my head for weeks over it. What I eventually found was that the coil packs were failing once heated up.
Now I am not saying that this is your issue, but my motor acted the exact same way.

 

[justchecking]

Re: Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

I just set the timing on my 84 inline 6. You can't put the flywheel on wrong unless you try. I found my pointer bolt wasn't tight. Maybe that happened to you. You will need a dial caliper, caliper, or similar tool to set the .464 mark and a timing light. You should do it correctly so you don't damage the engine. Use a manual or read the link and sync directions on iboats.
Here is a rube goldberg method I used since I didn't have a dial caliper. I used a cheap Harbor Freight caliper with a depth gage.
http://forums.iboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=118940&stc=1&d=1318984222
http://forums.iboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=118939&stc=1&d=1318984096
Oh and here is the link synch link
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=168855

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

The outer flywheel can be installed in eight ways. Seven are incorrect. The good news is that if it is installed incorrectly, the timing decal will be way off. (360 degrees/8 ways=45 degrees off minimum).

I would suspect that having the outer flywheel installed incorrectly would mean the magnets that power the stator may charge it at the wrong time, causing spark problems. Of course, carb issues can have the same symptoms.

 

[mercsmp]

Re: Set timing on 1982 Mercury 115 inline 6

I found out that if I disconnect the white/black wire between the switch boxes that the boat will run fine. I know this has something to do with the bias circuitry but I have no idea what a bias circuit is. Does that mean that one of the switch boxes is bad? How can I determine which switchbox is bad? Should I replace botch switch boxes?