CDI Electronics Outboard Ignition Troubleshooting Guide

25 Chrysler/Force Troubleshooting Chrysler/Force it reaches 300-400V DVA maximum. A sharp drop in DVA right before the miss becomes apparent on all cylinders will normally be caused by a bad stator. A sharp drop in DVA on less than all cylinders will normally be the switch box or trigger. 3. Connect an inductive tachometer to each cylinder in turn and try to isolate the problem. A high variance in RPM on one cylinder usually indicates a problem in the switch box or ignition coil. Occasionally a trigger will cause this same problem. Check the trigger DVA voltage (see NO SPARK OR INTERMITTENT SPARK ON ONE OR MORE CYLINDERS above). 4. Perform a high-speed shutdown and read the spark plugs. Check for water. A crack in the block can cause a miss at high speed when the water pressure gets high, but a normal shutdown will mask the problem. 5. Check the triggering and charge coil flywheel magnets for cracked, broken and loose magnets. 6. Rotate the stator one bolt hole in either direction and retest. Force Mercury Designed Ignitions 1991-1998 Four Cylinder Engines using a Single Switch Box and Four Ignition Coils NO SPARK ON ANY CYLINDER: 1. Disconnect the Black/Yellow stop wire AT THE POWER PACK and retest. If the engine’s ignition sparks, the stop circuit has a fault. Check the key switch, harness and shift switch. 2. Disconnect the Yellow wires from the stator to the rectifier and retest. If the engine now has spark, replace the rectifier. 3. Check the cranking RPM. A cranking speed of less than 250-RPM will not allow the system to spark properly. This can be caused by a weak battery, dragging starter, bad battery cables or a mechanical problem inside the engine. 4. Inspect and clean all engine and ignition ground connections. 5. Check the stator resistance and DVA output where applicable: Black Stator WIRE READ OEM OHMs CDI Ohms DVA (Connected) DVA (Disconnected) Blue Blue/White 3250-3650 488-662 180-400 V 180-400 V (*) Red Red/White 75-90 28-32 25-100 V 25-100 V (*) Red Stator Kit WIRE READ TO OEM OHMs CDI Ohms DVA (Connected) DVA (Disconnected) White/Green Green/White 500-700 400-550 180-400 V 180-400 V (*) Blue Blue/White OPEN OPEN 180-400 V 180-400 V (*) (*) This reading can be used to determine if a stator or pack has a problem. For instance, if you have no spark on any cylinder and the stator’s DVA reading is low – disconnect the stator wires and recheck the DVA output. If the reading stays low – the stator is bad. If the reading is now within spec – the pack is bad. 6. Check the triggering and charge coil flywheel magnets for cracked, broken and loose magnets. NO SPARK OR INTERMITTENT SPARK ON ONE OR MORE CYLINDERS: 1. Check the trigger resistance and DVA output as shown below: WIRE READ TO RESISTANCE DVA (Connected) DVA (Disconnected) Purple White 800-1400 4 V + 4 V + (#) Brown White/Black 800-1400 4 V + 4 V + (#) Purple Engine GND Open 1 V + N/A White Engine GND Open 1 V + N/A Brown Engine GND Open 1 V + N/A White/Black Engine GND Open 1 V + N/A (#) This reading can be used to determine if a pack has a problem in the triggering circuit. For instance, if you have no spark on one or two cylinders and the trigger’s DVA reading for that cylinder is low – disconnect the trigger wires and recheck the DVA output. If the reading stays low – the trigger is bad. If the reading is now within spec – the pack is bad. 2. Check the DVA output on the Green wires from the switch box while connected to the ignition coils. Check the reading on the switch box terminal AND on the ignition coil terminal. You should have a reading of at least 150V