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Author Topic:   1996 Evinrude, No Spark

Jake B posted 03-22-2012 07:39 AM ET (US)
I am finally saying Uncle, and soliciting any help. I keep my Outrage on a lift over the water about an hour from Charlotte. The 1996 Evinrude Ocean Pro 200 ran last in September. For Thanksgiving weekend I went up to start the boat, and charged the batteries. The motor would turn over at a speed that "I think" it would normally start. Since then I (8 month old daughter, no time) have made several trips to the boat with no luck in starting the motor. I carry a spark tester that JimH recommends, and since Thanksgiving I haven't been able to get a spark on any cylinder. So far this is what I have tested:
--Key Switch. Seems to be functioning according to the diagram on the reference section.
--Kill Switch. Seems OK, I disconnected the black/yellow stripe connector under the cowl.
--Cleaned all battery cable connections from the center console to the motor.
--Purchased two new batteries (Walmart). To my untrained ear the crank speed seems the same as the old batteries.
--Cussed, then realized this would be easier if my arms were 6-feet long each. Then I could work on the motor and turn the key at the same time.
And then, it started last weekend. It ran for about 10 seconds, then would not start again. I think it's mocking my efforts.
As some of you Dad's can imagine, my wife thinks these trips to the lake to "fix the boat" are some kind of escape to relaxation. I tell her how hanging off the back of a boat with a multi-meter and the risk of falling in cold water is no pick-nick.
Could it be the shift switch? For the life of me, I can't find it. Is it under the hood or in the binnacle?
-Jake in CLT
newt posted 03-22-2012 11:02 AM ET (US)
Your neutral safety switch is located in the [remote] controls, but you may have a shift interrupt switch under the cowl. On my engine it is located on one of the linkage arms where the shift cable connects under the cowl. Look for a black and yellow wire in that area to help locate the switch. Not all engines have one. In fact, I have twin engines, and one engine has the shift interrupt switch and one does not.
Teak Oil posted 03-22-2012 11:56 AM ET (US)
I would take a second look at the kill switch. Why did you disconnect the connector?
jimh posted 03-22-2012 01:37 PM ET (US)
To disable the safety lanyard or KILL circuit, you should disconnect it at the engine. There is high voltage on the KILL circuit conductor, and it often occurs that something in the wiring harness can short out, causing the spark ignition to be shorted out or reduced in voltage from the short in the wiring harness. Disconnect the wiring harness KILL circuit conductor from the Power Pack to eliminate the KILL circuit as the cause of your loss of spark ignition.
Jake B posted 03-22-2012 02:14 PM ET (US)
I really thought or think the problem is in the kill switch circuit. Teak Oil--I disconnected the black-with-yellow-stripe "Amphenol Connector" because I believed that was the path to ground of the kill switch. The connector is located near the (#2) cylinder held in place by a wire hanger support. When the motor did start for the few seconds, the "Amphenol Connector" was disconnected. I used an Ohm meter to check the kill switch and key switch, they both checked out OK. I uploaded a picture of the connector(old picture).
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae52/AllyConstruction/OMCNoSpark.jpg
daveb posted 03-30-2012 09:05 PM ET (US)
Take a good look at the Ocean Pro service history, current compression and consider whether it is worth more time and money. Consider repower. These were similar to the Ficht I think and it may be at or near the end of DEPENDABLE lifespan if you want to get home from the water without questioning the motor's ability to get you back in..
pcrussell50 posted 03-31-2012 12:56 AM ET (US)
Unless there's something about the Ocean Pro that is madly complex, your motor is simple enough that you owe it to yourself to track down the problem before spending BIG bucks on a repower. Save the repower for when the compression becomes low or too eneven, or the leakdown characteristics are suggestive that an overhaul is in order. Otherwise, you have a high resinstance connection somewhere or a part like a power pack that has gone bad.
