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mid 80's 10hp no spark, anyone have ohm info?

Deezil

New member
Picked up this little engine, they said it ran, it had no spark so I put new plugs in, still no spark, anyone have the info on ohming the electrical components?

Ive disconnected the kill switch, I dont see any neutral safety switch of any sort. They said they had it pop off starting fluid a few months ago, but I cant get it to do it.

Thanks
 
I will get you the ohm readings I have. But first, you should know that the spark on these can be very faint and hard to see at pull start cranking rpm. It's best to look for spark in a darkened garage or with your head and the outboard under a cover like a blanket. Nighttime works too.

I really CRINGE when I even hear the words "starting fluid". Yes, it can work but almost always leaves a little damage behind if not used OH SO CAREFULLY. In careless hands it is an engine killer.

Does this engine have good compression? Lots of sitting and then protracted sessions of pulling it over dry and spraying with ether can have the rings not sealing very well. You might want to "spritz" some oil in each spark plug hole and then turn the engine over slowly with the rope a couple of strokes before re- installing the plugs. Do this just before a try at getting her to fire after verifying that there is spark. The oil will give you your best compression available before a starting attempt.
 
I have read that the spark is tiny, I do need to test it in the dark, I keep forgetting since it doesnt pop on starting fluid, so I figure I have other issues as it did for the guy I got it from.

Thank you
 
Ok, back to ignition.

Many of these DID have a neutral safety "device" consisting of a "reed" switch, a magnet to keep the switch closed and a "y" shaped piece of metal used to interrupt the magnets pull on the switch. These were mounted on the shift lever shaft just onboard of the right side engine enclosure. They are easily identified by the Y shaped piece of metal clamped to the shaft. Many have been removed or bypassed by now. Testing (and bypassing) consisted of connecting the two wires going to the switch.

I'm assuming that this is a CDI system due to it being mid 80's. Please correct me if that's not the case.

The ignition system consists of:

An exciter coil to energize the system located under the flywheel, right side.

A pulsar coil to do ignition switching located under a cover atop the camshaft.

An ignition coil to fire the plugs located at rear of outboard.

CDI "box" for achieving ignition timing advance per rpm.

Engine switch otherwise called kill switch.

Here are the ohm readings I've come to expect on a working CDI ignition system:

Exciter coil....330 ohm. +/- 10% (for temperature)

Ignition coil...31.5k ohm.. +/- 20% (for temperature)

Pulsar coil...120 ohm. +/- 10% (for temperature)

While the CDI controls ignition timing, it should be noted that it depends on correct cam to crankshaft timing to achieve good results. The timing belt condition and alignment should be checked along with valve lash settings and compression when evaluating an engine's "runability".

I hope you can get her going. These are sweet old outboards when correctly maintained.

Good luck.
 
Ok, back to ignition.

Many of these DID have a neutral safety "device" consisting of a "reed" switch, a magnet to keep the switch closed and a "y" shaped piece of metal used to interrupt the magnets pull on the switch. These were mounted on the shift lever shaft just onboard of the right side engine enclosure. They are easily identified by the Y shaped piece of metal clamped to the shaft. Many have been removed or bypassed by now. Testing (and bypassing) consisted of connecting the two wires going to the switch.

I'm assuming that this is a CDI system due to it being mid 80's. Please correct me if that's not the case.

The ignition system consists of:

An exciter coil to energize the system located under the flywheel, right side.

A pulsar coil to do ignition switching located under a cover atop the camshaft.

An ignition coil to fire the plugs located at rear of outboard.

CDI "box" for achieving ignition timing advance per rpm.

Engine switch otherwise called kill switch.

Here are the ohm readings I've come to expect on a working CDI ignition system:

Exciter coil....330 ohm. +/- 10% (for temperature)

Ignition coil...31.5k ohm.. +/- 20% (for temperature)

Pulsar coil...120 ohm. +/- 10% (for temperature)

While the CDI controls ignition timing, it should be noted that it depends on correct cam to crankshaft timing to achieve good results. The timing belt condition and alignment should be checked along with valve lash settings and compression when evaluating an engine's "runability".

I hope you can get her going. These are sweet old outboards when correctly maintained.

Good luck.

Your THE MAN. Thanks so much!
 
One thing I should mention is that, if your outboard has a battery charging system, which was an option back then, there will be another coil under the flywheel. It is on the left side (when standing at the rear looking forward)

The charge coil resistance is very low....less than 1 ohm....so don't let that confuse you if so equipped. It has nothing to do with ignition.

Keep us informed about what you find.
 
Ok, so I finally got to checking it out, in the mean time I bought another, short shaft that runs (which is what I needed to begin with), so I was comparing them to eachother and the book specs.

The ignition coil, the running motor had .05 the non running had .10

pulsar coil, both motors checked out fine

the Exciter coil, the running motor gave me a good reading, the non runner gave me 0, I couldnt get it to do anything at all..

So Im assuming thats my issue, the exciter coil, confirmation?
 
Hi,
Congrats on finding another of these fine old outboards! Running AND in the configuration you need? Sweet!

I'm assuming the readings you posted are ohms?
Are you using a digital, auto ranging meter?
Or is it one that you have to select the scale manually?
Sorry, I have to ask since I don't know how much experience you have using an Ohmmeter.

Sometimes a guy will forget to select the proper scale and get an erroneous reading.
But, if you got 0 ohms for the exciter, on the correct scale, then that tells me the coil is shorted to ground and is no good.

Luckily, that coil is still available from boats.net but, since it costs $60 + shipping you need to be extra careful about testing and making sure that is the problem.
 
its not auto ranging, I had to fiddle with the settings with a dial. But either way I think I figured it out. As I went from a running motor to the non runner, same settings, one would read, one would get nothing.

Ive been looking for the right coil to put onto it, a little tricky to find. Motor says B100L on the block, but can only find BF100 stuff.

This seem right?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJTOCIS/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IZAM0QODV52Y1&colid=PXCSMGRKQSEJ

http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/honda/H-30540-881-732.html
 
Yes, I think that's going to be the only one available and it should work just fine.
That coil is used on a wide selection of hp ratings and models. I imagine boats.net just didn't have the room (or energy) to list them all.

They don't really adhere to the Honda parts cataloguing way of doing things but it seems they carry everything Honda would offer. They're not perfect but they are the best source of Honda parts guys like us have. Best prices too!
 
YOWZA!
Good work!
Someday soon you can actually use it to push a boat around in the water.
But, for now, it is doubling as a device to test your.....
Mechanical skills.....
Patience........
Pocket book....
When all tests are complete, it reverts back to being an outboard.

Don't feel lonely, mine does that to me every so often too! :)
 
Thanks! Feels good!

Ordered an impeller on amazon, should be here friday, hopefully the last thing it needs! I do need the handles for the screw clamps, looking for those yet.
 
4 I believe, 25 is the pin, obsolete, I found a pair on ebay for $10, says they are for a yamaha, but I can modify them to work if they dont fit.
 
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