85hp esl 1973 m no spark.

not to sure what the problem is just got the motor the guy i got it from said it ran well up to late summer. then he had a spark problem. it is a 4 cylinder. he thought it was one of the coils and he put a new one on.i checked for spark and i did see a little. so i cranked it over and it ran for a few minutes. it died and now it seems i have no spark.could it be the stator or something. what could cause no spark intimentenly. how do i test for failed parts.thank you

Remove spark plugs. Rig a spark tester, setting the gap to 7/16". Check the spark. No tester? Build the following and let us know the results. Note that the 7/16" gap is important, and using the spark plugs to test spark is a waste of time.

(Spark Tester - Home Made)
(J. Reeves)

A spark tester can be made with a piece of 1x4 or 1x6, drive a few finishing nails through it, then bend the pointed ends at a right angle. You can then adjust the gap by simply twisting the nail(s). Solder a spark plug wire to one which you can connect to the spark plug boots, and a ground wire of some kind to the other to connect to the powerhead somewhere. Use small alligator clips on the other end of the wires to connect to ground and to the spark plug connector that exists inside of the rubber plug boot.
Using the above, one could easily build a spark tester whereas they could connect 2, 4, 6, or 8 cylinders all at one time. The ground nail being straight up, the others being bent, aimed at the ground nail. A typical 4 cylinder tester follows:
　
..........X1..........X2
.................X..(grd)
..........X3..........X4

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If you have proper spark, the problem is usually fouled carburetors that need cleaning.

If no spark, disconnect the large RED electrical plug at the engine, then jump the solenoid to crank the engine to retest spark. If you have spark with the red plug disconnected but no spark with it connected, replace the ignition switch.