HotSpark on AQ151C not Firing

"Hi all,
Yesterday I had the

"Hi all,
Yesterday I had the first opportunity to install the HotSpark electronic ignition unit. I did this, following the instructions supplied, to the letter. The magnet disc was a perfect fit and seated all the way down without effort; New eyelet terminations were crimped on to the wires from the HotSpark to match the studs on the distributor. The wires were connected as instructed i.e. red to +ve (15) and black to -ve (1), The distributor primary resistance was measured at 3.4ohms and the voltage at the distributor +ve terminal was measured at 10.1volts. The engine static timing was set properly. However despite all this the engine refused to fire up. I rotated the distributor to various positions but the engine would still not start. Then I removed a plug, earthed it to the block, and on cranking noticed that there was no spark at all. This was the same for all cylinders. Plugs, leads, distributor cap and rotor arm are all brand new OEM parts and to correct spec. I am now suspecting that the HotSpark unit may be faulty ( I have seen a posting in marine engine.com discussion board describing a similar situation, hence my conclusion that the unit may be faulty). Please note also that when I removed the condensor I unplugged the violet wire coming from the wiring harness and left it on the side. The HotSpark was connected directly to the coil as already indicated and the polarity was never reversed.
May I have your feedback on this please?
Lawrence"

"I had a problem with one of t

"I had a problem with one of the Hotspark setups about a month ago. Hooked it all up and only got spark out of #1 cylinder. After many emails of troubleshooting with Hotspark, they sent me a new unit that works great. Shoot them an email."

"Hi Adam,
I have been in cont

"Hi Adam,
I have been in contact with Roy from HotSpark and he thinks that the violet wire originally fitted to the condenser is to be removed and plugged to the coil's negative terminal. Does this sound right? Otherwise they are willing to change the module at no charge.
Lawrence"

"Originally, a dark red wire w

"Originally, a dark red wire was supposed to go from the (-) of the coil to a spade terminal by the condenser (which was actually going to the points). Not sure about HotSpark, but in the Pertronix installations that wire is to be removed. To the (-) of the coil there are only two wires to be attached: the black one coming from the ignition module, and the grey wire going to the tach."

"Hi El,
Could you tell me wha

"Hi El,
Could you tell me what colour wires should be connected to the +ve and -ve terminals of the coil for the AQ151? If I remember correctly (but I'll have to check for certain) I have one red and one violet wire connected together to the -ve(1)terminal and a grey wire connected to the +ve terminal. Could I possibly have a mix up in the wiring? If this were the case, would the engine still fire up normally? It is working fine with the points/condenser setup but to tell the truth I was never happy with the response of the tach."

"Plus side of coil (to swi

"Plus side of coil (to switch) is purple and negative side is grey (signal to tach). There should be a purple wire from the neg side of the coil to the distributor. However, if this is spliced into a plug with the grey wire one will not see it on the coil. "

"There is a purple wire coming

"There is a purple wire coming from the ignition switch which goes to the positive side of the coil, and there is a grey wire coming from the tach going to the negative side of the coil. Then you have a red wire coming out of the electronic ignition module and it goes to the (+) of the coil, and a black wire that goes to the (-) of the coil ( this is in the Pertronix module, not sure about HotSpark). Those are all the wires you need, unless you have a 3-wire alternator; in which case, you will also have a purple wire going from the (+) of the coil to the alternator excitation terminal."

"Thanks for the info gents. Th

"Thanks for the info gents. This explains it all now. I have a purple wire from the ignition to the +ve on the coil, and a red wire from the +ve on the coil to the excitation terminal on the 3 wire alternator. On the -ve there is only a grey wire coming from the tach but as Dennis pointed out a purple wire going to the distributor and connected at the condensor, is spliced onto this grey wire i.e only the grey wire is visible at the coil -ve. This means that all the wiring is correct and that the ignition module may be faulty after all. Thanks again for the advise."

"Lawrence, on the 151, the alt

"Lawrence, on the 151, the alternator rotor wire is brown, not red. Also, it connects/splices to a plug. It does not connect directly to the coil. Moreover, this wire can be identified by its connection through a resistor at the alternator. I don't know what that extra red wire is."

"Hi Dennis,
you are right abo

"Hi Dennis,
you are right about the alternator wire being brown and splicing into a plug at point 'G'. This is shown clearly in the VP manual (page 13). The trouble with this diagram is that not all the wire colours are indicated. The red wire on my coil +ve terminal could be going to supply a standby electric fuel pump which the previous owner had installed and which I have never used or taken. I will check later on today when I get down to the water. Thanks again.
Lawrence"

I had best luck with the Hot-s

I had best luck with the Hot-spark just hotwiring the ignitor leads directly to the coil. Red (+) to the positive side and Black (-) to the negative side. I cut and capped the purple wire and tied it out of the way.