I'm always noticing 2 very important tools in your videos....your beer, and a detailed service/repair manual...your a lifesaver!....keep up the great work it is truly appreciated
Hi Stu. Bit of an update from me on my use of the DVA I built from your instructions. Had some problems with a Tohatsu 60hp so used the DVA to check the output from the CDI unit to the coil primary winding on number 1 cylinder. I have the switch for the 300 ohm in line resistor. When the engine was running and with the resistor in line I could only get a reading of 50 volts which seemed low. So then switched the resistor out of the circuit and the voltage went straight up to 180 volts. So that absolutely confirms your logic that with a low duty cycle current, the resistor need to be taken out of the circuit. I have used it to measure CDI charging coil voltage, and that has a high duty cycle so the resistor was switched in in that situation. Very useful bit of kit! Many thanks again and keep up the good work, Jon
Thanks Jon, great to hear you are getting value out of it. I used mine for a charging coil problem again last week that turned out to be caused by a bad rectifier / regulator. It's great to be able to do a couple of quick tests and isolate the problem without swapping out perfectly good parts to see if it helps.
I will definitely have to check this out as a possibility for my outboard. I changed the spark plugs on my Evinrude 88 SPL (1996) and the boat was running fine. Ended up taking it out and couldn't start it up on the way back! We took the spark plug wires out and tested them 1 by 1. Found that only 1 spark plug wire out of 4 was generating a spark. Going to start by replacing those and then work my way up. Thanks for your videos, informative as always.
I wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents with the rest of the world! I had been trouble-shooting an ignition problem for a few days, and was down to R&R of the CDI Power Pack. I recalled your diagram of how a CDI works, and how the Kill Switch affects the CDI. I cut one of the wires from the kill switch (Black/Yellow on my Evinrude), and the engine fired immediately. I have a new switch on order, and can't thank you enough. You are my go-to guy on all things outboard!!! Cheers, Mate!
GREAT video! I took a risk and bought a Yamaha 9.9 that couldn't be started... no controls... nothing. Never worked on an outboard before but with this video and my first ever multimeter, I was able to diagnose the problem and repair the motor for only $30!!!! almost bought a CDI without testing because it seemed obvious. turned out to be the red, continuous power, wire was faulty within motor's harness. found OEM part for $30 shipped. Keep doing what you do!!! Thanks Again!
Thanks so much for sharing your time and experience. Going to try and diag my Suzuki 40 for a no start at times. I’ll probably be watching this a couple more times. Thanks
bro i love your videos. you are a god. i dont even own one of these outboards but an 88 evinrude 48spl which you've done videos on which has REALLY helped me SUBBED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Video, gives me a great place to start testing on my motor. At full throttle both coils are working properly, but at idle 1 coil stops working. Idle rpm is all over the place.
Hi Stu, went to this video while making my version on my Merc 60hp motor which by the way is way different. But there was helpful info either way for my project. Like needing leads with aligator clips ect... My motor has indiviual coils for each of the 3 cylinders and I have a regulator/rectifier combo unit. Red stator and trigger unit also all going to the switchbox and stator adaptor. Interesting setup they did on these older 1996 motors.
Great Video Stu. I am loving your videos. Very informative. I picked up on a small inconsistency here when testing the secondary winding of the coils though. @ 14:24 You made made mention of testing from one lead to the other, (and show the boot being re-installed) however, the spec in the manual being 3.5 - 4.7K Ohm, that would indicate that the test need to be done without the boots installed, as they have their own resistance built in ( 3.75-6.25KOhm). If you were testing with the boots still on, you would expect to see 11 - 17.2K Ohm, which is too large a range to give any sort of accuracy to the test. Basically, in order to properly test the secondary winding, you need to have the boots off.
Hey Chris. You're stretching my memory now but I recall the service manual showing the test being done with the boots in place but I'll take a look when I am next in the workshop.
Would be awesome to see how to test the CDI. And if power is being produced..Without a starter motor. But all we did here was go around in circles thenFrankenstein it. You left me with more questions than answers
Hi Stu, once again thanks for the really useful information provided through your videos. My friend blew up his Mariner 5hp four stroke engine whilst sailing across the Irish Sea in the UK (my nearest body of water). The water feed pipe failed through corrosion and the engine overheated badly. Having little compression, I decided to rebuild the carbonised engine (& lapped the valves following your guidance) and although compression was restored, it still wouldn't start. Built your DVA (with resistor switch) and it led me to diagnosing a bad capacitor charging coil (probably failed due to the overheating). New coil bought and it started on the second pull! Although you're on the other side of the world I owe you a beer sometime! Cheers, Jon
+OA SES Hi Jon. Great work on getting it running again. Many other people wouldn't have gone to those lengths to save the motor, certainly a job you can be proud of. Looking forward to having that beer with you one day. :)
Stu, Thanks for the video. With the DVA unit. The 300ohm resistor looks like a current limiting protection measure so if shorted out could lead to excess current and maybe some damage. What about switching out the 1MOhm resistor across the capacitor to prevent discharge during the test and allow the full supply voltage to develop across the capacitor. Then switch it back in to discharge before the next test begins.
@@DangarMarine allright, i will look it up on these sites. i finally fixed my f50 aet from '96. turned out to be the sparkplug caps. Didnt think it would give such a big problem. now i need to find a solution for the oil film that occurs on the water during running.
the check tube for coolingwater does not contain oil. it only comes from the exhaust cooling water. I suspect that it is not motoroil but petrol. maybe the mixture is a bit to rich?
Nice. I have to build that DVA tester. I have no spark on my Yamaha 30hp from the mid 80is. Checked with different CDI and coils. All i got is 5v from the trigger.
Hi Mikael. A DVA sure is essential to diagnosing these types of problems. The voltage reading you get without one can be very misleading. Also make sure you track down the factory specs for your outboard so you know what you are comparing your readings to.