Just this last fall, I had a no-spark situation on one of my Evinrudes. First step is to disconnect the red plug leading forward to the remote control, (unless starting in '96 the old standard red plug went away that year). Then crank the motor over using a cheap remote starter hand trigger you can get at Autozone, with your spark tester installed. (I just jumpered the right lugs with a rubber handled screwdriver, but that trick is advanced "shade tree", and I disclaim responsibility if you do it wrong). If you get spark, then the expensive stuff like power packs are ok, and you have a bad connection in the terminals that lead to your remote. I don't know how involved the Ocean Pro is, but my spark came back to life simply by re-racking the blade connectors attached to the back side of the key switch--the ones that ground the ignition and stop the motor when you turn the key off.
Don't let something simple be the cause of a MAJOR unnecessary expenditure like a repower. I've benefitted HUGELY from people who have panicked and repowered for minor problems, "giving" me their perfectly good old motor for pennies on the dollar. You have a chance not to be that guy.
-Peter
jimh posted 03-31-2012 08:16 AM ET (US)
Do you have a service manual? Typically in the service manual there will diagnostic procedures for checking the low voltages generated for the spark ignition primary coil circuit. It is unlikely that all your spark coils have gone bad at once. The primary voltage for the spark coils comes from a winding on the stator of the permanent magnet alternator. If that winding is open, intermittent, has some shorted turns, or is shorting to ground, the primary spark coil voltage will be too low.
The current also has to pass through the Power Pack, where it is switched on and off. The signals which control this are generated in the Timer Base. The Power Pack could be bad, or the Timer Base could be bad. These components often connect together with plug and socket connections. Check those connectors.
The neutral safety switch in the remote controls prevents the electric starter motor circuit from working. The engine will not crank over if the remote shift is not in NEUTRAL. It cannot affect spark.
The shift assist switch cuts off spark to one cylinder bank when the shift lever moves from FORWARD to NEUTRAL or from REVERSE to NEUTRAL. It is usually located low in the cowling. It is actuated by the shift lever mechanism. But it only affects one cylinder bank. Since all cylinders lack spark, the cause is unlikely to be the shift assist switch.
The Power Pack (on some models) will suppress spark ignition until the cranking speed is above an RPM threshold. I don't know precisely how it senses the cranking speed. It could be from the tachometer signal. The tachometer signal comes from the Rectifier-Regulator module. Perhaps that is affecting the spark. I am not sure if that's possible. We need an old hand Evinrude tech to help.

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Author	Topic: 1996 Evinrude, No Spark
Jake B	posted 03-22-2012 07:39 AM ET (US) I am finally saying Uncle, and soliciting any help. I keep my Outrage on a lift over the water about an hour from Charlotte. The 1996 Evinrude Ocean Pro 200 ran last in September. For Thanksgiving weekend I went up to start the boat, and charged the batteries. The motor would turn over at a speed that "I think" it would normally start. Since then I (8 month old daughter, no time) have made several trips to the boat with no luck in starting the motor. I carry a spark tester that JimH recommends, and since Thanksgiving I haven't been able to get a spark on any cylinder. So far this is what I have tested: --Key Switch. Seems to be functioning according to the diagram on the reference section. --Kill Switch. Seems OK, I disconnected the black/yellow stripe connector under the cowl. --Cleaned all battery cable connections from the center console to the motor. --Purchased two new batteries (Walmart). To my untrained ear the crank speed seems the same as the old batteries. --Cussed, then realized this would be easier if my arms were 6-feet long each. Then I could work on the motor and turn the key at the same time. And then, it started last weekend. It ran for about 10 seconds, then would not start again. I think it's mocking my efforts. As some of you Dad's can imagine, my wife thinks these trips to the lake to "fix the boat" are some kind of escape to relaxation. I tell her how hanging off the back of a boat with a multi-meter and the risk of falling in cold water is no pick-nick. Could it be the shift switch? For the life of me, I can't find it. Is it under the hood or in the binnacle? -Jake in CLT
newt	posted 03-22-2012 11:02 AM ET (US) Your neutral safety switch is located in the [remote] controls, but you may have a shift interrupt switch under the cowl. On my engine it is located on one of the linkage arms where the shift cable connects under the cowl. Look for a black and yellow wire in that area to help locate the switch. Not all engines have one. In fact, I have twin engines, and one engine has the shift interrupt switch and one does not.
