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1958 10hp evinrude No spark.

R

Rymasta

New member
Hey everyone,

This is my first time working on any outboard and sorry if I forget any information. I recently started working on a 1958 evinrude and have done the single line conversion for the fuel line. I went to test to find I wasn't getting any spark using a spark plug tester. I've tested the coils and spark plug wire which have the appropriate readings on my multimeter, however when testing the breaker points I thought I was having some continuity issues so I ordered new ones and reset the gap to .020 But still no spark. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!
 
Did you replace the condensers with the points? Is there a good ground wire from the points plate to the block? If there is a crack in the coils just replace them also if not bad they will fail usually when you dont want them to.
 
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I have experimented with a AAA battery and works pretty good. Set your meter to DC volts and then put the leads on the condenser with two jumper wires and then charge the capacitor with the battery and disconnect the battery you should see the power slowly bleed off of the capacitor/condenser.
 
The coils are likely stock 67 years old new ones are cheap. Test the compression you want to see 70psi or better on both cylinders. Get new coils and condensers. You must pull the plate to replace the coils. Just because they ohm out dont mean they are good. Fully inser the plug wire in the coil and put new boots on then instal the coil. Take a pic of the bottom of the plate and make sure the wire marked top goes to the correct coil.

Make sure the flywheel nut is torqued to spec it wouldnt hurt to install a new flywheel key as well.
 
Always replace the condensers when replacing the points!

(Point Setting Of Magneto Models)
(J. Reeves)

Set the points as follows. Have the flywheel key aligned with the fiber rubbing portion of the ignition points. Adjust the gap so that a .020 gauge will pass thru but a .022 will not. Should there be any question of the points being dirty (touching the contact with your finger would cause them to be dirty), clean them with a small brush and acetone or lacquer thinner.

NOTE 1: Should the operating cam have a small portion on it with the word "SET" imprinted, align this portion with the fiber rubbing portion instead of the flywheel key.

NOTE 2: Should the cam have the word TOP embossed on the top of it, that is a cam that could be installed upside down and this is simply telling you which side is up. It is not a position where one would set the points.

Thousands of parts in my remaining stock. Not able to list them all. Let me know what you need and I'll look it up for you. Visit my eBay auction at:

http://shop.ebay.com/Joe_OMC32/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

DO NOT attempt to check the spark by using the spark plugs... a waste of time! On that engine (magneto ignition), you must use some kind of spark tester whereas you can set a 1/4" gap for the spark to jump which must be a strong blue lightning like flame... a real SNAP! Adjustable spark gap testers can usually be found at any auto parts store... or you can build one such as the following.

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

You can use a medium size philips screwdriver (#2 I believe) inserted into the spark plug boot spring connector, then hold the screwdriver shank approximately 7/16" away from the block to check the spark or build the following:

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

Thousands of parts in my remaining stock. Not able to list them all. Let me know what you need and I'll look it up for you. Visit my eBay auction at:

http://shop.ebay.com/Joe_OMC32/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1



Now, where the metal portion of the coils sit upon the aluminum surface of the armature plate.
(Magneto & Driver Coil Alignment)
(J. Reeves)

To align the coils properly, have the metal vertical portion of the coil yokes aligned with the inside edge of the bevel that exists on the top portion of the aluminum seat upon which the coils sit. This creates the proper distance between the coils and the flywheel magnets. Faulty alignment creates friction and the yokes of the coils heat up, turn blue and expand.

Thousands of parts in my remaining stock. Not able to list them all. Let me know what you need and I'll look it up for you. Visit my eBay auction at:
http://shop.ebay.com/Joe_OMC32/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

The recommended and alternative spark plugs for that engine are: Champion J4C or J6C plugs gaped at .030. Use no others! The J6C would be the better choice due to the age of the engine.
 
Condensers are relatively inexpensive and should be replaced....however, with that said...there is a way to test them using a lawnmower as a source of electricity. The condenser body is grounded to the lawnmower base or the engine block. The lawnmowers spark plug wire is held about 1/4 inch away from the condensers pigtail and the lawnmowers recoil is pulled to turn the motor over and produce a spark to charge the condenser. Once the condenser is "charged", you can now carefully lift the condenser and holding the insulated condenser wire, bend the wire until the pigtail almost touches the condenser body. If the condenser is good, a spark will jump between the pigtail and the condenser body. If the condenser is bad, it will not store a charge and a spark will not occur. If the condenser is good and you accidentally touch the pigtail and the body, you will immediately know if it has stored a charge
 
With all that information being said, let me say this: Usually, (note "usually") even bad condensers will produce some spark. So I still say clean those points. Also, if those coils are cracked, you are wasting your time until you replace them.
 

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Coils look brand new and tested well with multimeter. Points are brand new installed yesterday. Will update when condensers arrive.
 
I just checked a good coil or a black one that looks in good condition and am getting 1.2 ohms on the primary coil and 4.6K on the secondary coil. I still cannot find any specs but I use the go no go method. If you replace the points and condensers and still get no spark on either plug I just replace both coils as a set. If there is any wobble up and down on the plate replace the bracket and ring while the flywheel is off. Allways clean the points and feeler guage with alcohol, acetone or laquer thinner just a little skin oil will fry the points quickly!
 
No I haven't tried removing the killswitch. I plan on getting new coils if the condensers don't fix this issue. I got the same specs on coils except I had about 6.5k on my secondary windings it's supposed to be between 4k-8k
 
Kill switch is a good possibility. One that should have been checked early-on. You say your coils look like new and resistance check is ok, so they probably are new. The old original red ones simply don't exist in new-looking condition.
How do I say "clean those points"? Have you? Yes or no.
 
In following this thread..... a secondary coil on a 1958 10hp model is mentioned. What am I missing here?

*Answered in Kim's post #21 below... thanks. Had me wondering if perhaps another later model had worked its way in here.
 
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