1978 CC Ski Nautique Engine Type & Mystery Box?

After looking at pics closer the blue write leaving the solenoid is not connected to the positive side of the coil. Connect and This should create fire! Points need to be replaced and lube pad is a must if you run points. with no lube they will wear to inoperable in one ride EI is about $150 and eliminates point issues but needs proper setup. Stop going to that mechanic

WheelsUpATX wrote: The logic in removing the resistor was that the wire had broken on it and the boat was running fine so I had multiple sources say that the boat would be fine if we removed it.

I would be very careful with taking advice from your "multiple sources"! As mentioned, externally resisted coils need the nominal 8 volts.

Dan, Here is how I see this. First checkout (Skidim); on the web for parts. Its called Discount Inboard Marine. Talk to Richard for parts, great man. This is the, and was the oldest dealer of Correct Crafts in the USA for years. You will pay a little more for a few of the parts you need but for $200.00 bucks you should be able to solve this problem. Buy the correct original , points ,condenser , and rotor. New "correct" prestolite original distributer cap, stuff comes in a kit. Get the ballist resistor, as they have everything you need and ship same Day to your door BAM !!!! Follow the diagram, fix bad splice work, and clean all connections by loosening and a light fine sanding. Like all you can see. Like you said earlier, starter did crank so it works. Starter relay is good, voltage regulator is good, Don't forget to get the correct Coil. Set your point gap, and get a Interstate Marine battery. Only question is the alternator witch you said sill was good but could be wired differently as it is a two wire, Take boat to an Auto Ignition place and 2hrs latter,they should be able to solve this, (if you cant). I went through this hole mess with my 1978 , 2 years ago. Lisa       

Dan,
From the picture, it doesn't look like the point set has been changed in quite some time. It looks like corroded contacts and connections, misaligned contacts and I don't see any lube on the cam/rub block. You said your mechanic was using his VOM. Did you notice him checking to see if the point set contacts were actually closing? Is this the time he took the point file to them?

I agree that removing the ballast resistor could have burnt up the coil. As mentioned, was the coils primary and secondary Ohm'd out? I have to ask what was the logic in removing the resistor?

EI conversions are not my favorite. There are some good ones and plenty of bad ones. There's nothing wrong with a point set. If a conversion goes you are stuck in the middle of the lake unless you carry a spare. With a point set typically all that's needed is to clean up the contacts. Your wife's nail file or even a dollar bill pulled through them will get you going.

Wiring is nasty yes- I plan on re-wiring all of it. At least going through from start to finish and cleaning it all up.

Yes I have mechanical points.

There is no EI module.

Mechanic was constantly using meter to check and troubleshoot electronics.
At last visit the problem with the coil showing +6 or 7V mechanic said it's either the coil itself or the

@NautiqueNut Change's should be done by a person with a good understanding of these difference's. Had the same issue's with my 1978. <0--- AGREED!!

It sounds like I may have removed the ballast resistor? I was told a while back that ceramic piece was an electric choke and not needed.

We are not just throwing parts on the boat by any means. All I have done thus far is replace the voltage regulator.
If I am going to re-do all the wiring wouldn't it make sense to make the move to electronic ignition as well?

Thank you guys again I apologize for lack of clarity in describing some of this.

That wiring is "nasty" as soon as you get the boat running I would rewire totally. That wiring harness has many signs of high resistance joints causing excessive current loads and then subsequent heat damage.

Perfect. I did see the diagram earlier and I'm printing this stuff out to go figure it all out and do some troubleshooting. It's tough b/c I enjoy taking the boat out and want to take advantage of the season but im also tempted to just store it and start re-doing the wiring so it's on point. Update on this problem... My mechanic and I have been in communication. He thinks that my voltage regulator was fried and it might have damaged the coil and he is pretty confident that it's the coil. He was troubleshooting with the multimeter on this last visit and we left it at the problem being in either the voltage regulator and or coil as we have no reason to think it could be elsewhere but I shouldn't say we b/c he knows more about this than I do (so far!). i have a new voltage regulator already installed and will get a coil tomorrow. While this might or might not work I would like to re-wire everything anyway and go through it all. My mechanic had told me before it's a mess and makes sense to streamline and re-wire but he seemed to have the boat running good until I started losing the battery so I need to investigate where this was coming from. It's possible that some of the problems we were shooting over the last few months wore down my battery as I didn't always charge it as long as I might have should? Or maybe we've got an ongoing problem with the battery (maybe it's time to lose the auto zone battery)... Also make note the ceramic piece behind the voltage regulator was removed earlier in the season as I was told we don't need it or boat will be okay without it as it's pretty warm down here? I am going to swap the coil and see as we made some improvements to the electrical system that seemed to work fine until we had the impeller and batt problem. Granted it might not fix bigger problems like bad wiring but the boat was functioning great for a long while until a few different problems came up (impeller, battery problem and trouble starting) If the coil doesn't do it i'm not calling my mechanic any more. We went down several roads this summer with this boat and some might have been avoided with some more cautious awareness and more laser focused trouble shooting. Some mechanics work on fixing things temporarily or short term get it running fast and don't always diagnose the bigger picture. Anyway here's a couple pictures to give you idea of the grand rats nest of wiring I have.







back of alternator when I pulled it to test. these are the only wires that it has thus far since I took on the boat. It ran fine for several months with no problems or dead battery, I tested it at auto zone (not the best method) and it passed. This was a few days ago.



pic from the other day when we broke down. majorly let down mutts.

Gary S wrote: You could remove the cap and take a picture and post it.

Thanks Gary. I forgot to ask Dan for a picture!

Dan,
I know I asked about the point set in the distributor but it just occurred to me you may have a EI (electronic) module in the distributor and not a point set. If so, has it been checked and how? You said the coil is getting power correct?

8122pbrainard wrote: How is he checking for spark?

Again, how are you (or your "mechanic") checking for spark? We need better input from you.

If you are half way handy and half way intelligent, you need a wiring diagram and a multimeter (an a little bit of assistance from us). You don't need to know anything more about your engine in order to troubleshoot- they were all wired pretty much the same from that time period.

Accurate descriptions of what you're experiencing like HW mentioned will help too!

I created a pictorial schematic of sorts that will help you get started... It's been reposted at least a dozen times- any search for "wiring" or "schematic" should turn it up in short order.

You'll have to supply the multimeter and the common sense.

You're going to have a hard time getting appropriate answers using incorrect terminology.

turn over = rotate under the starter's power

This happens with or without spark at the plugs.

The casting number of the block won't tell us anything- it's obviously a 351w. Post a pic of the front of the engine so we can see the thermostat housing, accessories, plumbing,etc... But based on that case piece it seems my early guess of it being a Commander is correct. What else are you trying to determine?

Thanks for the tips! Both of them! The battery did finally die and it definitely died early. My main concern is getting the boat started again so we'll work with that and then I will get a different battery. thanks for all the help!

Okay I think I'm incorrect about the motor as that's all the drive train #'s. Can't seem to find numbers on the block...

WheelsUpATX wrote: I know its a marine battery but I agree on the auto parts guys.

Marine batteries come in starting, deep cycle and combination forms so do check what you ended up with. The only thing a marine battery gives you these days is the threaded studs besides the lugs. Many here run regular automotive batteries without issues. I do! Save a few $$. There's some threads on the subject. If the battery does turn out to be a deep cycle, save it for your trolling motor.