Engine quit running, no spark.-------Resolved!

I understand the starter circuit put 12 volts into the coil on my 454's and all other 1984's , on the Crusaders anyway. Then the running circuit puts the current thru the shunt to cut it down to 6 volts,if the shunt is blown it won't run, no spark. Other coils have the shunt included in the coil, I don't know what he has.
I've replaced 6 1984 Crusader engines with Prestolite electronic distributors, and 12 volt coils, removed the shunt, all is well as far as I know after 8-10 years.
 
I wish you were close enough for a boat call a
So. They are 1994 Crusader 454 XL---electronic ignition.
 
The mechanic came today. Power at the coil, so not the problem. Then he laid another distributor with good parts on top of the engine, ran a ground wire, turned the key on and spun the distributor. Lots of spark to coil. He said the problem is the pick up coil. Took my distributor out, took it home, bought a new pick up coil and ignition module. Installing them at home tonight and will replace a distributor and time tomorrow.
 
Sounds like you are ...almost.... back in cruise mode! Interesting your mechanic would remove the distributor to replace the pickup and module but maybe he wanted to make very sure to get the right ones and wanted to clean the vent sctreen.
May it all be good news later today.
 
It's beyond me that he had to remove the distributor to swap out the pick up coil. Remove the cap, pull the rotor, and then remove the coil if I am not mistaken.
 
quote:
Originally posted by boatbum

It's beyond me that he had to remove the distributor to swap out the pick up coil. Remove the cap, pull the rotor, and then remove the coil if I am not mistaken.
Click to expand...


Depends on the Distributor. On some, part of the electronics can be replaced with Cap and Rotor off but part requires pulling the Distributor, then removing the Drive Gear. At that point, the Shaft pulls out, allowing that Module to come off.
 
All good. When he installed the distributor with the new parts, she fired right up like she was run an hour before. He set the timing and was done. The distributor on this model calls for pulling it out to remove a roller pin to allow the pickup coil to be removed. Who was it that said it was the pick up coil from the get go? He was right.
 
Good stuff! Some replace the distributor to avoid dismantling it to get to the pickup. Either requires re-timing the engine. Glad it's running!
 
That's great! Can you say what distributor that is?
 
Sandy, I don't know. It's what came with my Crusader 454XLs in 1994-----electronic ignition, carbed.
 
Now I'm wondering if I should replace the other one before it goes out? I know, " if it's not broken, don't fix it". Sometimes preventive maintenance is the answer though.
 
Gregory;

Sounds like your 454 is one generation older than the one in my son's boat. (The sensor on his distributor can be replaced without pulling the entire distributor out. It's a Gen V motor though.)

That being said, you might want to consider changing the distributor sensor on your other motor. Apparently the 454 is prone to issues with cross-firing due to several factors. Parallel plug wires (especially # 5 and #7), dirty or corroded distributor caps, and cracked sensors can all cause it. In any case, the result is extreme pre-ignition caused by a cylinder firing out of order. This is what caused the piston damage on my son's motor that forced us to do a complete rebuild.

We knew we had a blown head gasket, and if that's all we had we would have been back in the water a lot sooner. But when the heads came off there was a large chunk of the #5 piston missing. Every mechanic that has seen that piston (or a picture of it) has said the same thing: detonation and/or cross-firing. Since we know his timing was good and he always runs 91 octane, we could rule out detonation right away. But when it finally died and would not restart, he noticed the distributor cap was corroded badly. When we replaced it, the engine fired right up but sounded terrible. That's when we started tearing it down and found the piston damage. I firmly believe that if he had he replaced that cap when he bought the boat, we probably wouldn't have had to rebuild anything.

Anyway, the point is that small ignition issues can lead to very expensive repairs. So yeah, I think I'd change out that sensor on the other engine just for peace of mind...

Adam
 
Thanks for all of that Adam. Mechanic also changed the distributor cap to one with brass contacts and suggested I do the same on the other side.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top