CDI Electronics Outboard Ignition Troubleshooting Guide

61 Johnson/Evinrude Troubleshooting Johnson/Evinrude Six Cylinder Engines (1988-2001 185-250 HP Quick-Start Models) Service Note: Please use the Factory recommended spark plug (currently Champion QL77JC4) gapped at 0.030”. (Note) These engines usually have a 35 Amp battery charging capacity. Due to the size and weight of the flywheel magnets, it is highly recommended that you check to make sure both the triggering and charge magnets are still secure in the flywheel before you service the engine. A loose or broken magnet can be deadly to you or your pocketbook. It is a recommended you index the flywheel and check the timing on all cylinders when servicing these engines. Also check for static firing and intermittent spark. NO SPARK ON ANY CYLINDER: 1. Disconnect BOTH of the Black/Yellow stop wires AT THE POWER PACK and retest. If the engine’s ignition has spark, 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 sparks, 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 is usually caused by a weak battery or dragging starter. Connect a battery charger on its highest setting to the battery and retest. If good spark, replace the starter and/or battery with an 850+ CCA cranking/dual purpose non-maintenance-free type. 4. Inspect and clean all engine and ignition ground connections. 5. Check the stator and timer base resistance and DVA output as given below for BOTH banks: WIRE READ TO RESISTANCE DVA (Connected) DVA (Disconnected) Brown Brown/Yellow (1st Pair) (d) 900-1100 150-400 V 150-400 V (*) Brown/White Brown/Black (2nd Pair) (d) 900-1100 150-400 V 150-400 V (*) Orange Orange/Black 93-103 11-22 V 45-120 V (*) White Purple (c) - 1-5M ohm 100-400 V (a) 0.6 V + (#) White Blue (c) - 1-5M ohm 100-400 V (a) 0.6 V + (#) White Green (c) - 1-5M ohm 100-400 V (a) 0.6 V + (#) White Purple (2nd connector) (c) - 1-5M ohm 100-400 V (a) 0.6 V + (#) White Blue (2nd connector) (c) - 1-5M ohm 100-400 V (a) 0.6 V + (#) White Green (2nd connector) (c) - 1-5M ohm 100-400 V (a) 0.6 V + (#) White Black/White (2nd connector) 215-230 6-10 V (b) 6-10 V (from pack) (*) 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 out of spec – disconnect the stator wires and recheck the DVA output. If the reading is still out of spec – the stator is bad. If the reading is now within spec – the pack is bad. (#) 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 cylinder and the timer base’s DVA reading for that cylinder is low – disconnect the timer base wires and recheck the DVA output. If the reading stays low – the timer base is bad. If the reading is now within spec – the pack is bad. (a) Check stator DVA first. Then if timer base DVA is 0.6 - 2.5 V, the pack is faulty. If below 0.6 V, the timer base is faulty. (b) DVA will drop below 1 V when the engine drops out of Quick-Start (engine is over 104 Degrees or 1200 RPM). (c) Use a comparison reading as different brands of meters will give different readings. The typical range is 1M to 5M ohms. As long as you have approximately the same ohm reading on all six tests and the correct output with the DVA meter, the timer base should be good. Remember that temperature will affect the readings. The exception would be if one of the SCR’s inside the timer base is breaking down while the engine is running. This can be found indexing the flywheel and checking the timing on all cylinders. If the readings are off, reverse the meter leads and retest to see if the readings are corrected. 6. Check the triggering and charge coil flywheel magnets for cracked, broken and loose magnets. NO SPARK OR INTERMITTENT SPARK ON ONE BANK: 1. Disconnect BOTH of the Black/Yellow stop wires AT THE POWER PACK and retest. If the engine’s ignition now has spark, the stop circuit has a fault. Check the key switch, harness and shift switch. 2. Swap the stator wire pairs from one side of the engine to the other side and see if the problem moves. If it does, the stator is bad. 3. Disconnect the Yellow wires from the stator to the rectifier and retest. If the engine sparks, replace the rectifier. 4. Check the cranking RPM. A cranking speed of less than 250-RPM will not allow the system to spark properly.