georgejohnson
New member
So I'm new to outboard engines, and new to boating for that matter. Bought an old 16' Peterborough for some fun on the ponds near my cabin. First day out and the boat didn't start....what a let down. Actually, it did start for a while, but everytime I put it in drive it died. After several attempts it enentually just wouldn't start at all. The guy I bought it from said it was just serviced (and I believe that to be true), and before I bought it, it ran fine, started first turn of the key. Not sure now if I have 2 problems (starting and shutting off in drive), or if the 2 problems are related. Anyway, first step is to get it running!!
What I haven't done yet......checked compression.....didn't have the compression tester with me at the cabin. I also haven't checked the rpm while cranking, it seems most suggest it needs to be over 250 rpm. I never had a tach with me, so that hasn't been checked yet either. It did seem to be cranking over at a pretty good pace though.
What I have done:
1. Checked for fuel delivery....good.
2. Replaced the plugs which were 2 years old according to previous owner.
3. Checked the resistance of the stator winding and timer base.....within spec.
4. Checked the primary and secondary resistance of all 3 coils....all within spec.
4. Checked the Power pack with a diode tester as described on CDI Electronics website. Numbers didn't quite agree...see below.
CDI values (bracketed values are the spec values posted by CDI electronics on their website)
coil terminals - terminals 1 to 3 - 0.644, 0.648, 0.640 (approx 0.500)
timer base - terminals 4 and 5 - 0.636, 0.644 (approx 0.500)
ignition switch terminal - terminal 6 - 1.060 (approx 1.525)
sensors 1 to 3 - terminals 8 to 10 - 0.815, 0.840, 0,784 (approx 0.550)
sensor ground - terminal 11 - 0.651 (approx 0.500)
So these numbers don't exactly agree, but is checking the power pack with a diode tester sufficient? I haven't seen many people suggest that this was a valid way to check it.
With regard to spark at the plugs. I first checked the old fashioned way, that is, all plugs out, and check for spark with the plug that was removed (after grounding it to engine). In all 3 cases I had spark.
Then I checked for spark with a homemade spark tester, all plugs IN, and had started with a gap of about 1/4"......no spark on any of the 3 coils. I reduced the gap to about 0.040 and spark reappeared. Apparently, I should have spark with a 7/16" gap?
At 1 point I had wondered if the flywheel key was sheared, but the mark on the flywheel seems to agree with the TDC timing mark on the flywheel.
Any suggestions? Is my Power pack the problem? Don't want to throw money away without having a good feeling that I have identified the problem.
What I haven't done yet......checked compression.....didn't have the compression tester with me at the cabin. I also haven't checked the rpm while cranking, it seems most suggest it needs to be over 250 rpm. I never had a tach with me, so that hasn't been checked yet either. It did seem to be cranking over at a pretty good pace though.
What I have done:
1. Checked for fuel delivery....good.
2. Replaced the plugs which were 2 years old according to previous owner.
3. Checked the resistance of the stator winding and timer base.....within spec.
4. Checked the primary and secondary resistance of all 3 coils....all within spec.
4. Checked the Power pack with a diode tester as described on CDI Electronics website. Numbers didn't quite agree...see below.
CDI values (bracketed values are the spec values posted by CDI electronics on their website)
coil terminals - terminals 1 to 3 - 0.644, 0.648, 0.640 (approx 0.500)
timer base - terminals 4 and 5 - 0.636, 0.644 (approx 0.500)
ignition switch terminal - terminal 6 - 1.060 (approx 1.525)
sensors 1 to 3 - terminals 8 to 10 - 0.815, 0.840, 0,784 (approx 0.550)
sensor ground - terminal 11 - 0.651 (approx 0.500)
So these numbers don't exactly agree, but is checking the power pack with a diode tester sufficient? I haven't seen many people suggest that this was a valid way to check it.
With regard to spark at the plugs. I first checked the old fashioned way, that is, all plugs out, and check for spark with the plug that was removed (after grounding it to engine). In all 3 cases I had spark.
Then I checked for spark with a homemade spark tester, all plugs IN, and had started with a gap of about 1/4"......no spark on any of the 3 coils. I reduced the gap to about 0.040 and spark reappeared. Apparently, I should have spark with a 7/16" gap?
At 1 point I had wondered if the flywheel key was sheared, but the mark on the flywheel seems to agree with the TDC timing mark on the flywheel.
Any suggestions? Is my Power pack the problem? Don't want to throw money away without having a good feeling that I have identified the problem.