Engine died down at high RPM.

[tsubaki]

The pickup tube rests down below the place where the fittings tighten into the tank and have a filter.

The fittings have a ball valve in them to reduce siphoning.

Try everything else first.

[steplift20]

i would check each wire see if your getting spark
the prblem is you can be getting spark but one side can be wee=ak
also check the vent
while your driving and the engine cuts down take the fuel cap off and see if it returns to normal if it doesnt its not the vent

[THEFERMANATOR]

First things first, get you a helper and go for a ride. Have somebody pump the primer while it is acting up and ses if that clears it up. If it doesn't change anything, swap the powerpacks from side to side. Then see if the wet plugs clean up and the good ones look wet. The simplest ignition diagnostic tool is a spark tester with an adjustable gap in it, you can get them from any auto parts store. Open the gap up to at least 7/16" and check each wire idividually. If you have GOOD bright spark at each cylinder then most likely it isn't an ignition problem. The proper tool is a peak reading volt meter. MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT IS A PRV STYLE METER! Just because your meter says it will measure peak voltage, doesn't mean it will read correctly. My DVOM would read barely good on some systems and great on others, but with the CDI PRV adapter it reads consistent voltage. If you don't have access to one, then try swapping the packs from side to side. This will help you to narrow it down if it's a pack or not. The PRV eliminates alot of the guesswork though.

[tsubaki]

Originally Posted by THEFERMANATOR

First things first, get you a helper and go for a ride. Have somebody pump the primer while it is acting up and ses if that clears it up. If it doesn't change anything, swap the powerpacks from side to side. Then see if the wet plugs clean up and the good ones look wet. The simplest ignition diagnostic tool is a spark tester with an adjustable gap in it, you can get them from any auto parts store. Open the gap up to at least 7/16" and check each wire idividually. If you have GOOD bright spark at each cylinder then most likely it isn't an ignition problem. The proper tool is a peak reading volt meter. MAKE CERTAIN THAT IT IS A PRV STYLE METER! Just because your meter says it will measure peak voltage, doesn't mean it will read correctly. My DVOM would read barely good on some systems and great on others, but with the CDI PRV adapter it reads consistent voltage. If you don't have access to one, then try swapping the packs from side to side. This will help you to narrow it down if it's a pack or not. The PRV eliminates alot of the guesswork though.

You gotta love him!!

[mushman]

Thanks guys.I'll look into getting the meter.It would be way easier and quicker with the meter than switching packs around.
According to my manual it says to open the 3 wire connector then go one side to ground then crank engine and check 2 wires.My manual has a diagram, and it looks pretty straight forward.
I'm looking for 180v or more right?.What is the minimum before a pack is considered bad?.
I have different volt meters at work I just need to see what the specs are with them, but I won't go there till Monday, so tomorrow I'll try some of the other suggestions before I'll be heading out with the family.

[THEFERMANATOR]

You check for voltage to ground from the stator first, if any is found then the stator is bad. Then you check the peak voltage coming out of the charge coils(stator), 150 is minumum for your app at cranking speed to the packs(with packs disconnected). Then you'll need a PL-88 to install in place of the coils, and you should have 130 volts minumum there. If you have 150 going in, but less than 130 coming out you'll most likely need a new pack. The next test is for the trigger coil, they should produce 0.4V at cranking speed. Obviously this is much easier with a book in front of you outlining which connectors to check. If you can't find a true PRV meter for testing magnetos, then your best bet is to swap the packs from side to side. It shouldn't take but 10-15 minutes to swap them, and if the problem follows the pack then replace that pack. You can also buy a CDI 511-9773 and use a standard DVOM(digital, not analog). The OMC tool isn't expensive, but it's tough to come by. The CDI adapter lists for $90, but can normally be found for $45 online(unless you need it ASAP, like I did).

[Fitz]

Mushman:

Before you do anything, I recommend you change all of the spark plug wires. I had the exact same problem and symptoms with a 1989 Evinrude 200.

Powerpack, coils, etc., were suspected (and changed), but the answer turned out to be much simpler and cheaper. My wires looked fine, but several had developed invisible cracks in the insulation which allowed them to arc (ground out the cylinders to which they were attached) at high speeds. Consequently, RPMs went down, and the spark plugs on those cylinders always appeared wet. At idle and low speeds all cylinders had spark, and everything looked fine.

A quick test that will generally confirm an ignition wire problem is to spray all of the wires with silicone, then take a run. The silicone is usually enough to fill any insulation cracks for a short while, so if the engine runs fine, you know it's the wires.

I hope that's your only problem. Under any circumstances, changing the wires every few years is good preventive maintenance.