Logo
FULL SITE MENU

1985 evinrude 8hp E8RCOB firing issue

P

pan breaux

New member
i always test run my engine before i take it out and the ignition trigger decided to give up a few months ago. i managed to get the new one in and the engine fired right up. ran it a few times that day while loading the boat to go out the next day. sure enough the next morning it had no fire. i ended up getting hurt a few days later and now i'm just getting back to where i left off 3 months ago. i checked the ohms and voltage of everything and it all checked out. i was about to order a power pack since i can't find a way to test it and figured it was the last possibility. i came upon a CDI troubleshooting pdf that listed a bad voltage regulator as a possible cause. i disconnected mine, and it was bad and not needed in my case. the motor cranked right up. i ran it numerous times yesterday and it started first or second crank every time. this morning i decided to test it before loading my boat and sure enough, zero fire. i started with disconnecting and checking for a short in the kill switch wire and it's good. checked the ohms and voltage of the charge and trigger coils and they are good. i pushed all of the female connections out of the plug and stuck them in manually into the male side and still zero spark. this model doesn't appear to have a neutral safety switch. is there anythign else i could be missing or suggestions for testing the cdi?
 
when i went back out to cover up my motor after lunch i decided to give it a crank for giggles. it fired across my tester. i put the plugs back in and it started first crank and has started first crank 4 times in 2 hours. i still want to know where the gremilin is hiding because i know it will start playing games as soon as the bait is in the cooler.
 
it acts the fool in the mornings. i've taken apart every connection multiple times and it either won't start no matter what or fires right up. when it won't start, a few hours later it occasionally decides to fire the plugs. when it does start it runs and idles smooth even if you play with the wires and connections. if you happen to crank it when there is no water in the tank and the kill switch is disconnected, it's almost guaranteed to fire right up and have you grabbing for plug wires to shut it down. absolutely will not start if the truck is anywhere near the boat trailer and it's a good fishing day. starting to think it needs an exorcist instead of a mechanic. any ideas besides converting it into a mailbox or parting it out to help buy something not made by OMC?
 
These are really well made , smooth running motors.-----Does spark jump a gap of at least 3/8" on an open air test device , yes or no ?----Do not start this motor with no water to the impeller.
 
it will easily jump 3/8", if and when it fires. it runs awesome when it decides to fire. it will continue to start over and over until i decide to take it out for a ride or go fishing. i just changed my impeller, so that was the last thing i needed to happen. since then i make sure the tank has enough water before testing and it hasn't ran since. i bet if i drain the tank and it will fire right up, lol. it has been a trouble free motor for the first 6 months i've had it and it's barely used. it was a back up motor that i don't think has many hours on it. i've installed 2 new triggers that both test good and it's been acting up since. about to find the parts to build a DVA adapter so i can see some more accurate voltages. also trying to figure out how to read a meter while yanking a rope starter and if it will be accurate. thought about pulling the plugs and using my impact to spin it at the flywheel but my luck i'd break the end off the crankshaft.
 
going to bite the bullet and say it's a power pack issue, especially since it's appears to be a brown plugged original. it goes back and forth with no fire and the coils under the flywheel are working fine. can i use a CD power pack without the rpm limiter to replace my CD2 pack with the rpm limiter?
 
Back
Top