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Spark... Had it, Lost it!!???O

J

Jack Barlow

New member
1994 Johnson 225 J225TXERK

1,000 hours, excellent tough motor on a 1988 Grady White 24' Offshore purchased new in 1988. Old friends. :)

Engine is getting old and worn out, just like me. Would enjoy a few more hours of running up and down the Intracoastal here in Sebastian, Florida with my wife. Compression tells it all...70,70,60 -- 77,85,75. Have used OMC oil and "Carbon Guard" religiously with each and every tank of gas since new. Installed new head gaskets in 2010, cylinders all looked good, no scoring. "Deck" had the usual salt water use pitting. I carefully fixed that with JB Weld.

Engine was getting tricky to start. But ran strong up to the full 6,000 rpm @ 38 mph. If I recall correctly, I could do the low 40 mph when newer.

Finally would no longer start. Single cylinder spark tester showed no spark. Finally installed a used ebay stator, and had an immediate wonderful spark! My old stator had the usual melting down. Best spark in years... snap, snap, snap. You could easily hear it with engine running! I thought life was good again, but had idle issues. Not enough fuel pressure and would die after idling around. Started working on that issue by hooking up a separate tank to draw from. Ran that small container out of gas while testing. Would not start. Thought I had an air lock, took a line off after the filters. Gas flow was fine. Took a test and to my amazement, I had lost the spark again!!!

I'm totally lost. Even tried a known working power pack I had. No spark, either bank. Have the shift interrupter disconnected. Seemed to make the idle worse before the problems.

Tried disconnecting the big red plug. But could not get a screwdriver between the starter selenoid to spin the motor??? I used to jump the motor that way all the time, across the small two terminals? Batteries are good and spin the motor at 700 rpm indicated at tach. Nothing.

Pull the flywheel again? I have a used untested ebay timer base and a used, untested regulator. All the wiring around the power pack looks ok. Checked for pushed back pins. Removed black with yellow stripe wire on key switch.

Thanks fellows...
 
Go to cdielectronics.com for trouble shooting procedures. You'll need a DVA for your meter to do any procedures.
 
Boobie said:
Go to cdielectronics.com for trouble shooting procedures. You'll need a DVA for your meter to do any procedures.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I have seen and somewhat used their procedures as best I could. For example I took the two blk/yellow stripe "half moon" plugs apart under the PP. This was to show if problem was in key, kill, or harness. Did not return spark when these 2 connectors were apart.

Then I unplugged the big double yellow connector from stator. Again no spark. That I believe pointed to rectifier/reg. So with just installing a stator that brought back a fat juicy spark, should I not try the --trigger/timing base--? Only because I have one, and no correct DVA meter? I have the puller laying here on the counter from Advance Auto. (; I know...throwing parts at a problem is shameful. But I just had such nice spark and was simply sitting at the dock, doing fuel tests???

I did order a new key switch, because the old one was starting to "feel funky" the feel was different?

What do you other fellows think? Try the timer base? Please allow me to point this out... I doubt this could have changed after engine ran for a good 3 hours...but when I reinstalled the flywheel, I -did not- touch the key. It was angled like the taper. I now see I should have moved it parallel to the straight main shaft? Could the flywheel have shifted on its own and lost spark? When I look underneath the flywheel, all my magnet work looks good.

Thanks again!
 
Jack Barlow said:
Thanks, I have seen and somewhat used their procedures as best I could. For example I took the two blk/yellow stripe "half moon" plugs apart under the PP. This was to show if problem was in key, kill, or harness. Did not return spark when these 2 connectors were apart.

Then I unplugged the big double yellow connector from stator. Again no spark. That I believe pointed to rectifier/reg. So with just installing a stator that brought back a fat juicy spark, should I not try the --trigger/timing base--? Only because I have one, and no correct DVA meter? I have the puller laying here on the counter from Advance Auto. (; I know...throwing parts at a problem is shameful. But I just had such nice spark and was simply sitting at the dock, doing fuel tests???

I did order a new key switch, because the old one was starting to "feel funky" the feel was different?

What do you other fellows think? Try the timer base? Please allow me to point this out... I doubt this could have changed after engine ran for a good 3 hours...but when I reinstalled the flywheel, I -did not- touch the key. It was angled like the taper. I now see I should have moved it parallel to the straight main shaft? Could the flywheel have shifted on its own and lost spark? When I look underneath the flywheel, all my magnet work looks good.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Question Please: Can a defective starter selinoid prevent spark??? I absolutely --cannot jump start-- the engine with a screwdriver across the 2 little terminals on the selinoid. I took it off to replace it. An ohms test across the 2 big end terminals showed nothing on the meter. Had it set to "high ohms" as the manual stated, and a 2 showed up on screen. That same 2 showed after touching the plus and minus across these two big terminals. But the 2nd test according to the manual was touch a hot jumper to the left little terminal, and ground the other little terminal. It did "click" loudly and engage strongly then, repeated this test several times, engaged each time. Is this selinoid defective?
 
Terminal Ground of Power Pack had broken just before the terminal. Only if you bent the wire over, did you see the break. And of course with this lead being potted into the PP, there was no way to run an easy continuity test of this lead. Spark is back!!! Now to clean those hairline fine holes in the throttle body. Any easy ideas? I thought a long nose vise grips with a strand of fine steel wire?
 
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