Teak Oil	posted 03-22-2012 11:56 AM ET (US) I would take a second look at the kill switch. Why did you disconnect the connector?
jimh	posted 03-22-2012 01:37 PM ET (US) To disable the safety lanyard or KILL circuit, you should disconnect it at the engine. There is high voltage on the KILL circuit conductor, and it often occurs that something in the wiring harness can short out, causing the spark ignition to be shorted out or reduced in voltage from the short in the wiring harness. Disconnect the wiring harness KILL circuit conductor from the Power Pack to eliminate the KILL circuit as the cause of your loss of spark ignition.
Jake B	posted 03-22-2012 02:14 PM ET (US) I really thought or think the problem is in the kill switch circuit. Teak Oil--I disconnected the black-with-yellow-stripe "Amphenol Connector" because I believed that was the path to ground of the kill switch. The connector is located near the (#2) cylinder held in place by a wire hanger support. When the motor did start for the few seconds, the "Amphenol Connector" was disconnected. I used an Ohm meter to check the kill switch and key switch, they both checked out OK. I uploaded a picture of the connector(old picture). http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae52/AllyConstruction/OMCNoSpark.jpg
daveb	posted 03-30-2012 09:05 PM ET (US) Take a good look at the Ocean Pro service history, current compression and consider whether it is worth more time and money. Consider repower. These were similar to the Ficht I think and it may be at or near the end of DEPENDABLE lifespan if you want to get home from the water without questioning the motor's ability to get you back in..
pcrussell50	posted 03-31-2012 12:56 AM ET (US) Unless there's something about the Ocean Pro that is madly complex, your motor is simple enough that you owe it to yourself to track down the problem before spending BIG bucks on a repower. Save the repower for when the compression becomes low or too eneven, or the leakdown characteristics are suggestive that an overhaul is in order. Otherwise, you have a high resinstance connection somewhere or a part like a power pack that has gone bad. Just this last fall, I had a no-spark situation on one of my Evinrudes. First step is to disconnect the red plug leading forward to the remote control, (unless starting in '96 the old standard red plug went away that year). Then crank the motor over using a cheap remote starter hand trigger you can get at Autozone, with your spark tester installed. (I just jumpered the right lugs with a rubber handled screwdriver, but that trick is advanced "shade tree", and I disclaim responsibility if you do it wrong). If you get spark, then the expensive stuff like power packs are ok, and you have a bad connection in the terminals that lead to your remote. I don't know how involved the Ocean Pro is, but my spark came back to life simply by re-racking the blade connectors attached to the back side of the key switch--the ones that ground the ignition and stop the motor when you turn the key off. Don't let something simple be the cause of a MAJOR unnecessary expenditure like a repower. I've benefitted HUGELY from people who have panicked and repowered for minor problems, "giving" me their perfectly good old motor for pennies on the dollar. You have a chance not to be that guy. -Peter
jimh	posted 03-31-2012 08:16 AM ET (US) Do you have a service manual? Typically in the service manual there will diagnostic procedures for checking the low voltages generated for the spark ignition primary coil circuit. It is unlikely that all your spark coils have gone bad at once. The primary voltage for the spark coils comes from a winding on the stator of the permanent magnet alternator. If that winding is open, intermittent, has some shorted turns, or is shorting to ground, the primary spark coil voltage will be too low. The current also has to pass through the Power Pack, where it is switched on and off. The signals which control this are generated in the Timer Base. The Power Pack could be bad, or the Timer Base could be bad. These components often connect together with plug and socket connections. Check those connectors. The neutral safety switch in the remote controls prevents the electric starter motor circuit from working. The engine will not crank over if the remote shift is not in NEUTRAL. It cannot affect spark. The shift assist switch cuts off spark to one cylinder bank when the shift lever moves from FORWARD to NEUTRAL or from REVERSE to NEUTRAL. It is usually located low in the cowling. It is actuated by the shift lever mechanism. But it only affects one cylinder bank. Since all cylinders lack spark, the cause is unlikely to be the shift assist switch. The Power Pack (on some models) will suppress spark ignition until the cranking speed is above an RPM threshold. I don't know precisely how it senses the cranking speed. It could be from the tachometer signal. The tachometer signal comes from the Rectifier-Regulator module. Perhaps that is affecting the spark. I am not sure if that's possible. We need an old hand Evinrude tech to help.