40 won't start

[jerry522]

I thought for sure it was contaminated gas, but now it's getting clean gas to the cylinders and I'm finding NO SPARK in any of the three. An ohm meter set on 20K, with an original reading of 1, shows no change in ignition coils 1 and 3, and a reading of 6.72 in coil 2. Do I have two good coils and one bad, or vice versa? Or is it the CDI unit?
( this is a 1987 yam 40elj)

[jb123]

try swappin the coils and look for a change to isolate your problem.

[Ken]

jerry,
If you are not getting any spark to any of the three plugs, then I would suspect bad power pak (solid state ignition) or the 12volts/signals to the power pak. Also, be sure and check your ignition kill switch.
Check any fuses that may be under the hood - could be fuse that powers the ignition. It would be helpful to have a Yamaha shop manual to guide you along. If you are going to be doing your own maintenance/repair, then the manual is a must - it will pay for itself many times over. Go to www.yamahapubs.com to order online.
Good luck,
Ken K

[jerry522]

Ken: Thanks much for the reply. I'm ordering the manual. Tell me please--is "power pack" another name for CDI unit?

[tripleb]

Hello jerry522,

Yes, CDI = Power Pack.

[Ken]

jerry,
Sorry for the confusion - CDI stands for "capacitive discharge ignition" - seems like the older ignition systems were "solid state electronic" and were referred to as "power-paks". Doesn't really make any difference to us outboard owners - they are all solid state electronic ignition systems that are fully encapsulated with an epoxy and are not serviceable, so that when one little component inside goes bad, the whole unit has to be replaced - usually at a pretty steep price.
Good luck,
Ken K