Trying to help a buddy get his boat fixed after it randomly died on him idling out of a cove. Now he has no spark at any of the cylinders. It was running just fine, then it just went off. No sputter or anything, just off. This guy is a stickler when it comes to maintenance and the boat hasn't had so much as a hiccup since he got it.

2002 Mercury 200 EFI 2.5L

Checked stop circuit including ignition switch, neutral & kill switch. All good. Plenty of oil. All fuses on side of motor are good.

-Key to on: No beep. No fuel pump. Dash lights come on.
-Key to on and wait 10 seconds: Sounds like fuel pump kicks on and solid alarm sounds. Alarm and pump stays on until key is turned off. Fuel will continue to prime for a few more seconds after key to off and then stops.
-Key to crank position: Engine turns over but has no spark. Tach is getting a reading during cranking.

Took it to a mechanic that said he would scan it for him at no charge. Scan tool won't connect. Told it was probably a bad ECM.

Is there anything else we can check before he starts throwing parts at this thing? I have no reason to doubt the mechanic, I just want to check everything we can before he shells out that kind of coin.

Try posting in the boats and motors section. Maybe opti will reply.

Will do. Thank you.

If the scanner won`t connect to the ECM, it is out. Contact CDI they may be able to repair your ECM. http://www.cdielectronics.com/

You may be able to send it to Simon motorsports and get them to check it. I did that with an old opti I had

Simon motor sports in Cali is your best bet, great service, they answer their phone, would highly recommend them. I�ve had mercury ecu�s rebuilt by Simon and Brucato on the east coast, both good at what they do.