Baja Hammer Ignition headache!!!....Ugggh!! HELP!
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Baja Hammer Ignition headache!!!....Ugggh!! HELP!
Ok guys need some help here. First post on this forum. Little background on me. Aircraft mechanic, long time boat owner (inboards), first Baja and first outdrive boat. Do all my own maintenance.
Boat backgound: 1997 Baja Boss Hammer, 7.4 Merc Carbed, Bravo 1, Thunderbolt V ignition system. Bought boat from original owner in June, about 350 hours. Completely factory like he ordered it back in 97'....no hack work or add-ons. Boat sat for about 12mos before I got it. All freshwater!
Issue(s): Boat ran great the first weekend we had it out. It was literally a turn key deal for me. Delivered with 3/4 tank of gas...started right up....ran well...etc.
2nd weekend...boat ran great on Friday, Saturday she started to have a slight miss off of idle that would clear out once into some higher RPM and cruising speed,.....Sunday it began. While cruising at about 30 it started cutting out, then back on, then again....and just quit like I turned the key off! After about five minutes of cranking she coughed, backfired, coughed, smoked and fired up. I headed back to the house immediately. It ran fine once I got it started. We decided to load it on the trailer and it quit 50 yds from the ramp and I had to do the whole swim it on the trailer thing...good times. Anyway at this point I'm thinking crap gas. So here is what I did:
1. Drained tank
2. Changed fuel filter
3. Removed Anti-siphon valve
4. New Cap
5. New Rotor
6. New Gas
7. New Belts
After changing all that I put it on the hose and it fired right up...Sweet right...not! Now it wasn't pumping water. So I changed the impeller (it was trashed), found all the pieces. checked it on the hose...put it on the lake! Well after about an hour it quit on me again! Towed to the ramp, pissed off wife had to come and get me in the truck at the ramp across town....swim it on the trailer dance. While cranking it trying to get it started I noticed a big spark jumping off the coil wire to the primary ground post. So here is what I changed:
1. New Plugs
2. New Wires
3. New Coil
4. IGN Sensor/Pick-up under cap
Third weeked:
Put it on the hose...fired right up...put it on the lake...ran great. During all this I am researching more about this half-hybrid P.O.S. Ign system. I check base timing (it was 8, i set 10 per sticker), I set carb mix, and idle too. runs great. Load up the family to head to the fireworks and she quit halfway there!!! Get towed to the ramp, get a ride home, pick up trailer, swim boat on trailer dance, come home pissed!! Wife pissed, kids pissed (no fireworks). Let me tell ya...if you wanna have fun get towed and hand swim your boat on a trailer at a busy ramp with wind on the 4th of July. Who needs fireworks!!
So next day she wouldnt crank in the drive. Got the meter out and found only 8v at the coil. When cranking it would drop to 1V. So long story short I fould some corrosion at the big rubber engine harness connector. While wiggling the connector 12v would appear. I cleaned it and "opened" the pins a little to make good contact. Fired right up and ran great. Found a bad fuel pump in the process (leaking diaphram, but not up into the carb, only in sea water pump)Back in the water! She ran great and then this Sunday she started missing really bad at idle and off idle.
I need some help as I'm running outta patience. Boat never gets over 175 on gauge, smells rich as hell out the back. I have not torn carb down, I dont want to spend $350 on an Ign module on a hunch. For that price I can get a nice MSD or Mallory with Mech adv. and dump the knock sens/module and Ign module. Where are the experts!!...cheers!
Nik
Boat backgound: 1997 Baja Boss Hammer, 7.4 Merc Carbed, Bravo 1, Thunderbolt V ignition system. Bought boat from original owner in June, about 350 hours. Completely factory like he ordered it back in 97'....no hack work or add-ons. Boat sat for about 12mos before I got it. All freshwater!
Issue(s): Boat ran great the first weekend we had it out. It was literally a turn key deal for me. Delivered with 3/4 tank of gas...started right up....ran well...etc.
