I have a 50hp johnson outboard the motor is turning over but I dont seem to get a spark to the plugs

Would this help


Primary cause of hard cold start: operator error.

Open gas tank vent, pump primer bulb until it is firm, raise hi-idle lever full up, push the key in and hold it in while turning it to "start".

If you can flood your engine with the primer bulb, then your carbs need rebuilding. Pump the bulb until it is firm - that fills the carb bowls - they have a float valve that closes when full. This is true of every carbureted 2-stroke outboard ever made.

"Pumping the throttle" is useless - these are not automotive carburetors - all it does is open and close the butterfly valves.

Your motor does not have conventional choke plates; instead it has a primer solenoid, which opens a valve and allows fuel to drain into the cylinders to richen up the mixture for cold starts. You should hear the solenoid "click" when you push the key in.

Bad compression leads to hard cold starts - you should have at least 100 PSI in all cylinders, and the lowest needs to be within 5% of the highest.

If you have good compression and spark on all cylinders, the primer solenoid actuates, and the fuel line holds pressure, then you need to remove your carburetors, dissasemble, soak overnight in carb cleaner, blow out passages with compressed air (or aerosol carb cleaner), reassemble with new kits (including new o-rings, gaskets, and float valves & seats), reinstall, link & sync, and adjust slow-speed mixture