voltage surge??

8122pbrainard wrote: Larry, The pictures showing the condition of you engine sure don't match the condition of those cables! I think you missed something when you did the engine!

Nobody sees the cables.

Yes to all your questions, except the positive cable. That's in pretty good shape but is on the to do list. Pete will appreciate this: I hunted around for the proper (most importantly 2 gauge) wire and found it on Advance auto's website but when I got to the store, all they had was 4s. Autozone is right across the street so I went over there and they had the exact cable I needed, correct ends, gauge, length. I am lucky about one thing, I have an Advance, Napa, O'Reilly and Autozone within a mile of my office....can usually find what I need on my lunch breaks. Except the espark of course. When I had to order that last sunday my family was joking with me about where I could go to get it. I told I could just run up to the Dollar Store.

Tim and Pete, thanks for your help. Especially Tim for returning my call last sunday.

I am happy to report my diagnosis was correct and after about a 30 minute espark transplant last night, I am up and running again. I did also change the ground cable. I don't know Pete, it could have been the culprit and I was just lucky it started and ran prior to it dying.



The engine end fell off before I even got to loosening the nut and at the clamp end, the wire fell out as I was loosening the clamp, even tho I had recently tightened the two screws holding it. I knew it needed replaced, just didn't get around to it. Lost 4 days and $70 for procrastination....lesson learned.

Hope that's it Chris, this VR is pricey and has to be sent away for....I want to be on the water TONIGHT

I did find a match Pete, unfortunately not at any stores,(OMC 383440 or Prestolite 8-339) so I have to mail order that too, if its a problem. I won't know till tonight. Hopefully I'll be up and running this weekend. My Espark should arrive today, I'll get it in and check my volt meter to see if I have any issues. My crappy, fraying ground wire on my battery has been intermittent lately, so I bought a replacement for that yesterday. We'll see.

Pete, I am guessing this is my voltage regulator.


Not sure how I would go about testing this. One wire is ground to block, other disappears into harness. Don't know where it goes. If it is bad, this is the closest I could find, yet mine has no "ignition" terminal, as does this one. Any ideas?

I am 95% certain my espark croaked this weekend. (figured it was either that or my coil and with my diagnosis guidance on my laptop in my boat and TRBenj on the other end of my cell phone I am pretty comfortable with my diagnosis.) So I ordered a new one. Of course this has to happen on Memorial Day Weekend Sunday, but fortunately, after my morning runs. The diagnosis article says one possible cause is a voltage spike. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but earlier, when my son was pulling me, he asked what does it mean when the volt meter pegs. I figured it was just a 37 year old gauge acting up and didn't think much of it. But now the pieces fit together, that I might have actually been getting a warning. Anyway, question is: What would cause a voltage spike? I don't want to fry my new espark as soon as I put it in. I have been very happy with my espark - flawless for like 5 years now. But here is one instance, when hearing Tim or Pete say, stick with points, its a $10, 10 minute repair if/when they go, it makes sense. I could have picked up a set from Autozone on sunday afternoon (or have a spare with me) and been on my way. Not so simple trying to get a new espark on MDW Sunday. And even now, I am drydocked till Thursday or Friday - just as the weather finally hits consistent 80s.

Fortunately, I did get a run in Monday morning behind my neighbor's Excel.



Only fair tho, as I was getting ready to pull a friend of his when my boat croaked, and as we all know, its the skier's fault when a boat croaks.