I have an '87 305 OMC stern drive with a converted electronic ignition
system that has a non functioning ESA shift module. My question is
do I need a different ESA shift module that is compatiable with
electronic ignition system?

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:25:54 -0800 (PST), TJ
wrote:

I have an '87 305 OMC stern drive with a converted electronic ignition
system that has a non functioning ESA shift module. My question is
do I need a different ESA shift module that is compatiable with
electronic ignition system?

I have no idea, but I would just like to say that when I saw the title
of the post, I parsed it as "sh*t assist module" and what that tells
me is that this is going to be one of those days.

Yes indeedy...

However, as I understand it, as long as you can find the method by
which the ESA interrupts the ignition for shift purposes (which is the
method Mercury uses I think and I can't see why OMC wouldn't have done
it the same way), then I would think that you could install that with
relatively few problems.

Then again, I'm a moron so don't take anything I saw as law - or even
informed for that matter.

Yep, that's basically what they do. I'm guessing your new electronic
ignition won't have a problem getting interrupted if it was meant for a
boat. We used to have a guy around here that knew those omcs.

The mercs ground out the coil side of the points on the old ignition. On
the electronic ignition they ground out one side of the trigger coil. Same
mechanism for either. What ever your omc was doing I'd think could be
adapted to do to the electronic ignition.

Omc had to do a number of things differently in the beginning because merc
had nasty lawyers and was always looking for a fight over patent
infringement. That's where that old stringer mounted omc that had the giant
bellows around it came from.

"Tom Francis - SWSports" wrote in
message ...
On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:25:54 -0800 (PST), TJ
wrote:

I have an '87 305 OMC stern drive with a converted electronic ignition
system that has a non functioning ESA shift module. My question is
do I need a different ESA shift module that is compatiable with
electronic ignition system?

I have no idea, but I would just like to say that when I saw the title
of the post, I parsed it as "sh*t assist module" and what that tells
me is that this is going to be one of those days.

Yes indeedy...

However, as I understand it, as long as you can find the method by
which the ESA interrupts the ignition for shift purposes (which is the
method Mercury uses I think and I can't see why OMC wouldn't have done
it the same way), then I would think that you could install that with
relatively few problems.

Then again, I'm a moron so don't take anything I saw as law - or even
informed for that matter.