Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Ignition Problems

H

horaceman

Guest
" I have a 1983 Johnson 90hp V

" I have a 1983 Johnson 90hp V4. Recently, my boat took on alot of salt water that flooded most of the electrical system and the battery. After pumping the water out, the boat started for awhile. Now, when trying to start, the starter turns the flywheel but I am not getting any sparks out of any of the ignition coils. Have performed numerous tests with ohmmeter to no avail. Any suggestions would be appreciated. "
 
"Horace.... Salt water will bl

"Horace.... Salt water will blow apart any wire that has 12v being applied to it. This includes the starter solenoid, ignition switch etc. Do yourself a favor and double check all of the wiring for bad corroded wiring terminals and connections.

In all probability, the cause of your "no ignition/spark" problem is due to a shorted out ignition switch.... could be other problems but that's the most likely. Look at the back of the switch to see if it's corroded bad.

However.... first, disconnect the RED main electrical plug at the engine. Remove the spark plugs. Crank and check the spark. If you now have spark, the ignition switch is the item to check.

Joe
"
 
" I appreciate the response.

" I appreciate the response. I have one question. When I disconnect the main red plug and remove the spark plugs, how do you suggest I crank the engine? Also, the back of the ignition switch does not appear to be corroded. I cleaned all of the wires in the battery box as well. "
 
"Horace.... Connect a small ju

"Horace.... Connect a small jumper wire from the battery side of the starter solenoid to the solenoid 3/8" hex nut terminal wire.... not the solenoid ground wire, the other 3/8" nut.

Joe
"
 
" With the red plug undone, I

" With the red plug undone, I ran a wire from the hot side of the solenoid to the starter. The starter engaged the fly wheel and turned over but still no spark. Any other suggestions? "
 
"Horace.... It's better to

"Horace.... It's better to run a wire from the hot side of the battery solenoid to the small nut on the solenoid as I mentioned previously.... less chance of explosion, fire, melted wire.

I didn't say, but I assume you're checking the spark with the spark plugs removed so that the engine can turn at its highest cranking rpm. If not, remove the plugs and check again.

If the plugs were removed and you had no spark with the red plug disconnected, leave it disconnected and disconnect the black wire that has a yellow stripe (black/yellow) from the powerpacks... then check again. If you now have spark, there's a short in the engine wiring harness. If still no spark, it's time to start disconnecting each and every conector, checking for corroded/broken terminals, dirty fouled connections, etc.

Always possible that a pack failed but very unlikely that both packs would fail at the same time.

Joe
"
 
" Joe,
I hate to sound stupid

" Joe,
I hate to sound stupid but I am not sure about the battery solenoid. The only solenoid I see is the one with a hot wire from the battery on top and a red wire underneath going to the starter. Once again, I appreciate all of your help. "
 
" Joe,
After removing all of

" Joe,
After removing all of the spark plugs, I now have a spark. You said earlier if this was the case then I have a short in my wiring harness. How do you recommend tracking this short down? "
 
" Joe,
I reconnected the red

" Joe,
I reconnected the red plug and put the spark plugs back in. Now, I am getting a spark that is not as strong as it was without the plugs and seems to be intermittent. Also, the wire coming off of the B terminal on the key switch has a splitter on it. One of the wires after the split is not connected to anything but is reading 12V with the key turned off. The other wire after the split looks fine. Any suggestions. "
 
" I have a 1989 5.7 liter OMC

" I have a 1989 5.7 liter OMC stern drive. The ignition coil keeps going bad, I'm on my third one in 30 days. Can you help troubleshoot? "
 
Back
Top