Total loss need more help.

Sasquachcrap · Sep 20, 2014

I have spark. I set the timing at 27 by the light.. It won't fire. Some times it looks like the spark is intermittent. It looks good at the bare wire end but looks week on the plug. I'm using an oem coil and have tried 3 different ones. 4 new plugs all the same. It's a msd 4270. The red light blinks so I guess the brain is good. I have some fire but can't get the engine to so much as cough. And I ran this whole set up a month ago befor I pulled it from my other ski. Any msd guru knowledge out there.

Jetfiend · Sep 20, 2014

Are the plug wires in the correct firing order?

Sasquachcrap · Sep 20, 2014

Is there a firing order. I thought that both plug fired at the same time. Isn't the 4270 a single channel unit? I will try and swap them. Any thing is worth a shot at this point.

Jetfiend · Sep 20, 2014

I'm running a Pro Digital 42380 and it worked for me. Be mindful working around all that spark, I learned the hard way and it hurt.

Harbor · Sep 20, 2014

Don't quote me but I thought I remember seeing something on trigger gap, spec like .050 to .094 but it worked better nearer the .050

Henry Stephen · Sep 20, 2014

perhaps a poor ground wire connection. Trigger wires are good? (intermittent spark) That's an older unit. check continuity in wires.

Sasquachcrap · Sep 20, 2014

Haha yea I got hit after I first bought it. Shoulder and arm hurt for two days. I was turning the flywheel over buy hand and it rocked back and forth right over the pick up got me 3 or four times hahahaha.

Sasquachcrap · Sep 20, 2014

Well I replaced all wires with new why rebuilding the ski. Soldered all connections and covered with watertight heat shrink. I have learned my lesson of half-azz electrical work. If the pick up was giving trundle wouldn't the light on the brain not light?

Jetfiend · Sep 20, 2014

Sasquachcrap said:
Haha yea I got hit after I first bought it. Shoulder and arm hurt for two days. I was turning the flywheel over buy hand and it rocked back and forth right over the pick up got me 3 or four times hahahaha.

Oh, I bet that was awful... I got hit right before I went riding, it sucked. I hope you get it figured out and back on the water

Sasquachcrap · Sep 20, 2014

I just swaped the wires. No change.

Sasquachcrap · Sep 20, 2014

Should the brain be grounded or completely insulated???

jetpilot36 · Sep 21, 2014

firing order on a 4270 shouldnt matter.now take the plugs out and lay them accorss the head. now spin the engine with the starter and see what happens at the end of the plug. if your coil is good, you should be getting nice blue lightning bolts at the electrode. if you dont, try adding a redudant ground wire to the brain and see if that helps. also MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST 12.3 volts ON THE BATTERY. 12.7 is optimum but the 4270 wont work right under 12.3 volts. some people think 12.0 is a fully charged battery. its not.

jetpilot36 · Sep 21, 2014

Sasquachcrap said:
Should the brain be grounded or completely insulated???

all you need is a good ground to the black wire. the brain box itself does not need to be grounded through the bolt holes.

Sasquachcrap · Sep 21, 2014

jetpilot36 said:
all you need is a good ground to the black wire. the brain box itself does not need to be grounded through the bolt holes.

I have this already. I am grounded from the battery to the starter mount, and then I have a 12gauge wire going from the battery to the total loss enclosure. I tested for voltage this morning at the starter relay. Because this is where I pull power to the brain. 12.6 to start then while starting it drops to around 10.8. After turning the starter for 5 or 6 seconds and you let off. The voltage comes. Back up to 12.3.

I'm stumped

jetpilot36 · Sep 21, 2014

so what happens at the end of the spark plugs when the starter is spinning? do you see sparks?

Sasquachcrap · Sep 21, 2014

Ok I just checked the fire on a different ski (one I rode yesterday) and it has consistent purple/blue spark. Now over the the raider with total loss and It seem like the spark is good but gets sporadic and some times it disappears all together.

Bobert540 · Sep 21, 2014

Seems like your pickup could be going bad

Sasquachcrap · Sep 21, 2014

Bobert540 said:
Seems like your pickup could be going bad

But wouldn't it make the light on the brain blink erratically?

Sasquachcrap · Sep 21, 2014

Ok so I had a few questions when I started re wiring this thing. Here is my previous thread.
http://www.x-h2o.com/index.php?threads/Msd-4270-starter-relay-hook-up-?????.154259/
I was instructed to tee into the green pickup wires and hook them into the stop/lanyard switch the black and white wires I noticed when I hit the stop button or pull the lanyard the red light on the brain lights and stays lit until you open the circuit back up. It also sparks the wires each time you do this. But. Only once. Is this right?could this have something to do with the way it's firing?

bach6177 · Jun 22, 2015

I know this is an older thread but dose anyone know what the fix was for this issue? My MSD TL started doing the same thing yesterday.