Thank you for your answer. Yes i must find some online documentation for my engine regarding voltage outputs etc. I made myself a DVA today, so i will go out and test it later today. Hopefully i get some good results.
To answer myself, i got good readings on trigger and charger. But bad ohm readings on CDI unit. I tried using a single ignition coil from my Yamaha 4hp (i have double ignition coil on my 30hp) and then i got spark. So could it be CDI that is broken ?
So just to clarify, you tried your 8hp coil with your 30hp CDI and got spark? Also, I've never done an Ohm reading on a CDI, just measured the voltage coming out of the CDI to the coils. Can you tell me more about the CDI test you did?
Yes i took my 4hp coil which is single coil and used it with my CDI and got spark, but fairly weak. When i ohm tested the CDI, i checked the orange (wich is positive) and negative (engine ground) and there it should be 0.18-0.3 ohms. But it said it was either OL or 6-10 ohms. Hard to measure, cause i had to tap the ground connector all the time to get reading. Sorry for my english. Hard to write technical stuff :D
Hola amigo, me gustan mucho los vídeos que comparte, mucho aprendemos de usted, no hablo inglés, sería un verdadero gusto que pudiera sustitularlos en español, no solo es usted un buen mecánico, sino también un excelente maestro, gracias y muchas bendiciones.
Great video! I'm slowly working my way through your back catalogue :-) Regarding the cranking issue, I thought I'd share my experience with a '99 Johnson 50 2 stroke. It was intermittently very hesitant about cranking. I originally thought it was the battery because it was improved by charging it. But over time it got worse and I realised that it needed to be sorted. I got Kaikoura Marine to check it out, and they found it was dirty brushes on the starter motor. Once that was sorted, it seemed like it cranked 100 times better!
Thanks Tim. Indeed brushes are common culprit when starter motors fail. This is an old vid on trim tilt but goes through a similar job to fix them ruclips.net/video/woVT4czk6ao/видео.html
This also had a 17 pitch prop which I changed to a 12 pitch as that is what all the prop calculators called for. Just changing the prop pitch got me up on plane and 22 miles an hour from a boat that wouls not plane and maxed at 6 mph.
I sub'd you have an amazing channel and your a master of your craft.... I wish all mechanics were as in depth as you... I'm Heavy Equipment Mechanic, I have been learning outboard on my own just bass fishing and I do all of my own maintenance, I'm just looking to pick a guys brain that knows outboards.. Thanks and look forward you more from you channel....
Love your videos. What are those shop manual books you use in your videos? They seem to have great detail. I have yet to find good shop manual books like that.
Hi Stu, Recently I’ve bought a mercury 30hp 2 stroke 2 cylinder. I bought it for real cheap as the previous owner told me it was not working correctly. (Motor is in nearly perfect shape). After working perfectly for one hour or so it started miss firing and lost nearly all power. So far I have ruled out: -vacuum leak -fuel supply problem -coils -spark leads -spark plugs -reed valves -compression At the top cylinder, timing is on spec. On the bottom cylinder the timing is all over the place (roughly 100 degrees advanced!!) Now I have no idea if this problem has to to with my power pack or trigger spool (which gives me a voltage of 2 volts AC when pulling). I suspect the powerpack is the problem, but I have no wiring diagram to confirm if the symptoms I’m having could be caused by a faulty powerpack/cdi unit. Also it is very expensive so I really don’t want to replace it unnecessarily. I am really confused on this problem and I can not find any similar symptoms on the internet. Help is very much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Don't forget that the timing marks are only for cylinder 1, the second cylinder should fire about 180 out of phase. Some outboards use a waste spark system where the plugs fire simultaneously on both cylinders twice as often as they need to for simplicity of design.
I have a 95 Jonson 25hp tiller with pull start only. I am not getting any spark on either cylinder. I recently replaced both coils and still no spark. Really need help, any suggestions would be appreciated
Very comprehensive! I have an outboard that disengages the starter motor when it fires even though Im holding the ignition key in the same position. Its a tall order to ask if you have any ideas as to why this happens but Im asking lol. I believe the motor would start if it cranked for another second or two before the starter motor disengages. My experience has been that if you keep the key turned that the starter motor keeps cranking in most petrol motors. 40 hp Mariner 2 stroke (Auto miox) 2 cylinder around year 2000. Mercury controls (forward neutral reverse and start key with a lever that appears to be choke)
It has to do with the flywheel moving faster than the starter and pushing the Bendix gear down as a result. This video shows how this works ruclips.net/video/RhdSq4WOaDM/видео.html
Hey Stu, Great video, helped me heaps to understand some problems I am having with my outboard. Do you think you could do a video on checking and setting the spark timing on a two stroke outboard? I am sure there would be others who would to know too! Regards Paul
+Paul Sheppard Hey Paul, glad the video helped. A timing video would be good, I agree. I don't get too many through these days where the timing is adjustable but next time I do I'll be sure to film it!
Hi.your videos are great.For your measurements have you considered getting an oscilloscope?you will get some useful info on the Vpp and actually see those duty cycles.cheers.keep it up
I do have an oscilloscope here but it only runs on Windows software so I haven't been able to use it on the work laptop as it runs Linux. One day I'll sort something out.
Thanks Dangar! I just bought a 1976 Eska 7.5 hp--ignition problems but really clean otherwise. Watched your video and still trying to sort it out for this little tecumseh solid state motor. Would you happen to know any cheap retrofits work arounds for the cdi on these? Would the testing be similar? They made a million of these things and parts are not always easy or cheap to come by. Love your vids. I've watched a bunch and learned a lot! Doug
Hi Doug, interesting question about retrofitting CDI. Can't say I've seen any kits, but it would probably be possible. The crank sensor would be the tricky bit I guess. We only deal with work boats here so we don't often see anything earlier that 90s.
We are getting no readings across some of the pins of the CDI when referencing the resistance chart and wasted spark on cylinder 2. But we do get a spark when testing spark could this be the wasted spark on the downwards spark?
Hey mate appreciate the video! I have a 2 stroke 30hp tohatsu 2000 model. Did the ignition resistance test and between the two cords off the ignition switch i have 16k ohm. This looks pretty high but cant find exact stats
Hi and thank you for all your help.O have a 2001 3cyl 2 stroke johnson that has no spark when cold but it eventually fires up. So I checked my stator resistance today and found some really odd numbers. tested these circuits when cold and after heating up the engine. COLD brown to brown/yellow 55,700k ohms orange to orange/black 418 ohms HOT brown to brown/yellow 862 ohms orange to orange/black 430 ohms The normal range for brown wires is 600-850 ohms and 450-550 for the orange ones per CDI manual. How can the ohms be so high and still start the engine? once it warms up it gets close to spec. any ideas?
what causes this running for 10 min then quit and won't start till it cools down, is it usually the coil or the CDI? coil resistance seems to check out ok.
Awesome video! So I have diagnosed everything like your video on my 60hp outboard evinrude and I have come to find out that underneath my flywheel and in the same vicinity as my cdi unit, its melted black, kind of like a black candle wax. Any suggestions? *No spark in all 3 cylinders, coils, leads, ohm tests are all checked. Thanks!
I've been experimenting with DVA and yes i don't use any resistors at all, not even the 1m ohm in parallel with capacitor... since the multi-meter already has a 1m ohm in the circuit.. plus a 1m ohm multi-meter is BAD for getting accurate results (capacitor discharges too quick) so a 10m ohm or more multi-meter gives better results. Also I don't use 22mf since it slows the results (more for lower voltages, less on higher voltages) so I get the best results between 1mf (small voltages 1v-10v) and 5 mf (30v-250v).
Great video. If I did change the coils on the 2002 Yamaha 15HP 2 stroke, would I need to do any setup of them? Timings etc? Or would they just be plug-n-play?
Hello I have a 2001 optmax 225 it has good compression and fire on all cylinders 85 psi air pressure 95 psi on fuel runs on 2 4 6 cylinders but not on 1 3 5 what is the problem do you think o yeah I have changed the ecm and it is still doing the same thing
Hola !! Saludos desde Argentina!!muchas gracias por tus videos.. Son de mucha ayuda... Mi pregunta es la siguiente... Que libro utilizas para corroborar los datos? Me interesaria poder contar con el muchas gracias y agredesco tu respuesta...
Thank you very much pour these tips. It is really usefull ! I made the handcrafted DVA and it works great. On my carb F50AET (year 1995) all tensions are OK (lighting coil and pulser coil) and I also checked that kill switch and starter switch are good. But the tension delivered by the CDI unit is not compliant. It only delivers 15v during 1 or 2 seconds and then tension decreases. Does it match with a defective CDI or do you have any other suggestion ? Thank you in advance of you have time for an advice :)
In stead of a dva test of the cdi....would IT not be good enough to test the different coils under the flywheel with an multimeter....like an Ohm test to check if They are within spec?to test for continuity?
brilliantly explained. I'm currently having problems with 75 mariner(mercury) 2005 Belgium.. 3cyl. 2t doesn't seem to be charging battery. however battery does gain small voltage increases when motor running?? with metre on battery and start engine no increase in voltage... I'm thinking regulator.... can I do a bench test on it.. six wires? thanks Ian
Hi John. Could either be the regulator rectifier or the lighting coil under the flywheel. The lighting coil provides an AC current so will need a DVA like in this video to test it. You should get about 13.8 volts out of the regulator rectifier once the outboard is up to speed. At idle it will not put out much at all.
HI, I have a 1985 classic fifty Merc 4 cylinder two stroke.This is a new engine to me. I replaced the stator as it was open circuit and had no spark. It would idle and ok mid range rpm but would misfire and lose power at top end. I pulled the leg and the exhaust was almost completely plugged with carbon. I cleaned that out, installed new plugs and took it for a run. It ran great for about half an hour and then stated to bog and misfire. I pumped the fuel ball and nothing changed. This seemed heat related to me so i let the engine cool down for ten minutes and started it up and hit the throttle. Everything worked fine for about 5 minutes. I pumped the fuel ball again with no change. I believe the problem is a bad syn, switch box or coil. This is very difficult to check on the water as that is the only time it does this. In a loaded situation. I can check the trigger with a timing light but am a little perplexed at how to check the switch box or coil under load. Any suggestions would be great full. I do not have a DVA adapter. I do however have a labscope.Any tips?
Are you sure it isn't temperature related if it was fine for another 5 minutes after letting it cool down for 10? Is the thermostat working properly and the water jackets clear?
Awesome info!! Thank you for making this video! I built my DVA per your video and will be using it today with this video as my guide. DVA Question: did you ever determine whether the resistor after the diode was useful for some tests (please post back a list of the tests if so) , or is it necessary at all?
Hi mate, sorry I missed your comment. The notifications seem hit and miss. For ignition systems I haven't yet found a use for the resistor. As ignition systems are intermittent pulses rather than a continuous sine wave I think it will always give you a bad result. With a sine wave like mains power it will be actuate. Sorry for the slow reply!
This is so helpful. Just bought an engine that wouldn't start. After watching this video I took my multimeter to my 4 Stroke Nissan NSF30A and found that 1 of the ignition coils had no reading at the spark plug cover. I tested ahead of the coil just as you did in the video and saw that each coil read the same - so power is going to the coil that had no reading but not getting to the spark plug. Can I safely assume I just need a new ignition coil? Is there another way to test (provide alternate power to the spar plug) before I order the $80 replacement part?
You could swap two coils over and see if the no spark problem moves with that coil. Also check if the lead from the coil to the spark plug is removable or glued in. It could just be the lead.
@Dangar Marine Thank you for the incredibly fast response. It appears to be glued in but I'll inspect a little further. I know others have already said it in previous comments but your video literally brought a 41 year old man, who has never worked on any type of engine, to give it a shot and regardless of whether this ends up being the problem, or not, I just want to thank you for giving me the confidence to give it a shot. Well done sir.
