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AQ225D 57 No Spark

M

minersvillan

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"Just bought 1980 Volvo-Penta

"Just bought 1980 Volvo-Penta AQ225D. Won't run and no spark. Rotor was broken. Replaced coil, and resistor. Waiting for parts ie: rotor, points, condenser and cap. How do I check that all is well before the coil and distributor? Should I have spark at the coil even without a rotor in place?
If I go to an auto parts store what auto should I use to reference for parts? They don't seem to have anything for this motor.
Please help. My wife will kill me if I can't get it running."
 
"OK, we'll try to do our b

"OK, we'll try to do our best so that your wife will spare your life.
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Before the distributor you have the coil, and before the coil you have a wire to the ignition switch (usually purple) and possibly a ballast resistor if you have points installed. If you turn on the ignition and you get 12V between the wire going from the ignition switch to the resistor, then the wiring is good.

You should have spark between the coil ignition wire and ground if you have the points installed.

If original, your engine is a Chevy 305 1977 to early 80s. However, the distributor is "marine", so some automotive parts may fit and some may not. I think it's better if you get the Sierra numbers and order the parts (aftermarket) through a marine store.

Go to this link

http://www.marineengine.com/parts/parts.html

then click on "Volvo Penta", then on "common engine tune-up parts", then click "next page" 3 times until you find the list of tune-up parts for your engine."
 
"Please clarify this for me.

"Please clarify this for me.
I have a purple wire leading to the + post on the coil. Also on that post is the wire going to the resistor, also purple. Both wires are tied together. On the other side of the resistor the wires go to the electric choke and back into the wiring harness. Which wires do I test between. Do I pull the wire off the resistor and test from the resistor to the wire, or do I test between the purple + wire and the post. I really am not getting power anywhere around the coil. When I turn on the ignition the resistor gets hot though.
Thanks."
 
OK 12 volts between purple wir

OK 12 volts between purple wire and resistor.
Now what?
"You should have spark between the coil ignition wire and ground if you have the points installed. "
Do you mean the purple wire or the wire going to the distributor cap? By spark do you mean 12 volts or actual spark?
 
"Keep the [b]ignition[/b] wire

"Keep the ignition wire coming from the coil connected on one side to the coil and put the other side 1/4" from the block, then crank the engine. You should the get spark between the ignition wire and the block."
 
Maybe I am just dense but I st

Maybe I am just dense but I still don't quite understand. Am I supposed to get a spark from the same wire that I tested against the resistor for power? If so then I am not getting any spark.
Tried every variation I could think of but didn't get spark. Still have power though through the resistor.
 
"Nathan, an "ignition"

"Nathan, an "ignition" wire is a high-voltage wire. I am talking about the one that comes from the middle (top) of the coil and goes to the middle of the distributor cap."
 
"If you get 9 to 12 V between

"If you get 9 to 12 V between the + of the coil and ground but no spark, then it seems that either the coil is NG or the points are NG or not well set."
 
You may want to get hold of ei

You may want to get hold of either the Seloc or Clymer repair manuals for your engine/drive. I think you are going to need them if you want to conduct your own repairs.
 
I have already ordered one.
T

I have already ordered one.
Thanks for your help.
If I am setting the gap in the points then what should that gap be?
Is there a test to see if the coil is good?
 
"No Dice.
Points are probably

"No Dice.
Points are probably bad.
I have a complete tune-up kit coming in the mail, so I will install all new parts. Thanks again for your help. If I have any more problems after that I will post again.
Is there an easy way to tell if I need a new coil also?"
 
"Don't be bad BoatDoc. His

"Don't be bad BoatDoc. His repair manual will arrive shortly, and once he reads it he will have a different perspective of what he is facing."
 
"So I know you guys think I am

"So I know you guys think I am a total dumb ass. But I still need help.
I replaced points, condenser, cleaned all the corrosion off of the plate, new rotor, new cap and nothing. Went through all the tests in the book and I am still stumped. It doesn't really say how to test the coil. I Know that I have continuity to ground through the (-) side of the coil with the points open. That isn't right is it? I also know that the wire going from the (+) side of the coil to the ignition switch, I think, is grounded. Somewhere. Help."
 
"For a V-8 engine like yours,

"For a V-8 engine like yours, the primary resistance should be about 1.5 ohms and it is measured with an ohmmeter between the + and the - of the coil without any other wires attached. The secondary resistance is around 10 kilo-ohms and it is measured between the + and the ignition wire connector in the coil.

