Spark? Miss? .....HELP!

[dabrackmaster]

Ok guys I'll make this a 3 part explanation so you get the full story leading up to my problem in the past 3 outings.

Has ran great all spring maybe a little cold natured but chokes, warms, idles, runs, WOT, all great with no issues.

Trip 1....since boat had been so reliable I asked the wife to go. Pushed off from dock and wah, wah, wah.......sloooooow start. Jumped off with spare battery, went up lake and back. Tried to start to load it up on trailer....same thing. Result dirty and corroded cables at battery side, dead battery.

Replaced battery and cables and cleaned all connections I could find and/or get to. Even got a 2nd battery for lighting, gauges, accessories, fishfinder.

2nd trip.... I did a short warm up and test with new batteries within sight of the car. 30 minutes no issues, brought home.

3rd trip......launched her, waiting on buddy to park trailer I idled her out and back around warming it up back towards the dock. He got in the boat and we took off. Just as I eased into the throttle and up towards plane, it just went haywire.

From running fine hitting on all 4, then bogging and missing then right back to running fine. Brought back to idle at 1000rpm or so, tried to gradually increase speed/throttle then again
....miss.....miss.......

miss......................miiiiiiiisssss...........miss.........with these dots somehow representing running fine. I checked for good spark after stopping and all seem to jump a good gap bright blue. So back up to WOT, it would go and then miss/bog for a few seconds and repeat this over and over. I had my helper grab plug wires while underway and he got a jolt from all 4. I rapped on the power pack a couple times and it took off like normal for a few hundred yards then it started back again.

My questions are did the dead battery issue kill my rectifier?
Did my power pack suffer from that as well?
Can the power back intermittently work before crapping out?

90hp 1985 Evinrude V4
Solid compression on all 4
New JL77 plugs

 

[F_R]

I'll tell you one thing, you never would have talked me into grabbing the plug wires. That thing can knock you right out of your BVDs. I hate being shocked.

Well anyhow, are you sure it is missing, or is it jumping like you hit a series of underwater obstructions?

 

[jakedaawg]

Make sure cowl latches are not grounding out the bottom plug wires.

 

[dabrackmaster]

Symptoms are same with cowl off. Not like hitting anything underwater. Like if you driving down the road and turn the switch off and on.

There's fire there, or some fire cause even at WOT it will go..........well about 8mph and 2100rpm....then it kicks back in and I'm up on plane found 46mph at 4000rpm.....its almost rhythmic.

I removed the plug wires and upon inspecting them they do look highly suspect and I'm gonna try that first. I'm just hoping it's nothing serious.

 

[dabrackmaster]

Okay folks,
broke out the ole multimeter and checked my plugs....one was bad. Checked plug wires and they were stiff and old as dirt.....

I've replaced the plugs with factory recommended Champion JL77's.
Replaced the plug wires with a good set of automotive wires temporarily.....temporarily for the sake of covering all angles.

Yesterday I hooked up the muffs, primed the bulb stiff, and prayed for the best......

Fired right up with hardly any choke. Idled smooth , awesome water pressure at my tell tale. Seem to be having a new issue with the tach now.

Any further input is still highly appreciated and I'll report back after tomorrow's test drive in the water.

 

[dabrackmaster]

By the way Jakedaawg, had to put the damn cowl on 3 times before I got it on without pulling a plug wires.