Mercury 850 with no spark

[edyson]

"Hello - I recently acquired a

"Hello - I recently acquired and rebuilt a mercury 850 (1974 85hp with in-line 4) and can't get a spark from it. I've been using a SELOC manual to check my work and it seems everything is connected properly. I read some of the other threads which suggest I disconnect the wiring harness and try to pull start it. If this is successful, how do I stop the engine and if this is not successful, where do I go from there?"

 

[beckerjs]

"if it has spark, choke it, al

"if it has spark, choke it, although you really only need check it for spark not start it. It spins easy with the plugs out. ign troubleshooting web site, page to your ign system
http://www.boatpartstore.com/tips.asp"

 

[beckerjs]

some require battery voltage t

some require battery voltage to the distributor if so equipped

 

[edyson]

"Thanks - Looks like I'm n

"Thanks - Looks like I'm not getting any juice at all for some reason. I've disconnected the wires from the stator, the harness and the Mercury switch - then retried to pull start it (with the plugs out). Still nothing. Is there a way to test the coil directly? The page that you listed JB doesn't indicate how to do this. Plus, the wire colors and instructions on the page you sent me don't match up with my 4-cylinder machine. Any other suggestions?"