Emergency stop switch

[Joker2]

maybe I'll just change them both, considering I don't really know how old the control box is, it's cheap enough.

[tsubaki]

You should be in a position to test them and see.
With the wire unplugged from the power pack test (with an ohm meter) to ground and see if you have good resistance (with the key in the on/run position), pull out on the kill switch to see if the resistance changes from zero to infinity. If so, it's the removable part of the kill switch that's the culprit. If not, it should be the ignition switch or something causing the closed circuit like a pinched wire.

In case I'm not making it plain. Zero resistance is a closed circuit position, open would read real high to infinity.
With the key switch off, you should get a closed circuit or zero.
With the key in the on/run position (if the kill switch is operating properly) you should get an open or infinity reading. If not pull out on the kill switch to see if it's the removable devise causing the problem.

Now if you still get a closed reading with the ignition switch on and the kill switch pulled out, it can be either of these causing the problem.

[Joker2]

I'll try thanks

[Joker2]

Spent 3.5 hrs tonight We lost the battle. My friend ( aircraft mechanic ) who is an avid boater came with his meter tonight to test my emergency kill switch, we read it was bad and changed it, tried to start it still no spark, ran motor the other day by pulling apart the Black / yellow plug by powerpack. Today after we changed kill switch we did the same thing, no spark. I'm goin' nuts.Could it be a bad ignition switch?

[spareparts]

remember the kill circuit makes a connection to turn the engine off, it grounds out the ignition, you want the black yellow wire an open circuit to ground when the engine is running, a closed circuit to ground when you shut it off. With your kill switch in the run position, it should be an open circuit across the terminals, with the kill switch in the off position, its should be a closed circuit across the terminals. Same thing with the ignition switch, with the switch in the of position, you should have a closed circuit to ground, with the key in the run position, it should be an open circuit to ground. Tell your buddy its like a magneto, he'll figure it out.

[Joker2]

Changed ignition switch today, same result as last night, no spark, only difference is, just like the other day when I disconnect the black / yellow plug by the power pack she started up, she ran rough I could only keep it running by working the linkage, could be the seafoam I added to the gas last week, not sure. she would stall if I let it go. It would only shut off if I plugged it back in when it didn't stall. I think I will hook up a jumper from the black and yellow wire in the controlbox to the other side of the 1 pin plug by the power pack to see if that wire is shorting to ground somewhere from the control box to the engine. what do you think spareparts.

[spareparts]

first off, what year model, size, and brand of engine are we talking about/
Next, remove the main wiring harness plug from the engine, spin the motor over by connecting the yellow/red wire to red to activate the starter solenoid, you should have fire. Turn the key on(with the harness disconnected), check for continuity to ground on the black/yellow wire in the harness to ground, it should not have continuity to ground, if it does, you've got a wiring issue with the boat, not the engine