Replaced ignition coil and now have spark at all three cylinders - tested with inline spark tester. Fresh fuel getting to carbs (primer bulb firm, watched go through filter) but engine still won't start. Removed each plug after several start attempts and all plugs are dry. Compression on all 3 cylinders in range of engine spec. Can all 3 carbs be fouled? I feel like I must be missing something very obvious.
Tws Tss check your fuel pump filter and the diaphragm, they are both inside the pump. Try squeezing the bulb while trying to crank it this may tell you if fuel pump is bad. Make sure no vacuum leaks or fuel leaks around it either. Check fuel filters. Make sure vent cap is open on tank.Maybe this will help. Dangar marine has videos on most all problems. Oh your carbs could have water in their bowl so drain each one to make sure and squeeze the bulb till fresh fuel come out of drain hole.
Hi, Ive got an issue with yamaha F50 carb with weak spark only on cyl2. Compression in all good, spark fine on 1,3 and 4. Cyl 2 doesn't seem to fire. Remove lead on 2 when running and engine doesn't change, and only hear small spark, but then lead removed from 1,3 or 4 engine drops speed and spark is heard. Changed coils, still the same, checked all voltage specs and a little higher then spec. Changed plugs and still weak spark cy2. Not sure what else it could be except the CDI which for some reason cost a fortune. Have you retro fitted a standard CDI from something else to work on the yamaha F50?
Hey I have a 1980 Johnson 70 and it starts cold perfect and runs great the whole time no issues what’s so ever !! But when I stop and fish for a little bit it doesn’t like to start and takes a while to finally get it started ! What you think it could be ?
Hi Stu, I recently bought a 15 hp 4 stroke 2003 model Yamaha secondhand outboard engine, it’s backfiring at low and high rpm’s, checked all that’s needed to be checked as per service manual, had bought a brand new carburetor, still no fix, I notice there is a CDI installed that has a 2 stroke part number on it, could this be the problem, 2 stroke CDi or n a 4 stroke engine. Thanks
Hi, hope your well and safe. I like your channel and the videos are very helpful, has helped me a few times. Thank you for that. I do have another problem and I hope you will be able to help or assist - I have a 1970's Johnson/Evenrude 50HP 2 cylinder outboard motor that blew the powerpack/CDI unit. The current unit is the screw type powerpack but it is discontinued. I did manage to get a powerpack CDI unit of the newer model motors but the wire colour coding doesn't match up. How do I connect it without damaging the powerpack? I'm from South Africa and the guys this side is useless in after sales assistance. Best regards Marcel Prinsloo
There will be certain specifications for those switches by testing their resistance with a multimeter. Here is some instructions from online www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Test-a-Thermal-Switch-/10000000205798358/g.html I'll do a video on it soon too.
I'm always noticing 2 very important tools in your videos....your beer, and a detailed service/repair manual...your a lifesaver!....keep up the great work it is truly appreciated
It's very hard to read a service manual without a beer. ;)
This is better then a classroom tech course .You sir , are a very good teacher.
Best thing on u tube. Thank you! And greetings from Vancouver Island .
This is such a beautiful video for some beginners like me. I come back again and again and every time I come back I learn something new!
Thanks mate, glad the video has been helping you. :)
Hi Stu. Bit of an update from me on my use of the DVA I built from your instructions. Had some problems with a Tohatsu 60hp so used the DVA to check the output from the CDI unit to the coil primary winding on number 1 cylinder. I have the switch for the 300 ohm in line resistor. When the engine was running and with the resistor in line I could only get a reading of 50 volts which seemed low. So then switched the resistor out of the circuit and the voltage went straight up to 180 volts. So that absolutely confirms your logic that with a low duty cycle current, the resistor need to be taken out of the circuit. I have used it to measure CDI charging coil voltage, and that has a high duty cycle so the resistor was switched in in that situation. Very useful bit of kit! Many thanks again and keep up the good work, Jon
Thanks Jon, great to hear you are getting value out of it. I used mine for a charging coil problem again last week that turned out to be caused by a bad rectifier / regulator. It's great to be able to do a couple of quick tests and isolate the problem without swapping out perfectly good parts to see if it helps.
I will definitely have to check this out as a possibility for my outboard. I changed the spark plugs on my Evinrude 88 SPL (1996) and the boat was running fine. Ended up taking it out and couldn't start it up on the way back! We took the spark plug wires out and tested them 1 by 1. Found that only 1 spark plug wire out of 4 was generating a spark. Going to start by replacing those and then work my way up. Thanks for your videos, informative as always.
Great videos your the first person that knows what hes talking about. Wish you could fix my 85 hp force. Thankyou
I wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents with the rest of the world! I had been trouble-shooting an ignition problem for a few days, and was down to R&R of the CDI Power Pack. I recalled your diagram of how a CDI works, and how the Kill Switch affects the CDI. I cut one of the wires from the kill switch (Black/Yellow on my Evinrude), and the engine fired immediately. I have a new switch on order, and can't thank you enough. You are my go-to guy on all things outboard!!! Cheers, Mate!
You're welcome Rick, glad it was a cheap and easy fix. :)
GREAT video! I took a risk and bought a Yamaha 9.9 that couldn't be started... no controls... nothing. Never worked on an outboard before but with this video and my first ever multimeter, I was able to diagnose the problem and repair the motor for only $30!!!! almost bought a CDI without testing because it seemed obvious. turned out to be the red, continuous power, wire was faulty within motor's harness. found OEM part for $30 shipped. Keep doing what you do!!! Thanks Again!
Nice one Ben, glad to hear you got the motor up and running, and so cheaply!
Dangar Marine what if your outboard wont start in the water but out the water it runs like a charm
maybe mercury switch faulty?? stops engine starting when engine out of the water.
