1971 Evinrude 85 hp

i know im supposed to give the model number but i dont have it .... i am sure on the year of my outboard though i have checked the numbers previously...

ok heres the backround info... at first i had no spark at all not matter where i tested in the system... so i bench tested the power pack hearing that that is a common problem... and it was bad. so i replaced it... now their is very little spark at all at the plug wires... and almost none directly from the coil...So to test that the pack was getting enough power i tested how many volts were coming to the pack...i believe at cranking it should be 9.5 and i only have 8. so i was thinking since now i am sure that the pack is good, that it must be the starter gone bad (drawing too much power at the start). so i decided to try and pull start the motor (i knew it wouldnt start i just wanted to see if i got fire at the coil.) and it sparked like it should...
so my question i geuss is... what to do at this point. The starter cranks great and engages the flywheel properly. so i was wondering if there was any way to avoid buying a new one... maybe i can wire a second battery just to the starter and seperate it from the rest of the system maybe have a toggle switch to turn it on and off... the problem i see with this is recharging the second battery i dont know how to tie it in or if the recharging system could even handle it. i think that it wouldnt matter much though if i couldnt recharge it at all i could just pull it once a week and charge it... or maybe that whole idea is impossible i dont really know... im kinda new to outboards my dad and i do a lot of work with cars he's been an auto mechanic for 20 years.


thanks...
sorry for the rambling hope somone can help...
jack

Welcome to the boards first.
On that 71 you need to make sure the carbs have enough fuel and the spark is hitting at the same time. Put a timing light on each cylinder and see where it is hitting on the flywheel. I would say your battery is low or you have corosion on the leads going to the motor. It is 35 years old. I had a ball skiing behind that motor and was just waiting for one of my buds to get the 115. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/wink.gif

The battery is brand new and fully charged... im not sure of the specs they arent on it i just bought a cheap one...there is no corrotion anywhere all connections are solid... i am at a loss and cant figure out for the life of me where my power loss is... i thought that maybe the battery was just too wimpy so i tried jumpstarting it and still wouldnt work. anymore suggestions????

Rather than buying a new starter you can get yours rebuilt for less than half of a new one, JMHO