Re: 1977 9.9 Johnson ignition troubleshooting procedure

[Don]

Be careful with the terms/names here…When you say "driver coil", I think of the low tension ignition used on earlier models. The part you are referring to is called the "sensor coil". I’m not trying to be a grammar geek, just want to avoid confusion. Did you do the resistance tests on the sensor and charge coils? If so, I am assuming they checked out OK, these parts are simple and don’t fail very often.
And yes, the external coil laminations do get pretty rusty/nasty looking, but the coils work OK anyway. Did you check the primary/secondary resistance of the coils? Seems unlikely that you have two bad coils.
Like mumbles/frank said, KISS is best here, don’t overlook the basics….Grounds and stop switch. The other basic thing to check are the amphenol plug connections. Do you have the amphenol tools? It is tough to remove/install the pins/sockets without these tools, which brings me back to the simple check for the stop switch. It is tough to eliminate the stop switch from the ignition system without removing the stop switch pin from the three pin coil connector. Checking the stop switch with an ohm meter, or simply disconnecting the stop switch ground does not guarantee it is not causing a problem/draining the powerpack.