Hello everyone,
This problem has stumped me for a few weeks now. I am usually pretty good at doing maintenance work myself and even moderate repair work, but this problem with my Atomic 4 on my Pearson 30 has really thrown me, and everyone I've spoken to for a loop!
The problem started when the boat started sputtering and popping on my way in to port one day a few weeks ago. I throttled back and it seemed to run a little smoother. Got her docked and tied up for the night just fine. I inspected the engine and noticed it was rather oily in behind where the ignition components are. so I first washed the block down a little, let it dry out. Started the boat again briefly to make sure everything was ok, then shut it down and cleaned the plugs, wires, cap and rotor to make sure everything was 100 percent. I noticed however the plugs were incredibly dirty. I mean way dirtier then I've ever seen plugs. So I called it a day a got new plugs the following morning and put the cap rotor wires and plugs back in and tried to start her.
Absolutely nothing, turns over great and pops a few times when you hold the starter down from the engines own compression, but that's it. No catching no coughing or sputtering or back firing. I checked the fuel and rebuilt the carb. With the choke and throttle on full I turned it over and quickly checked the plugs, they had fuel on them so I know its getting gas. Then with quick start in through the spark arrestor still nothing.
So I changed the cap, coil, wires and plugs over the next couple days playing around. Still had a weak spark. I tried getting a rotor but it was a discontinued Mallory E-spark kit with the optical shutters on the rotor and just couldn't get one anymore.
So I bit the bullet and got the whole kit from Moyer, Ignitor kit, new cap and rotor, new wires and plugs again. Basically everything in the ignition as I had already changed the coil and ballast resistor 2 days before.
I just put it all on last night and still nothing! However it is acting slightly different upon investigation. The coil is no longer getting warm when I turn the key on or turn the motor over. I noticed before with all my tinkering around when trying to start it it would get quite warm. Now its stone cold.
I noticed my old Mallory Kit had a three wire harness, with an extra wire that went to the block for ground, the Ignitor kit does not, I can only assume it relies on the Distrutor plate as a ground and down through that to the block and back to the battery ground. I thought then that maybe that was my problem all along, a bad distributor ground causing the weak spark, and now that the ignition kit doesn't have a ground wire, its stoping the coil from charging too!
But after putting a test wire from the distributor plate to a known good ground on the block its still not starting and the coil or resistor is not getting warm yet either.
I am really really REALLY stumped at this point, and can only think of turning to the wisdom of the Atomic 4 gods at this point to remedy the situation...
Any thoughts?
This problem has stumped me for a few weeks now. I am usually pretty good at doing maintenance work myself and even moderate repair work, but this problem with my Atomic 4 on my Pearson 30 has really thrown me, and everyone I've spoken to for a loop!
The problem started when the boat started sputtering and popping on my way in to port one day a few weeks ago. I throttled back and it seemed to run a little smoother. Got her docked and tied up for the night just fine. I inspected the engine and noticed it was rather oily in behind where the ignition components are. so I first washed the block down a little, let it dry out. Started the boat again briefly to make sure everything was ok, then shut it down and cleaned the plugs, wires, cap and rotor to make sure everything was 100 percent. I noticed however the plugs were incredibly dirty. I mean way dirtier then I've ever seen plugs. So I called it a day a got new plugs the following morning and put the cap rotor wires and plugs back in and tried to start her.
Absolutely nothing, turns over great and pops a few times when you hold the starter down from the engines own compression, but that's it. No catching no coughing or sputtering or back firing. I checked the fuel and rebuilt the carb. With the choke and throttle on full I turned it over and quickly checked the plugs, they had fuel on them so I know its getting gas. Then with quick start in through the spark arrestor still nothing.
So I changed the cap, coil, wires and plugs over the next couple days playing around. Still had a weak spark. I tried getting a rotor but it was a discontinued Mallory E-spark kit with the optical shutters on the rotor and just couldn't get one anymore.
So I bit the bullet and got the whole kit from Moyer, Ignitor kit, new cap and rotor, new wires and plugs again. Basically everything in the ignition as I had already changed the coil and ballast resistor 2 days before.
I just put it all on last night and still nothing! However it is acting slightly different upon investigation. The coil is no longer getting warm when I turn the key on or turn the motor over. I noticed before with all my tinkering around when trying to start it it would get quite warm. Now its stone cold.
I noticed my old Mallory Kit had a three wire harness, with an extra wire that went to the block for ground, the Ignitor kit does not, I can only assume it relies on the Distrutor plate as a ground and down through that to the block and back to the battery ground. I thought then that maybe that was my problem all along, a bad distributor ground causing the weak spark, and now that the ignition kit doesn't have a ground wire, its stoping the coil from charging too!
But after putting a test wire from the distributor plate to a known good ground on the block its still not starting and the coil or resistor is not getting warm yet either.
I am really really REALLY stumped at this point, and can only think of turning to the wisdom of the Atomic 4 gods at this point to remedy the situation...
Any thoughts?
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