Misfire on a 351W HO? + battery cables

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   1997 Ski Nautique with HO Carb engine and QFT carb.

Out for first weekend on the lake and can hear an occasional misfire while running under load.  It just sounds like a dull pulse which I assume is a cylinder occasionally not firing. There's no splutter or anything; sounds electrical. Happens at most engine speeds and irregularly but maybe a couple of times per minute.  Checked distributor cap, leads and plugs - all good.  Since it's happening at speed, it's pretty hard to check with a plug light etc.   Idle is a bit irregular anyway (hunts/surges a little) so I'm unsure if this is happening at idle too.  Any ideas please?
2nd issue which I presume isn't connected. (But could it be?)  Occasionally when turning the key I just get the solenoid click and the engine won't turn.  (It's always at the worst possible moment too, isn't it!) The battery connections are a bit suspect since the cables are due replacement so guess this could be to blame?  Solenoid and coil were recently replaced so think it's unlikely to be that.  Battery is new and it has done this when engine is warm and cold.

If anyone happens to know the battery cable lengths I need for a 1997 Ski, I'd be very grateful as measuring them in situ doesn't seem easy and I want to leave them in place to pull the new ones through.  I'm aware that most recommend replacing the cables with 1 AWG.

Thanks all!

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Goldcup101 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: August-27-2016 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 104	Post Options Post Reply Quote Goldcup101 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Misfire on a 351W HO? + battery cables Posted: May-25-2021 at 7:20am
	1997 Ski Nautique with HO Carb engine and QFT carb. Out for first weekend on the lake and can hear an occasional misfire while running under load. It just sounds like a dull pulse which I assume is a cylinder occasionally not firing. There's no splutter or anything; sounds electrical. Happens at most engine speeds and irregularly but maybe a couple of times per minute. Checked distributor cap, leads and plugs - all good. Since it's happening at speed, it's pretty hard to check with a plug light etc. Idle is a bit irregular anyway (hunts/surges a little) so I'm unsure if this is happening at idle too. Any ideas please? 2nd issue which I presume isn't connected. (But could it be?) Occasionally when turning the key I just get the solenoid click and the engine won't turn. (It's always at the worst possible moment too, isn't it!) The battery connections are a bit suspect since the cables are due replacement so guess this could be to blame? Solenoid and coil were recently replaced so think it's unlikely to be that. Battery is new and it has done this when engine is warm and cold. If anyone happens to know the battery cable lengths I need for a 1997 Ski, I'd be very grateful as measuring them in situ doesn't seem easy and I want to leave them in place to pull the new ones through. I'm aware that most recommend replacing the cables with 1 AWG. Thanks all!

TRBenj Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21145	Post Options Post Reply Quote TRBenj Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May-25-2021 at 11:37am
	If you can spot a bad cap/rotor/plug/wire by visual inspection 100% of the time, that is impressive. At least half the time, bad ones look perfectly fine to my eyes.

Jonny Quest Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2917	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jonny Quest Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May-25-2021 at 12:34pm
	All things electrical come to mind: cap, rotor, coil, wires, plugs and inductive crossfire are potential culprits. JQ
	Current 2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum

Goldcup101 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: August-27-2016 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 104	Post Options Post Reply Quote Goldcup101 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May-25-2021 at 1:48pm
	I hear you guys. Rotor, cap, coil and solenoid have all been replaced in the last couple of years hence my assumption they're ok but I guess that doesn't mean they can't fail. I've got a new set of leads so I'll start with those and go through the list. None are crazy expensive so shouldn't break the bank. You can educate me about conductive crossfire though! What's that?

Jonny Quest Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2917	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jonny Quest Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: May-25-2021 at 4:12pm
	Do a google search for “spark plug wire crossfire” or “inductive crossfire” and you will have plenty of reading material.
	Current 2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum

Misfire on a 351W HO? + battery cables

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