96 Evinrude 50/35 Jet - Maximum Spark Advance Test?

I'm having some trouble with the idle on my 96 Evinrude 50/35 Outboard Jet. I have the factory service manual and going through the link and sync section it has how to check the maximum spark advance. It clearly states to do this the outboard must be operated with the proper test wheel. Do not operate with a propeller or flush adapter while performing this adjustment.

My question is how am I supposed to do this on my engine that has a jet impeller? It is pretty much always in gear and I have no idea what kind of test wheel would work. Do you just go hit the water and get it up to 5,000 RPM and check the timing with a test light while someone else is driving?

I normally do mine on the trailer. I just trim the motor up so it's shooting a rooster tail up and out and make sure your boats stiil hooked up to your trailer. Have someone give it the gas while you check the timing. There aren't any kind of test wheels that I know of for a jet and this is how I've always done it on all the outboard jets I've worked on.

I do my dynamic timing checks on the water at WOT with a timing light. It's not bad at all if you do it on a lake in the early morning when the water is nice and flat. Just wear a life jacket and be careful.

wmk0002 said:

I do my dynamic timing checks on the water at WOT with a timing light. It's not bad at all if you do it on a lake in the early morning when the water is nice and flat. Just wear a life jacket and be careful.

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This is how I do my 1994 Johnson 50/35 as well.

Thanks guys

For those of you running jets and doing the link and sync, do you find that you have to increase you idle settings above those for prop motors? I'm having trouble keeping an idle in neutral. It seems to just bog down too far. The idle timing screw was maxed out. I'm just wondering since you can't put a jet in neutral whether the omc manual idle settings are good for jets.

You can set the idle higher on jets because you don't have to worry about it banging gears when shifting but you don't want your idle up too high because your reverse gate can hang in neutral. Well it actually hangs you up between neutral and reverse but your talking 1500+rpms to do that.

Pappy said:

Plus, although it is always a good idea to check the WOT timing....it has zero to do with idle quality.

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I think he was only checking his WOT timing as part of his linc and sync.
Have you checked your compression? Have you cleaned the carbs? I'd check compression then if your compressions good and your fuel is fresh you might clean your carbs.

The few that I've done, have always done them at cranking speed. In other words, remove the spark plug wires from the plugs and ground them, except the #1 spark plug wire. Put an old plug in the wire. Hook up the timing light to that wire and crank the engine with the throttle wide open. Since the wires are off, it won't start but you should still get a good idea where your max advance is at full throttle. There are a couple Yamaha's that retard the timing at cranking speed but usually you can disconnect the wire that connects the CDI to the starting circuit. Those are the only ones that I know of that mess with the timing at cranking speed. May be others but I don't know about 'em.