I just inherited my dads old 66 Evinrude Fastwin 18hp, and am trying to get
it started after many years in storage. I've changed the oil in the bottom
end, removed and cleaned the carb, checked and regapped the plugs (they were
put in new when it was put away), and I put a little oil into the cylinders
before turning it over. It turns over fine, but will not fire. I've
confirmed it's getting gas, and there is spark, although I'm not sure how to
tell if the spark is "weak" or not. Even squirting a little gas in through
the spark plug holes won't get it to fire for a few seconds. After a few
hours of fruitless pulling and a very sore shoulder, I decided to put my
multimeter across the kill switch contacts, and found that there is
continuity between them. I've confirmed that the actual switch is not the
problem, as with the switch removed, there is still a short between the 2
black wires that lead to it. Before I jump to conclusions, am I right in
guessing there should be no short here? What do these wires lead to? I
always assumed the kill switch killed the spark, but since there is spark on
both plugs, I'm confused. My gut is telling me to order a "tune up" kit, and
replace all the ignition parts since they're probably original, but I'd
appreciate any advice from those with experience working on outboards, as
the closest I've come to working on these is resuscitating old lawnmowers
and snowblowers.

Sorry for the long post,
Mike Kayer
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada