Kill Switch

noah4009

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
283
Where does the kill switch fit in? Meaning what wires I need to cut for this to fit in and work?
 

Frank Acampora

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
12,004
Re: Kill Switch

It would be best to know what ignition your engine has but there are similarities. By kill switch I am understanding you want an emergency cut off switch in case of driver overboard situations--like on Jet Skis.

You need not cut anything. If your ignition is magneto or electronic, all you need to do is to connect the leads from the kill switch to the two "M" terminals. See: the kill switch is normally open, just like the "M" terminals. Thus, when the dead man leaves the boat, the kill switch closes, shorting the points together or shorting the electronic unit blue and white wires to ground and stopping the engine.

With points, coils, and battery ignition, since the "I" terminal supplies power to the points and coils through the blue wire, you would need to get a normally closed dead man (I don't even know if they are available but I bet if you looked hard enough you could find one.) and hook it in series with the "I" terminal and blue wire. Thus, when the driver exits the boat abruptly, power to the points is stopped. There are other ways, but this is the simplest and easiest way.
 

noah4009

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
283
Re: Kill Switch

I had purchased a kill switch. It said universal. It has 4 leads, 2 with M and 2 with C. could it be that the 2 with c are for ignition/coil or as you said a normally closed dead man?
 
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