Soy tu fan pero en inglés hay muchas cosas me no entiendo se puede traducir por favor saluditos
Thanks so much for sharing your time and experience. Going to try and diag my Suzuki 40 for a no start at times. I’ll probably be watching this a couple more times. Thanks
bro i love your videos. you are a god. i dont even own one of these outboards but an 88 evinrude 48spl which you've done videos on which has REALLY helped me SUBBED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad you like them!
I'm subscribing... great editing and awesome information with no stupid music. Thank you so much
Awesome, thank you!
Great stuff. This will help me diagnosing ignition faults in my motorcycle shop, as many bikes use the same technology for their ignition systems.
Yep, plenty of bikes have CDI ingition too!
Great Video, gives me a great place to start testing on my motor. At full throttle both coils are working properly, but at idle 1 coil stops working. Idle rpm is all over the place.
Thanks Clinton, glad it helped you. :)
Did you fix your problem Clinton?
Hi Stu, went to this video while making my version on my Merc 60hp motor which by the way is way different. But there was helpful info either way for my project. Like needing leads with aligator clips ect... My motor has indiviual coils for each of the 3 cylinders and I have a regulator/rectifier combo unit. Red stator and trigger unit also all going to the switchbox and stator adaptor. Interesting setup they did on these older 1996 motors.
Glad it helped Tim.
Thanks for the information, looking forward to seeing more of your videos
Reaz Mohammed Thanks Reaz!
Very valuable information on all of your videos thank you.
You are welcome. Glad you like them!
You are the man! Really enjoy your videos.Love Eddie and the chickens
Say , do you who sales that tester ?
Thanks for the great video. Thorough and clear explanation of the CDI ignition system 👍🏼
Great explanation as you work through the various part of the system and the how and why of each part. Thank you.
Thanks mate, glad the video has helped you you.
Great Video Stu. I am loving your videos. Very informative. I picked up on a small inconsistency here when testing the secondary winding of the coils though. @ 14:24 You made made mention of testing from one lead to the other, (and show the boot being re-installed) however, the spec in the manual being 3.5 - 4.7K Ohm, that would indicate that the test need to be done without the boots installed, as they have their own resistance built in ( 3.75-6.25KOhm). If you were testing with the boots still on, you would expect to see 11 - 17.2K Ohm, which is too large a range to give any sort of accuracy to the test. Basically, in order to properly test the secondary winding, you need to have the boots off.
Hey Chris. You're stretching my memory now but I recall the service manual showing the test being done with the boots in place but I'll take a look when I am next in the workshop.
thanks for the video it helped me find two coils bad on my motor
You're welcome Dennis, glad you got to the bottom of your problem.
Hey good buddy got another one of those Hooten Lager's Ive been working up a mighty thirst watching you work
Would be awesome to see how to test the CDI. And if power is being produced..Without a starter motor.
But all we did here was go around in circles thenFrankenstein it. You left me with more questions than answers
Hi Stu, once again thanks for the really useful information provided through your videos. My friend blew up his Mariner 5hp four stroke engine whilst sailing across the Irish Sea in the UK (my nearest body of water). The water feed pipe failed through corrosion and the engine overheated badly. Having little compression, I decided to rebuild the carbonised engine (& lapped the valves following your guidance) and although compression was restored, it still wouldn't start. Built your DVA (with resistor switch) and it led me to diagnosing a bad capacitor charging coil (probably failed due to the overheating). New coil bought and it started on the second pull! Although you're on the other side of the world I owe you a beer sometime! Cheers, Jon
+OA SES Hi Jon. Great work on getting it running again. Many other people wouldn't have gone to those lengths to save the motor, certainly a job you can be proud of. Looking forward to having that beer with you one day. :)
I +
great videos you are spot on my freind. thank you and i hope you make more for us poor folk who cant afford 100 per hour mechanic
Stu, Thanks for the video. With the DVA unit. The 300ohm resistor looks like a current limiting protection measure so if shorted out could lead to excess current and maybe some damage. What about switching out the 1MOhm resistor across the capacitor to prevent discharge during the test and allow the full supply voltage to develop across the capacitor. Then switch it back in to discharge before the next test begins.
thank you Dangar because of your educational video I still have a good running motor!!!!;-):-)
+coraldecuba 66 You're welcome, safe boating!
Priceless information...ripper ...gonna keep this vid close to my heart...cheers dude..God bless😊👍
versatec1 Thanks very much, I'm glad you found it helpful. :)
@@DangarMarine hey , where can I buy one of those tester's ?
Very helpful, your my GOTO guy for anything outboard.
Lovely video! I could really use a manual that you use in this video. In the Netherlands I am searching for it years now. No result.
I think I got it from either tradebit.com or readmanual.com
@@DangarMarine allright, i will look it up on these sites. i finally fixed my f50 aet from '96. turned out to be the sparkplug caps. Didnt think it would give such a big problem. now i need to find a solution for the oil film that occurs on the water during running.
the check tube for coolingwater does not contain oil. it only comes from the exhaust cooling water.
I suspect that it is not motoroil but petrol. maybe the mixture is a bit to rich?
Good work with only one lead suspect i am thinking to check continuity from cdi to coil in dead wire
Thankyou
Nice. I have to build that DVA tester. I have no spark on my Yamaha 30hp from the mid 80is. Checked with different CDI and coils. All i got is 5v from the trigger.
Hi Mikael. A DVA sure is essential to diagnosing these types of problems. The voltage reading you get without one can be very misleading. Also make sure you track down the factory specs for your outboard so you know what you are comparing your readings to.
Thank you for your answer. Yes i must find some online documentation for my engine regarding voltage outputs etc. I made myself a DVA today, so i will go out and test it later today. Hopefully i get some good results.
To answer myself, i got good readings on trigger and charger. But bad ohm readings on CDI unit. I tried using a single ignition coil from my Yamaha 4hp (i have double ignition coil on my 30hp) and then i got spark. So could it be CDI that is broken ?