I don't think you are a dumb ass or anything of the sort, but I find difficult sometimes to explain things without knowing your level of understanding of a topic, and that's why I said that after getting the Seloc manual you would have a different perspective of the problem you are dealing with. At least, that's what I hoped. If you want to understand a bit more of ignition systems, here is a good site to start:

http://abbysenior.com/mechanics/ignition.htm

Regarding your suspicion of the the wire from the switch being grounded, get a volt meter, turn the ignition switch on and measure the voltage between the + of the coil and ground or the negative of the battery (not the - of the coil): you should get 12V. If not, there is no power arriving to the coil for whatever reason (not necessarily a ground)."
 
"Another thing is that a coil

"Another thing is that a coil is worth about $20-$30 and it is wise to carry a spare onboard. You could have saved yourself some frustration by buying another coil and trying it. If the engine starts, then the old coil was bad and you need to replace it. If it does not start, then you know the problem is elsewhere but you still have a spare coil that is convenient to keep onboard anyway."
 
"Thanks man, I really apprecia

"Thanks man, I really appreciate your help.
I have already bought 1 new coil ($26) but I am suspicious that I fried it by trying to run a jumper wire from the (+) battery terminal to the (+) coil post. (Another dumb ass
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told me to) Anyway thanks for the ignition site. I am at work now but I have been looking for an excuse to go home early today anyway. After I try the tests and the new coil I will let you know how it checks out. Thanks again."
 
"You are welcome. BTW, so that

"You are welcome. BTW, so that you know I have recommended many times in this forum to run a jumper wire from the + of the battery to the + of the coil when troubleshooting ignition problems. This is a standard test and the only thing you risk by doing it is to fry the points if the coil does not have an internal resistor and you keep the jumper connected for a very long time."
 
"Whoa, what!
Let me get this

"Whoa, what!
Let me get this straight.
What is this test going to prove?
What guage wire should you use?
Do you take the other wires off of the (+) post of the coil?
When I did it I heard a loud HISSSSS come out of the coil.
I guess the guy who told me wasn't a dumb ass after all. Sorry about that.



Like I said earlier when I unhook the wire from the (+) post of the coil and off of the resistor that wire has continuity with battery ground. Is that right? Doesn't seem right. Is there a chance that the starter selinoid is wired wrong and grounding out that wire?"
 
"1) The test proved that,

"1) The test proved that, if the engine starts, the coil and rest of the ignition components are good and you have a problem between the ignition switch and the coil (faulty connection, ground, open circuit, defective ignition switch, etc).

2) 16 AWG.

3) I don't remove the other wires from the (+). However, if one them is grounded, then the direct feed from the battery will also become grounded.

How many purple wires do you have going to the + of the coil? According to the wiring diagram for your engine (downloadable from http://www.volvo.com/volvopenta/na/en-us/marineengines/pub_search/ ) there should be two wires: one that goes from the starter solenoid directly to the + of the coil bypassing the resistor; and another one that goes from the ignition switch to the resistor."
 
"One of them is definitly grou

"One of them is definitly grounded.
There are two purple wires.
One coming from the alternator(?) through the resistor and to the (+) coil post. That wire gives me 12v with the key turned on. The other wire goes somewhere else, to the solenoid I think, and that one is grounded.
Could that be my whole problem?
The guy I bought the boat from had just replaced the solenoid as I was driving up.
I will check the wiring diagram."
 
"Actually as I think back, he

"Actually as I think back, he had a wire run directly from the (I) post on the solenoid to ground. That could be the issue. Is there any reason for a ground wire on any post of the solenoid?"
 
Inside small post to start wir

Inside small post to start wire. Outside small post to 12 volt ignition (bypass). Large terminal battery cable. No grounds on solonoid.
 
"Thanks Boat Doc.
I will unho

"Thanks Boat Doc.
I will unhook it as soon as I get home.
Do you think that is the reason I have no spark, if the grounded wire ties into the (+) coil post?"
 
"If indeed there is a ground t

"If indeed there is a ground to the + side of the coil, every time the ign switch is turned on it's a dead short and should be melting wires or popping a fuse if fused."
 
"It isn't popping fuses, I

"It isn't popping fuses, I don't really know of any except the main breaker on top of the block. It hasn't tripped yet. Maybe it is faulty. What is happening is that the resistor is getting EXTREMELY hot whenever the ignition is turned on. I never really leave it on long enough to get anything else hot because of that.
When I bought the boat the guy told me that it needed a new resistor, the old one was burned black. Ideas?"
 
"Since you don't know what

"Since you don't know what the previous owner did, you may want to remove the old wiring and rewire the ignition system according to the wiring diagram in the owner's manual."
 
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