2nd weekend...boat ran great on Friday, Saturday she started to have a slight miss off of idle that would clear out once into some higher RPM and cruising speed,.....Sunday it began. While cruising at about 30 it started cutting out, then back on, then again....and just quit like I turned the key off! After about five minutes of cranking she coughed, backfired, coughed, smoked and fired up. I headed back to the house immediately. It ran fine once I got it started. We decided to load it on the trailer and it quit 50 yds from the ramp and I had to do the whole swim it on the trailer thing...good times. Anyway at this point I'm thinking crap gas. So here is what I did:
1. Drained tank
2. Changed fuel filter
3. Removed Anti-siphon valve
4. New Cap
5. New Rotor
6. New Gas
7. New Belts
After changing all that I put it on the hose and it fired right up...Sweet right...not! Now it wasn't pumping water. So I changed the impeller (it was trashed), found all the pieces. checked it on the hose...put it on the lake! Well after about an hour it quit on me again! Towed to the ramp, pissed off wife had to come and get me in the truck at the ramp across town....swim it on the trailer dance. While cranking it trying to get it started I noticed a big spark jumping off the coil wire to the primary ground post. So here is what I changed:
1. New Plugs
2. New Wires
3. New Coil
4. IGN Sensor/Pick-up under cap
Third weeked:
Put it on the hose...fired right up...put it on the lake...ran great. During all this I am researching more about this half-hybrid P.O.S. Ign system. I check base timing (it was 8, i set 10 per sticker), I set carb mix, and idle too. runs great. Load up the family to head to the fireworks and she quit halfway there!!! Get towed to the ramp, get a ride home, pick up trailer, swim boat on trailer dance, come home pissed!! Wife pissed, kids pissed (no fireworks). Let me tell ya...if you wanna have fun get towed and hand swim your boat on a trailer at a busy ramp with wind on the 4th of July. Who needs fireworks!!
So next day she wouldnt crank in the drive. Got the meter out and found only 8v at the coil. When cranking it would drop to 1V. So long story short I fould some corrosion at the big rubber engine harness connector. While wiggling the connector 12v would appear. I cleaned it and "opened" the pins a little to make good contact. Fired right up and ran great. Found a bad fuel pump in the process (leaking diaphram, but not up into the carb, only in sea water pump)Back in the water! She ran great and then this Sunday she started missing really bad at idle and off idle.
I need some help as I'm running outta patience. Boat never gets over 175 on gauge, smells rich as hell out the back. I have not torn carb down, I dont want to spend $350 on an Ign module on a hunch. For that price I can get a nice MSD or Mallory with Mech adv. and dump the knock sens/module and Ign module. Where are the experts!!...cheers!
Nik
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http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/16/16B4R2.PDF
The link above might help.
Is your fuel pump on the block or on the sea water pump? If it is on the sea water pump make sure the oil level is filled.--my dads checkmate wore the cam off by not being filled.
Check the key switch, and all the wiring in the dash.
Also check the kill switch.
Good luck
The link above might help.
Is your fuel pump on the block or on the sea water pump? If it is on the sea water pump make sure the oil level is filled.--my dads checkmate wore the cam off by not being filled.
Check the key switch, and all the wiring in the dash.
Also check the kill switch.
Good luck
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I have an ignition module that i wont use again. I found a V8-HP that i wanted. Its a working never missed V8-20R Make me an offer. I don't need it. Its a IV module and bracket
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Did a compression check just to be safe 142-150 spread. Also check fuel filter again (cheap and easy) for water and looked ok. Went ahead and replaced fuel line from tank to filter as it was original. Since the motor seems ok its either a fuel delivery problem (ie carb) or ignition/timing issue. Dont think the carb has ever been taken off so since it was sitting for awhile it wont hurt. Im also going to replace the kill switch and ignition switch as suggested earlier. I have good continuity thru both, but again its easy and relatively cheap to eliminate
Last edited by Learjet2230; 07-11-2012 at 06:57 PM.
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I have a V system so not sure if it will work. Mine is on distributor and I think (not sure) its a -22
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