So just to clarify, you tried your 8hp coil with your 30hp CDI and got spark? Also, I've never done an Ohm reading on a CDI, just measured the voltage coming out of the CDI to the coils. Can you tell me more about the CDI test you did?
Yes i took my 4hp coil which is single coil and used it with my CDI and got spark, but fairly weak. When i ohm tested the CDI, i checked the orange (wich is positive) and negative (engine ground) and there it should be 0.18-0.3 ohms. But it said it was either OL or 6-10 ohms. Hard to measure, cause i had to tap the ground connector all the time to get reading. Sorry for my english. Hard to write technical stuff :D
Thanks for breaking it down so well. Just the information I was looking for. Really appreciate you taking the time brother!
You're welcome John.
Hola amigo, me gustan mucho los vídeos que comparte, mucho aprendemos de usted, no hablo inglés, sería un verdadero gusto que pudiera sustitularlos en español, no solo es usted un buen mecánico, sino también un excelente maestro, gracias y muchas bendiciones.
Great video. Very informative. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Great video as always! but i know something you dont! OL stands for Open Loop on the multimeter :)
There you go! :)
Another great video - I have learned a BUNCH from them!
Thanks Gary!
I am enjoying your video ...so practical...and user friendly
Thanks Marvin!
Great vid love your channel!
Thanks so much!
Great video! I'm slowly working my way through your back catalogue :-) Regarding the cranking issue, I thought I'd share my experience with a '99 Johnson 50 2 stroke. It was intermittently very hesitant about cranking. I originally thought it was the battery because it was improved by charging it. But over time it got worse and I realised that it needed to be sorted. I got Kaikoura Marine to check it out, and they found it was dirty brushes on the starter motor. Once that was sorted, it seemed like it cranked 100 times better!
Thanks Tim. Indeed brushes are common culprit when starter motors fail. This is an old vid on trim tilt but goes through a similar job to fix them ruclips.net/video/woVT4czk6ao/видео.html
@@DangarMarine h
thanks for sharing your knowledge
checked connections on regulator.. clean and no burning etc. freshwater use only and low hours on lovely lough Erne,fermanagh, N.Ireland. thanks
greetings from Greece...
Yasas! :)
Kalispera...
This also had a 17 pitch prop which I changed to a 12 pitch as that is what all the prop calculators called for. Just changing the prop pitch got me up on plane and 22 miles an hour from a boat that wouls not plane and maxed at 6 mph.
Great video. What is the difference between unloaded and loaded?
I sub'd you have an amazing channel and your a master of your craft.... I wish all mechanics were as in depth as you... I'm Heavy Equipment Mechanic, I have been learning outboard on my own just bass fishing and I do all of my own maintenance, I'm just looking to pick a guys brain that knows outboards.. Thanks and look forward you more from you channel....
Thanks mate, glad the videos are helping you with your outboard. Always good to have another wrench onboard. :)
9lĺ
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Love your videos. What are those shop manual books you use in your videos? They seem to have great detail. I have yet to find good shop manual books like that.
Excellent ***** Video. Good foundation to work from. Thanks Stu !!!
Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it. :)
Very Informative, thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Great video and very informative, thankyou
Thanks for the videos and great info
Hi Stu,
Recently I’ve bought a mercury 30hp 2 stroke 2 cylinder.
I bought it for real cheap as the previous owner told me it was not working correctly. (Motor is in nearly perfect shape).
After working perfectly for one hour or so it started miss firing and lost nearly all power.
So far I have ruled out:
-vacuum leak
-fuel supply problem
-coils
-spark leads
-spark plugs
-reed valves
-compression
At the top cylinder, timing is on spec.
On the bottom cylinder the timing is all over the place (roughly 100 degrees advanced!!)
Now I have no idea if this problem has to to with my power pack or trigger spool (which gives me a voltage of 2 volts AC when pulling).
I suspect the powerpack is the problem, but I have no wiring diagram to confirm if the symptoms I’m having could be caused by a faulty powerpack/cdi unit.
Also it is very expensive so I really don’t want to replace it unnecessarily.
I am really confused on this problem and I can not find any similar symptoms on the internet.
Help is very much appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Don't forget that the timing marks are only for cylinder 1, the second cylinder should fire about 180 out of phase. Some outboards use a waste spark system where the plugs fire simultaneously on both cylinders twice as often as they need to for simplicity of design.
I have a 95 Jonson 25hp tiller with pull start only. I am not getting any spark on either cylinder. I recently replaced both coils and still no spark. Really need help, any suggestions would be appreciated
Very comprehensive! I have an outboard that disengages the starter motor when it fires even though Im holding the ignition key in the same position. Its a tall order to ask if you have any ideas as to why this happens but Im asking lol. I believe the motor would start if it cranked for another second or two before the starter motor disengages. My experience has been that if you keep the key turned that the starter motor keeps cranking in most petrol motors. 40 hp Mariner 2 stroke (Auto miox) 2 cylinder around year 2000. Mercury controls (forward neutral reverse and start key with a lever that appears to be choke)
It has to do with the flywheel moving faster than the starter and pushing the Bendix gear down as a result. This video shows how this works ruclips.net/video/RhdSq4WOaDM/видео.html
Thank you. You're a champion, helped alot
You're welcome!
Gracias!!! Y sigue asi con tus videos ayudando mas personas!! Saludos!!!!
De nada amigo. :)
Hey Stu,
Great video, helped me heaps to understand some problems I am having with my outboard. Do you think you could do a video on checking and setting the spark timing on a two stroke outboard? I am sure there would be others who would to know too!
Regards
Paul
+Paul Sheppard Hey Paul, glad the video helped. A timing video would be good, I agree. I don't get too many through these days where the timing is adjustable but next time I do I'll be sure to film it!
Thank you for the very informative video .
+Magboul Eltahir Hi Magboul, sorry I missed you comment before, thanks for watching, glad it helped. :)
Thank you,I will give it a shot.
where can i get my hands on good manuals?
