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Evinrude e90 ELCTE power pack or coil failure???

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Blackie323

New member
Hi all and thanks in advance for any help i receive.

I was out on the boat at the weekend. Engine hadn't run for some time so took a bit to turn her over but got there in the end. The boat was running well, used for about 2 hours cruising around fishing. Then decided to do some water skiing. After about 30 mins of skiing the engine just bogged down and would only reach half speed if that. Seemed like i had lost a cylinder or maybe 2? the engine still runs just wont build up any decent speed or RPM. I had a brief look on the water and there was no obvious signs of loose bolts or cables on the coils or power packs. i'm wondering if im on the right track thinking it maybe a coil or powerpack failure just from working the old engine too hard? my plan is to run the engine and remove each spark plug boot to see if there is any change to hopefully workout if it is a cylinder missing. then ill move on to the powerpack if i need to. Is this a good place to start and if so is it normal for coils/powerpacks to just fail like this? I am learning as i go with outboards, recently doing gear oil and water pump myself to save money.

Thanks again.

Sam
 
Sam, did you do a spark gap/jump test? Have you put new spark plugs in yet? Tested spark? All plugs out, looking for nice white/blue lightning like snap to 7/16". Try a #2 Phillips screwdriver in each plug boot held about 1/2" from a head bolt. Battery full charge too. If spark checks out....make sure flywheel key is good.
 
timguy said:
Sam, did you do a spark gap/jump test? Have you put new spark plugs in yet? Tested spark? All plugs out, looking for nice white/blue lightning like snap to 7/16". Try a #2 Phillips screwdriver in each plug boot held about 1/2" from a head bolt. Battery full charge too. If spark checks out....make sure flywheel key is good.
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hi there.

no at this stage all I have done is a visual check. I plan on having a good look at the weekend. A work friend told me about the spark gap test also so I will try that out first. I noticed after looking around again today that there is some minor cracking and corrosion on one of the coils so hoping it’s that and not something more major. I haven’t changed the spark plugs because they have only had one use since changing them last, this was about 8 months ago however - do they go bad if left just sitting ?
 
Good morning. Yes, they can if loaded with carbon and/or fuel/oil mix.....then stored.
As for the coil, it should be replaced, but might be okay for now. External cracking can be a sign of internal breakdown. This could lead to internal arcing and weak or even complete loss of spark. This can change, too, at different temperatures.
 
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timguy said:
Good morning. Yes, they can if loaded with carbon and/or fuel/oil mix.....then stored.
As for the coil, it should be replaced, but might be okay for now. External cracking can be a sign of internal breakdown. This could lead to internal arcing and weak or even complete loss of spark. This can change, too, at different temperatures.
Click to expand...


Great thanks for all your information and advice. I’ll have a crack this weekend and hopefully be away fishing soon. Thanks Timguy
 
Yes, Sam. We are still ice fishing up here, but got 5 outboard jobs already lined up. Good luck fishing....remember, there is always a "jerk" on one end of the line.....the key is to got a "jerk" on the other end too.
 
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