Dead Coil? Electronic Ignition???

[C-30 3058]

I had originated a thread in general troubleshooting a few weeks ago, but after solving my other problems, now find out i have no spark from my coil.

I installed the elctronic ignition kit from Moyer last spring. The coil is at least 5 years old. It says "Standard VC15" on it. I have ~12 Volts at the positive terminal of the coil and no spark when i try to ground the coil wire to the block while cranking.

I read with interest the sticky about coil failure and electronic ingnitions, has this happened to me?

Thanks,

Paul
C-30, 3058

[Don Moyer]

Paul,

Briskly grounding and un-grounding the negative terminal of a coil while insuring a good 12 volts to the positive terminal is the most rudimentary method of checking a coil. Each time the negative terminal is un-grounded you should see a good secondary discharge between the end of the secondary coil lead (normally going to the center of the distributor cap) and the head.

Before condemning a coil that fails the above test, you might hold a voltmeter (using your third hand) between the positive terminal and ground while you're doing the test. If you have a badly corroded terminal anywhere in the primary (12 volt) ignition circuit, the voltage could read 12 volts initially, but drop to near zero each time you ground the negative terminal.

Don

[C-30 3058]

Don,

Just to recap, i was motoring along for 45 minutes when it stopped suddenly and has not started since. I would not have thought that a corroded terminal would cause a sudden shutdown, but then again, electrical issues on boats are always mysterious.

Doesn't the electronic ignition ground the negative terminal while cranking?

While i did not check voltage while cranking, i did try to get a spark from the primary lead from the coil to the distributor while cranking with no spark at all.

Do you have a stepwise troubleshooting guide for no spark?

I am an hour and a half hour away from the boat and i would like to prepare for the most likely failure modes and troubleshoot and just keep changing part until it works if necessary.


Thanks,

Paul

[Don Moyer]

Paul,

You're right about electrical issues on boats sometimes being somewhat mysterious. The electronic ignition system does not simply ground the negative terminal of the coil while cranking; it opens and closes the primary circuit.

Attached please find a recent Q & A we prepared for troubleshoot lack of spark.

Don

[C-30 3058]

Don,

I've gotten it started and running smoothly. After following your troubleshooting guide, it was apparent that the coil was good and that i had good solid voltage to the coil.

I dug through my lockers and found the old distributor plate with the points still attached. I removed the electronic ignition and after cleaning the points up a little bit and confirming that they gave reliable ground, the motor started right up.

I am extremely disappointed that the $90 that I spent on the electronic ignition which I "upgraded" to for more reliability, completely failed me after only 45 running hours. The ignition worked all of last season and the first hour of this season, before simply stopping.

The kit was purchased from Moyer Marine in May of last year, part # IGLM_13_195 and it has 05Z-V4 marked on it. I have a delco distributor and i use RJ8 plugs.

Is my experience common? If so, i would discourage anyone from complicating the nice, simple, reliable point style ignition system. If you understand it, it is easy to troubleshoot and won't "mysteriously" fail, like my electronic ignition did.

Looking forward to any comments on my experiences.

Thanks,

Paul
C-30 3058

[Don Moyer]

Paul,

We've had excellent reliability from the Ignitor, including the one in our own boat which is going on its fifth season. Please send yours to Moyer Marine Warehouse, 242 North Spring Street, Middletown Pa, 17057 and we'll send it in for warranty consideration.

Don