no spark

capt ralph · Post by **capt ralph** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:00 am

hi guys,i am have a problem.there doenst seem to be spark.engines are not firing.any clues

thanks

gjrylands · Post by **gjrylands** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:59 am

Itâ€™s odd that this should happen to both engines.

Was the boat laid up for the winter? If so, they were probably running last fall and now won't run. If thatâ€™s the case, the problem is probably corrosion.

Start with the simplest thing first. Check for a spark. Pull the coil wire from the distributor, hold it close to the block, crank the engine , and see if you have a spark.

If you donâ€™t, and the engines have points, make sure they arenâ€™t corroded and are getting power when the ignition key is in the run position. If there is no power at the points, keep working backwards. Check to see that you have power at the ignition switch. Once you get to a point where things are working properly you will know that the problem is between the good and bad points.

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:17 am

My F44 has a fire supression system that has to be on before the motors will start. Does yours?

capt ralph · Post by **capt ralph** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:20 am

yes i have a fire system,and is armed when i try to start.maybe that is not working properly,is there a way to by pass that

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:24 am

capt ralph wrote:yes i have a fire system,and is armed when i try to start.maybe that is not working properly,is there a way to by pass that

Eww, don't know if I would do that but yes. You can always put straight +12v to the engine coil on the positive side and turn it over. If the ingition system from the distributor to the spark plugs is good then the motor will start. That's Hotwiring 101

I have to do it on my generator all the time

capt ralph · Post by **capt ralph** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:27 am

is there away to disarm the fire system,should i rewire ignition to bypass

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:30 am

capt ralph wrote:is there away to disarm the fire system,should i rewire ignition to bypass

No, I would say leave the system on for protection and simply grab a piece of wire and connect it from the positive terminal on your battery to the red wire on the side of your coil (don't touch it to anything grounded) Then go and turn over the motor with the ignition.

Putting the +12v on the coil will bypass the fire system if that is preventing your motors from getting spark.

What year and kind of engines are these?

capt ralph · Post by **capt ralph** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:34 am

they are 318s.......if i were do do that would i be able to keep on there

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:44 am

capt ralph wrote:they are 318s.......if i were do do that would i be able to keep on there

Well, technically you could, but you would need to be able to disconnect the +12v with a switch of some sort because once you start the engine, it will continue to run until the +12v is removed from the coil. That is basically what your ignition switch does. It breaks the connection between the battery and the coil.
Also if you left the coil connected to the battery it would eventually drain the battery. It's like leaving the key on in your car.

I was really telling you how to do that so that you could temporarily find out if the motors run properly, if they run then you can illiminate the motors as the issue. You then go from there and troubleshoot the ignition from your key switches to the motors.

Somewhere between your keyed ignition and the motors you are losing power... That is the real issue I beleive. The hotwiring is just a step in the troubleshooting process.

Hey PM me your number if you want me to call you and we can discuss it. I'm not a genius but I can work on most anything. The main issue is not being there to see what you are looking at and how your ingition is wired.

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:46 am

Is yours a F32 Motor Yacht? What year is it?

capt ralph · Post by **capt ralph** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:54 am

my boat is a 72....thank you for the advice.i am going to the boat now.....i will keep in touch on my progess.

thanks everyone

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:31 am

capt ralph wrote:my boat is a 72....thank you for the advice.i am going to the boat now.....i will keep in touch on my progess.

thanks everyone

Alright I will check in with you later, hopefully you'll find the issue.
Good Luck!

kevin babineau · Post by **kevin babineau** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:38 pm

can only say what happens to me is that EVERY year i have to sand the contacts on my points....i take the coil wire off the cap not the coil put it near a ground and try starting it with a homemade remote starter button...if no spark with the key on i jamb a screw driver in there and short it out maybe gently move the contact arm around off its contact base etc jamb it around until i get a spark somewhere usually when short the contacts with the screw driver it will fire from the coil so that tells me the points are not getting a closed circiut.....now im not advising anyone to do what i did...it is only what i do

jwrape · Post by **jwrape** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:40 pm

kevin babineau wrote:can only say what happens to me is that EVERY year i have to sand the contacts on my points....i take the coil wire off the cap not the coil put it near a ground and try starting it with a homemade remote starter button...if no spark with the key on i jamb a screw driver in there and short it out maybe gently move the contact arm around off its contact base etc jamb it around until i get a spark somewhere usually when short the contacts with the screw driver it will fire from the coil so that tells me the points are not getting a closed circiut.....now im not advising anyone to do what i did...it is only what i do

Oh, I didn't even think about points, I have had electronic ingition in the boat for 6 years... I forget they had points....

It could definately be points, especially if you are on salt water.

mtwolf · Post by **mtwolf** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:01 am

If you don''t have any fire, remove your distributor caps and see if they are wet inside. Condensation over the winter?

John
F-31
Middle River, MD

Trojan Boat Forum

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