Hi.your videos are great.For your measurements have you considered getting an oscilloscope?you will get some useful info on the Vpp and actually see those duty cycles.cheers.keep it up
I do have an oscilloscope here but it only runs on Windows software so I haven't been able to use it on the work laptop as it runs Linux. One day I'll sort something out.
Hey nice learned two things from your video. Have a good one.
+Adam Borz thanks, you too!
Thanks Dangar! I just bought a 1976 Eska 7.5 hp--ignition problems but really clean otherwise. Watched your video and still trying to sort it out for this little tecumseh solid state motor. Would you happen to know any cheap retrofits work arounds for the cdi on these? Would the testing be similar? They made a million of these things and parts are not always easy or cheap to come by. Love your vids. I've watched a bunch and learned a lot!
Doug
Hi Doug, interesting question about retrofitting CDI. Can't say I've seen any kits, but it would probably be possible. The crank sensor would be the tricky bit I guess. We only deal with work boats here so we don't often see anything earlier that 90s.
Excellent video
We are getting no readings across some of the pins of the CDI when referencing the resistance chart and wasted spark on cylinder 2. But we do get a spark when testing spark could this be the wasted spark on the downwards spark?
13:06 did you zero your multimeter Stu?
Hey mate appreciate the video!
I have a 2 stroke 30hp tohatsu 2000 model.
Did the ignition resistance test and between the two cords off the ignition switch i have 16k ohm. This looks pretty high but cant find exact stats
Hey danger marine what manual did you use in the video for the electrical
Great video . Much appreciated.
I would have lost the multimeter, most tools, the spark plug boot overboard by now. Great video though. Thanks.
Don't worry, I've certainly lost my fair share of tools overboard!
buy tools that float lol
I have a 200 Yamaha 2 stroke, I would like to know how many turns to turn the air screw for good performance?
Hi and thank you for all your help.O have a 2001 3cyl 2 stroke johnson that has no spark when cold but it eventually fires up.
So I checked my stator resistance today and found some really odd numbers.
tested these circuits when cold and after heating up the engine.
COLD
brown to brown/yellow 55,700k ohms
orange to orange/black 418 ohms
HOT
brown to brown/yellow 862 ohms
orange to orange/black 430 ohms
The normal range for brown wires is 600-850 ohms
and 450-550 for the orange ones per CDI manual.
How can the ohms be so high and still start the engine? once it warms up it gets close to spec.
any ideas?
Hello i have a 4.5 hp mercury (1976 ive been told could you tell me where the wires from points condenser and magneto go please
Are there wires that go to the CDI from some low oil sensor switch that would shut down the CDI?
On some outboards, yes. If it has it the low oil sensor will cut the ignition (or go into limp mode) to protect it.
what causes this running for 10 min then quit and won't start till it cools down, is it usually the coil or the CDI? coil resistance seems to check out ok.
Awesome video! So I have diagnosed everything like your video on my 60hp outboard evinrude and I have come to find out that underneath my flywheel and in the same vicinity as my cdi unit, its melted black, kind of like a black candle wax. Any suggestions?
*No spark in all 3 cylinders, coils, leads, ohm tests are all checked.
Thanks!
Sounds like the insulation on the coil under the flywheel may have melted which will mean the wires will be shorting.
Great video. Thanks!
I've been experimenting with DVA and yes i don't use any resistors at all, not even the 1m ohm in parallel with capacitor... since the multi-meter already has a 1m ohm in the circuit.. plus a 1m ohm multi-meter is BAD for getting accurate results (capacitor discharges too quick) so a 10m ohm or more multi-meter gives better results. Also I don't use 22mf since it slows the results (more for lower voltages, less on higher voltages) so I get the best results between 1mf (small voltages 1v-10v) and 5 mf (30v-250v).
Great video. If I did change the coils on the 2002 Yamaha 15HP 2 stroke, would I need to do any setup of them? Timings etc? Or would they just be plug-n-play?
Hi mate, changing coils is just plug and play, nothing to setup at all.
Perfect. Thanks Stu!
Hello I have a 2001 optmax 225 it has good compression and fire on all cylinders 85 psi air pressure 95 psi on fuel runs on 2 4 6 cylinders but not on 1 3 5 what is the problem do you think o yeah I have changed the ecm and it is still doing the same thing
Hola !! Saludos desde Argentina!!muchas gracias por tus videos.. Son de mucha ayuda... Mi pregunta es la siguiente... Que libro utilizas para corroborar los datos? Me interesaria poder contar con el muchas gracias y agredesco tu respuesta...
That was the Yamaha service manual for that outboard. I got it from the website readmanual.com
Thank you very much pour these tips. It is really usefull !
I made the handcrafted DVA and it works great. On my carb F50AET (year 1995) all tensions are OK (lighting coil and pulser coil) and I also checked that kill switch and starter switch are good.
But the tension delivered by the CDI unit is not compliant. It only delivers 15v during 1 or 2 seconds and then tension decreases. Does it match with a defective CDI or do you have any other suggestion ?
Thank you in advance of you have time for an advice :)
Could you inform us of the manual you are using? Thank you for share with the rest of us.
It’s the original Yamaha service manual for that motor.
Thank you
In stead of a dva test of the cdi....would IT not be good enough to test the different coils under the flywheel with an multimeter....like an Ohm test to check if They are within spec?to test for continuity?
Hi. did you end up figuring out the problem ? i have the same outboard , with the same low rpm spark problem. im leanimg to bad cdi but arnt sure yet
Thank you that was great.
thanks for share this video.
brilliantly explained. I'm currently having problems with 75 mariner(mercury) 2005 Belgium.. 3cyl. 2t doesn't seem to be charging battery. however battery does gain small voltage increases when motor running?? with metre on battery and start engine no increase in voltage... I'm thinking regulator.... can I do a bench test on it.. six wires? thanks Ian
Hi John. Could either be the regulator rectifier or the lighting coil under the flywheel. The lighting coil provides an AC current so will need a DVA like in this video to test it. You should get about 13.8 volts out of the regulator rectifier once the outboard is up to speed. At idle it will not put out much at all.
