www.iFourWinns.com

Hello: I have a 1988 Four Winns Horizon with a 5.0 L Chevy engine. I have some type of an electrical short and would love any advice.
Here is my problem: Last fall I converted the points / condenser to a Prestolite electronic ignition and replaced my coil. I did not remove the Resistance Wire even though the Prestolite instructions said this is optional. A few weeks ago I put the boat in the water and it ran great. I then washed the boat and when I was finished noticed that my ignition switch, and other switches weren't working (blower, lights, etc.) I thought that I either blew a fuse or water was shorting something out. I then left the boat for a week and when I returned the problem was still there. I then checked all of the fuses - nothing, checked the battery - plenty of power. Attached a booster charger, etc. I eventually was able to get the boat started even though I never found a lose connection / blown fuse. The boat ran fine (although I did have a problem shifting into neutral - it went from F to R and vice versa.) When I shut the boat off everything seemed fine. When I went to restart it I haven't been able to start it again. It sounds like it is trying to start but I am not getting any spark.
Here is what I have checked / found: I charged the battery again. I have checked every fuse without any blown. I have checked as many connections as I can access without any lose / corroded ones. My main panel has 12 volts across it, and every connection that I can test has the same (starter, assist solenoid, Up / Down solenoids, alternator, etc.) When I disconnect the Coil lead to the distributor I am not getting a spark. I have also found that the pink / red resistance wire connecting the positive side of the coil is hot to touch after the key is left in the run position. If I disconnect the wires from the positive side and check against ground I am getting 12Volts. (it is bundled with a purple wire which I believe goes to the alternator.) If I leave the positive and negative wires connected to the coil and check voltage across them I get 2 volts - is this normal? I have swapped out the coil with my old one (used to work fine last year.)
One other problem that I am having and don't know if it is related is the Up Button on my trim switch is very hard to activate and requires using a lot of force to push it.
Here is what I am considering: Should I remove the ballast resistor wire? If so, can I jump it out, how do I do this? What about the trim switch, I know that the shifter is wired to prevent the boat from starting in gear but would this allow the boat to still turn over or not? Should I try and replace this? How else can I isolate the short? Any other advice? Thanks for the help.

Boy, a whole heap of problems here... here are my humble thoughts:

* No spark = check your Prestolite electronic ignition - odds are it's bad
* Resistance wire will get hot with the ignition left on and motor not runing - this is normal. You can probably by-pass this OK in the short term as a way of isolating a problem, but the fact it gets hot indicates it is doing its job.
* Coil voltage will drop if the points are closed (or the electronics simulate points being closed) - this is normal.
* Up / Down trim switch - problem is not related - your switch is bad
* Gear interlock switch works just like the tranny switch in your car - if it isn't in Neutral or Park it will not crank over. The same with the boat. If it cranks over in N then the interlock switch is OK and the engine should fire.

Good luck - sounds like you have your work cut out for you.

_________________


Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

Thanks for the reply, I will try putting the points / condenser back in. I have also contacted the manufacture of the Electronic ignition. I was in error in my post, my distributor is a prestolite; the electronic conversion kit was a Pertronix.