350 Won't Start....

I have a boat with a 350 motor and it don't want to start. There is no spark to the plugs, even after I replaced the points and condensor. What else could be the problem? I have power to the points when I spread them apart but the test light goes dim when I close the points,, is this normal or do I have a short? I'm wondering if it could be the ignition. Any suggestions?


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hows the coil do u have spark from that? the condensor(s) might be shot. any loose or broken wires to the coil or dist.?

The coil appears to be good, The condenser is new. I have power to the points according to my test light but when I crank the engine there is no spark at the points either.

Try checking the wire polarity. ( you can use a multi meter) The 12 volt coil connections have + and - on the end , positive and negative. The points are connected to the negative side of the coil with a black wire and when the points are opened from the closed position a spark should jump out of the coil high voltaqge cap end lead to earth or spark plug.( lay a spare plug on the block connected to the high voltage end ) If you slacken the dist. clamp bolt with ignition turned on and then rotate the dist. by hand back and forwards you should get a spark to jump out of the coil. Swap out the coil and try a second one to eliminate that. Points must be spotlessly clean. Drag a small piece of 400 or 600 wet and dry paper between them.
Cheers.
Al.

Just a quick check to see if the condenser's case shows continuity with the pigtail terminal (it shouldn't) will eliminate an internally shorted condenser- just being new, isn't assurance that it's good.

If you are on the negative side of the coil, when you close the points the test light should go out completely when the points are closed. if it doesnt, either the distributor or the block are not grounded properly or the points are not making good contact

I wrote a wiki article on this topic. It should give you all the troubleshooting you need.
here is the link Ignition Troubleshooting

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