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1996 Mariner 40HP wont fire

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Robert4599

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Hey guys i have a 1996 Mariner Magnum 40 hp that wont fire. I have had trouble with this engine idling for a while and i took the carburetors apart to clean them and then the motor wouldn’t start again. I deleted the oil injection system and premixed but it didnt help. I have the service manual and i ensured the carbs were up to specification, i also tested all the electrical parts on the motor and i had to replace the coils and spark plug wires and spark plugs. I have also recently replaced the starter and the starter relay. The only thing that doesn’t pass the test is the rectifier, but that shouldn’t affect the motor starting right? Battery has 13 volts! And the cylinders are getting fuel, the engine has 120psi on all cylinders but it wont even hit. I can ground the spark plugs out and see a blue spark but when i use a spark gap tester it doesn’t show a spark crossing the 1/4 inch gap. What is going wrong???

Thank you in advance!
-Robert4599
 
Might simply be fouled up inside. I suggest a shot of starting fluid (ether). Don't go nuts with the stuff--if it still doesn't fire there's something wrong.\

Jeff
 
I have tried either a few times in it with no luck. Iv even sprayed a bit directly in the cylinders then put spark plugs back in. Still nothing! I also tested the stator with a multimeter like the book says and it meets the specifications
 
Check to make sure wires from cd unit are going to the correct coils.----Serial # and number of cylinders on your motor ?
 
I would also start with a load test of your battery ( free )------Tear down / inspection of the starter too.------No money spent and VERY important !
 
Check DVA voltage from stator as either it is not putting enough out to charge capacitor in switchbox or switchbox may have something funky going on in it ….my bet as seen this problem a lot is the stator bad.
 
faztbullet said:
Check DVA voltage from stator as either it is not putting enough out to charge capacitor in switchbox or switchbox may have something funky going on in it ….my bet as seen this problem a lot is the stator bad.
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So i need to test the max output voltage? Do i need to keep the stator wires connected for this?
 
Did you remove the flywheel when you worked on the carbs? Someone posted that they improperly indexed the wheel and torked it down some splines away from the proper setting, this affects the spark output and timing.
 
So i need to test the max output voltage? Do i need to keep the stator wires connected for this?​
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Yes...the problem is you don't have enough voltage out to coils and the compression prevents a spark due to it being weak. Either the stator is not putting out or the rectifier/capacitor is failed in switchbox
 
You can buy a DVA adapter for your existing meter on Amazon. Be careful to get one that fits. About$30. My favorite tool!

Jeff
 
Problems at idle, low speed, with what has been discussed, direct me most certainly to that weak spark, particularly at LOW AND CRANKING RPM. As was recommended I agree with a stator problem.....likely not the switch box.
 
timguy said:
Problems at idle, low speed, with what has been discussed, direct me most certainly to that weak spark, particularly at LOW AND CRANKING RPM. As was recommended I agree with a stator problem.....likely not the switch box.
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My DVA meter will arrive in the mail Wednesday and i will test the stator. And also i have tested the rectifier and it failed the tests according to my manual. But I thought the rectifier was only for charging the battery??
 
The switch box is a non serviceable item. The entire unit needs to be replaced if needed. It contains components related to spark/ignition. The stator supplies energy to it as well as energy for charging the battery.
 
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Excellent, Pappy. Many forget that even with different coils addressing spark and charge, the unit itself becomes too hot creating "meltdown".
 
timguy said:
Excellent, Pappy. Many forget that even with different coils addressing spark and charge, the unit itself becomes too hot creating "meltdown".
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so I finally got the Peak voltage adapter for my multimeter. Do i need to take the stator off to test it? There is no instructions in my manual on how to dva test the stator
 
Crank the motor over and read the voltage (on the DC scale) to ground. Take one wire at a time and record the voltage. The expected range of voltage is in the manual.

Jeff
 
fastjeff said:
Plugs IN. Use a good battery.

Jeff
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alright so i used the peak voltage tester and cranked the motor while testing the specified wires and it failed. It read 33 volts on both sets of wires. I also went back and tested the resistance on the wires and it was far from the specification. Removed the flywheel and stator and retested resistance and it gave the same readings (failure) i also tested the trigger and it is OK. Removed the rectifier after retesting it. Went ahead and ordered the new stator for $150 and a rectifier for $20. Hopefully it will solve my problem
 
Great job, these guys here have helped me a ton too. That's why this is your go-to boat forum. Pappy, Jeff, Racer, and Joe have 200 years experience between them.....just for starters.
 
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