"Rodney, Here is a troublesho
"Rodney, Here is a troubleshooting procedure for distributor ignitions, which may help. For that motor to have any spark the red and white wires on the switchbox need to have +12V DC on them. So the first check is if the red wire is "hot" all the time, and whether the white wire gets "hot" when the ignition key is in the run position. Here is the rest of the procedure, thanks to Clams Canino.
MERCURY BATTERY-POWERED CDI TEST
FOR DISTRIBUTOR MODELS
This test is for the 332-2986 switchbox used from 1967-1978 on all the inlines.
This test assumes your coil is good (most all are).
DISCONNCT BATTERY
1. Turn off ignion
2. Disconnect all 3 wires on the distributor side of the switchbox.
3. Remove the HV lead from the coil to the center cap (remember it unscrews
from cap)
4. Reconnect that HV center lead to the COIL side only.
5. Position that HV lead about about 3/8" from ground (block, shrouds etc)
and find a way to hold it there.
6. Jumber the brown and white terminals on the dist. side of the switchbox
together.
RECONNECT BATTERRY
7. Check that you have +12 V at red terminal.
8. Turn on ignition and verify +12V at white terminal (on red terminal side)
9. Touch the black terminal to ground - unit should cause spark each time
you touch ground.
If that passes and it won't fire at all, suspect the trigger"
