OMC 240 ignition problems

I am having troubles pinpointing my ignition problem. It is engine model 990251U s/n W620500. I was not getting any spark and so I replaced Points, condensor, plugs, plug wires, rotor and cap. The coil is 1.53 ohms on the primary and 8960 ohms on the secondary (spec. 7500-8700). I am getting 2.3 ohms across the resistor wire. The ignition voltage at the coil is between 5-6 vdc. The batteries are new, so I am getting 12 vdc at the ignition switch. I momentarily tried to jumper the resistor wire to get the volts up almost 11 vdc on the coil and then I started getting spark. Just questioning the voltage at the coil and the coil itself. Thanks, John

if you saw the 5-6VDC with the key ON and the engine not running, that's realistic (with the points closed).

Do you have two wires on the '+' side of the coil?

makomark said:

if you saw the 5-6VDC with the key ON and the engine not running, that's realistic (with the points closed).

Do you have two wires on the '+' side of the coil?

Click to expand...

Yes. There is a resistor wire that goes to the splice which goes to the electric choke on the carb. And the other wire goes to the start assist solenoid. It is a Ford 351 engine.

The wire going to the slave solenoid should 'bypass' the resistance wire when you crank the engine over....and provide full voltage to the coil to make for an easier startup....

have you checked the points' gap with a dwell meter? They give a much more accurate setting than feeler gauges...

No I have not. The book says to set gap in between .014 and.019. So I have it set at .016. I do not have a dwell meter. So if that is what I need I will have to get one and get back on it another day. I will keep you posted and if there is anything else to add, I certainly appreciate it.

I think the feeler gauge should be ok to get you running....but the dwell meter lets you find 'the best' setting.

Thank you for your help. I bought a dwell meter and was able to dial it in close to spec. I found some other problems as well, but I finally got it running good. Thanks again! I will definitely continue to buy parts from Marine Engine.