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440 Ignition Issues

capt_chad

New member
"I've got two 440s in my 3

"I've got two 440s in my 32' Marinette. They have generally ran well since we got the boat 3 months ago.

However the port engine has had electrical issues since the second time we took the boat out. The engine dies at low sped operation and will not restart. It is a no or low spark issue. We have replaced the ballast resistor, ecu, reluctor, wires, coil, distributor cap, rotor button and plugs. Still no solution.
Engine will run a while and the spark will get weak eventually causing the engine to die at idle. Also tested the harness coming off of the ecu and the pickup coil in the distributor.

I can't figure out how this matters but the volt meter on the dash only has 11 volts (from a trusted meter off the back of the guage) at idle while the battery is getting 12.5-13. AND, when I first replaced the ecu the voltage on the guage shot back up to 12.5-13. I went into the cockpit to sit down while the engine came up to temp and when I went back in the guage was back down to reading 11v.

No idea what's going on here guys."
 
"Bad ground and or connections

"Bad ground and or connections somewhere. Start checking the ignition voltage at the coil and work backwards to where you're getting the full 12 volts. Note that, going through the ballast resistor, the voltage will be about 9 in RUN and a full 12 while cranking.

Jeff"
 
Thanks for the info Jeff. So

Thanks for the info Jeff. So should I have 9 and 12 at the coil? I have 6.5+ and 2.5- with the switch on at the coil.

What I don't understand is the engine starts and runs well and then as it heats up the the spark gets weaker. That lead me to believe that another electrical component was getting hot and breaking down but I think I have replaced all of them.

I have read here that you guys are all about the Edelbrock carbs. Will a 750CFM in stock trim feed these 440s? I have a set on the shelf that only got about 10 hrs on another boat so if they will feed the extra CI I will definitely put them on there.
 
"yep..the 1410 will feed those

"yep..the 1410 will feed those big puppies, you should notice a difference once you can keep them running"
 
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