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Ignition issues

"I have a 1992 Reinell with a

"I have a 1992 Reinell with a built Ford 302 V8 to HO plus some extra grunt (315hp) and or course an OMC I/O,this boat is way to built for my needs, so I am learning to deal with the power w/o eating output shafts. It came with the stock Prestolite BID and a tired coil. The boat has a hard time idling below 850 and sometimes dies. The holly 600 dbl. pmpr. was just rebuilt. So I started with the usual tune up procedures i.e new wires,plugs, rotor, coil. I bought a real good Accell performance coil thinking it would help with the idle. The coil mounts right on the intake manifold in the horizontal position, so that is where I put the new Accell. It lasted less than 6 hours and burned up. Since the boat does not use points, I saw no need for a ballast resistor. It left me stranded on the water in the middle of no where, until I reinstalled the old coil, I noticed it said, Ballast resistor required. So I checked the repair manual and followed the schematic, and it did not show a ballast resistor anywhere.
So I bought a new MSD Blaster 2 coil, it said it needed a ballast resistor if using a points system, which mine a B.I.D. So I called them and they told me to measure the OHM resistance of all the ign. wiring to make sure nothing is over 0.8 Ohms. Before I did that, the MSD coil also wants to be mounted in a vertical position. So I made a plate for it and mounted it above and behind the carb.but the coil wires would not stretch that far. So I tied the 2 pos.& 2 neg. wires together with screws and nuts and taped them up real good,and added one pos.16gage and one neg 16gage wire(s)to attach to the coil.
Then I measured the OHM rates and could not find any measurement higher than 0.8ohms. I measured across the new coil wires from pos. to neg. and came up with 1.4ohms. I started the boat and it ran and idled great. My question is, is the above going to work correctly, do I need a ballast resistor after all, the new MSD stays nice and cool, where the Accell and the old original coil would heat up just turning the key on, is there something else lurking to get me later I should be looking at?
How reliable are the Prestolite BID distributors, and what is the ESA module, I can't find a description of it anywhere in my Sealock manual. Thanks in advance.
Rick"
 
"OMC used a resistor wire to t

"OMC used a resistor wire to the coil. Dont have a diagram with me but if I remember correctly it is a Pur/red wire.
ESA stands for Electronic Shift Assist. It aids in shifting out of gear into nuetral (while in the water) by interrupting the ignition and causing the engine to stumble. This takes torque off of the drive and makes the shift easy. You do not want to be without it! The module and switches are mounted on the shift cable bracket, bolted to the intake manifold, starboard side.
The sealoc is a pretty good manual but it lacks in some areas and the ESA is one of them. I recommend a Factory manual. Usually available on Ebay."
 
"Sorry, looks like no resistor

"Sorry, looks like no resistor wire on the BID.
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"
 
"Thanks for the help there mar

"Thanks for the help there marada1. I called MSD today and basically they told me that no coil should ever be mounted to the actual engine, especially one that required a ballast resistor, to many opportunities for failure. I said they should have sent a notice to OMC, because it looked as if mine came that way from the factory.
Anyhoo they said since the OHM measurements came up to snuff they pronounced me good to go. The factory positive wires going to my coil are solid purple, I measured all of them (purple wires) from the coil to the solenoid, all the way to the ESA. Oh and, thanks for the heads up on the ESA, I am wondering if that may be part of my idle problem coming off of plane, it surges and falls way off too many times..., any thoughts?
The guy who owned this boat before me was not a mechanic,and since my shade tree licenses is up to date, I am trying to fix all of his (bailing wire, duct-tape and shoe goo) repairs. Couple that with a 20 foot boat with way too much power, I have my hands full.
I also checked the schematic and could not find a resistor wire. I am half wondering if my tying the original purple positive wires and adding a longer 16 gage wire and doing the same with the negative wires changed resistance values, I will have to check that one out. But I did find out that MSD will not warranty any of their coils that is not installed according to their directions, that means no horizontal installations. It sure does start fast now.
Can internal parts for the BID still be found, like a new module and sensor? Thanks for all the help."
 
"Couple of ways to test the ES

"Couple of ways to test the ESA. With the engine running at idle use your finger (not the mashed one
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) to push in on the shift interrupt switch (the one with the roller arm). This should make the engine stumble. If it does you know it is working electrically. Now to check the mechanics of the system its best to be in the water. Have someone shift the drive into and then back out of gear while you watch what is going on on the shift cable bracket. When a bind is put on the lower shift cable (from the torque at the prop), the actuator cam should make the interrupt switch. Once out of gear there should no longer be a bind on the cable and the switch should reopen and stay open. The switch shouldn't make at all while shifting INTO gear or while throttling up. If it is you may have a bad or missadjusted lower cable.
If you like you can do this test out of the water (not running of course) if you have an extra person to rotate the prop while shifting. If the cable is bad (sticky) you will see it here."
 
"[b]I called MSD today and bas

"I called MSD today and basically they told me that no coil should ever be mounted to the actual engine, especially one that required a ballast resistor, to many opportunities for failure.

I don't think MSD plays in the marine market too much, they may not get agreement from OMC, Volvo or Merc on that one!

This diagram may help you but it sounds like you've got it now.

http://www.selocmarine.com/content/manuals/3404/pdf/340410w166.pdf


By the way, the ignition module PN 987194 is available through BRP $182 USD"
 
"Hey Chuck...no such luck, jus

"Hey Chuck...no such luck, just been very busy dealing with stuff, not over yet but thought I would pop in for a bit."
 
"Many thanks to Chuck, I am co

"Many thanks to Chuck, I am copying your ESA instructions and putting them in my Seloc manual, and will be performing that test as soon as I am on the H2o. Thanks for the Email, I will be making use of that info tomorrow. About the finger, I mashed it with a sledge hammer..., don't ask, it's a long and gory story. Suffice it to say, I usually become blood relatives with every "thing" I own. Since the finger is numb, it's great for handling hot stuff.

Thanks to Bob for the heads up on MSD, although they do make an Marine control module and distributor that I am considering for my boat. But since the parts for the BID are readily available, I may just stick with it. This is my 2nd boat with an OMC and the coil was mounted to the engine of that one as well. Come to think of it, I believe it was also that way on my 2 Mercruiser powered boats. Thanks for the info on the ign. module, pricey aren't they.

Rick"
 
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