Hi, Is it possible for the Power Pack (CDI) to produce heating on one side of the engine on cylinders 1 and 3? Is a 140hp yamaha V4 engine 1987
I wouldn't have thought so. Most V4 engines will have two thermostats, one for each side so I would start by looking at those.
HI, I have a 1985 classic fifty Merc 4 cylinder two stroke.This is a new engine to me. I replaced the stator as it was open circuit and had no spark. It would idle and ok mid range rpm but would misfire and lose power at top end. I pulled the leg and the exhaust was almost completely plugged with carbon. I cleaned that out, installed new plugs and took it for a run. It ran great for about half an hour and then stated to bog and misfire. I pumped the fuel ball and nothing changed. This seemed heat related to me so i let the engine cool down for ten minutes and started it up and hit the throttle. Everything worked fine for about 5 minutes. I pumped the fuel ball again with no change. I believe the problem is a bad syn, switch box or coil. This is very difficult to check on the water as that is the only time it does this. In a loaded situation. I can check the trigger with a timing light but am a little perplexed at how to check the switch box or coil under load. Any suggestions would be great full. I do not have a DVA adapter. I do however have a labscope.Any tips?
Are you sure it isn't temperature related if it was fine for another 5 minutes after letting it cool down for 10? Is the thermostat working properly and the water jackets clear?
Awesome info!! Thank you for making this video! I built my DVA per your video and will be using it today with this video as my guide. DVA Question: did you ever determine whether the resistor after the diode was useful for some tests (please post back a list of the tests if so) , or is it necessary at all?
Hi mate, sorry I missed your comment. The notifications seem hit and miss. For ignition systems I haven't yet found a use for the resistor. As ignition systems are intermittent pulses rather than a continuous sine wave I think it will always give you a bad result. With a sine wave like mains power it will be actuate. Sorry for the slow reply!
I have a wire pulled out of mine , do you have a foto of your wiring strip
You are very good do you do certification courses
Damn fine lesson thank you
This is so helpful. Just bought an engine that wouldn't start. After watching this video I took my multimeter to my 4 Stroke Nissan NSF30A and found that 1 of the ignition coils had no reading at the spark plug cover. I tested ahead of the coil just as you did in the video and saw that each coil read the same - so power is going to the coil that had no reading but not getting to the spark plug. Can I safely assume I just need a new ignition coil? Is there another way to test (provide alternate power to the spar plug) before I order the $80 replacement part?
You could swap two coils over and see if the no spark problem moves with that coil. Also check if the lead from the coil to the spark plug is removable or glued in. It could just be the lead.
@Dangar Marine Thank you for the incredibly fast response. It appears to be glued in but I'll inspect a little further. I know others have already said it in previous comments but your video literally brought a 41 year old man, who has never worked on any type of engine, to give it a shot and regardless of whether this ends up being the problem, or not, I just want to thank you for giving me the confidence to give it a shot. Well done sir.
Replaced ignition coil and now have spark at all three cylinders - tested with inline spark tester. Fresh fuel getting to carbs (primer bulb firm, watched go through filter) but engine still won't start. Removed each plug after several start attempts and all plugs are dry. Compression on all 3 cylinders in range of engine spec. Can all 3 carbs be fouled? I feel like I must be missing something very obvious.
Tws Tss check your fuel pump filter and the diaphragm, they are both inside the pump. Try squeezing the bulb while trying to crank it this may tell you if fuel pump is bad. Make sure no vacuum leaks or fuel leaks around it either. Check fuel filters. Make sure vent cap is open on tank.Maybe this will help. Dangar marine has videos on most all problems. Oh your carbs could have water in their bowl so drain each one to make sure and squeeze the bulb till fresh fuel come out of drain hole.
Hi, Ive got an issue with yamaha F50 carb with weak spark only on cyl2. Compression in all good, spark fine on 1,3 and 4. Cyl 2 doesn't seem to fire. Remove lead on 2 when running and engine doesn't change, and only hear small spark, but then lead removed from 1,3 or 4 engine drops speed and spark is heard. Changed coils, still the same, checked all voltage specs and a little higher then spec. Changed plugs and still weak spark cy2.
Not sure what else it could be except the CDI which for some reason cost a fortune. Have you retro fitted a standard CDI from something else to work on the yamaha F50?
Hey I have a 1980 Johnson 70 and it starts cold perfect and runs great the whole time no issues what’s so ever !! But when I stop and fish for a little bit it doesn’t like to start and takes a while to finally get it started ! What you think it could be ?
Hi Stu, I recently bought a 15 hp 4 stroke 2003 model Yamaha secondhand outboard engine, it’s backfiring at low and high rpm’s, checked all that’s needed to be checked as per service manual, had bought a brand new carburetor, still no fix, I notice there is a CDI installed that has a 2 stroke part number on it, could this be the problem, 2 stroke CDi or n a 4 stroke engine. Thanks
Hi, hope your well and safe. I like your channel and the videos are very helpful, has helped me a few times. Thank you for that.
I do have another problem and I hope you will be able to help or assist - I have a 1970's Johnson/Evenrude 50HP 2 cylinder outboard motor that blew the powerpack/CDI unit. The current unit is the screw type powerpack but it is discontinued. I did manage to get a powerpack CDI unit of the newer model motors but the wire colour coding doesn't match up. How do I connect it without damaging the powerpack?
I'm from South Africa and the guys this side is useless in after sales assistance.
Best regards
Marcel Prinsloo
Thanks for all of your help.
Is there a way to test the thermostat switch, and the oil is premix in the gas.
There will be certain specifications for those switches by testing their resistance with a multimeter. Here is some instructions from online www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Test-a-Thermal-Switch-/10000000205798358/g.html I'll do a video on it soon too.