Mercury 20 ho 1970

[Dave R]

Starts and runs good BUT will not kill with the kill switch. Have ohmed out switch and it is operating properly. Have to put in gear and choke to kill. Why?null

 

[12Footer]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

The kill switch is bad or nor connected. TO kill the engine,this switch closes.Look for an orange wire from the harness. Ground it, and the engine quits. But be carefull. I have been shocked when this wire floated free in the breeze,by just touching the block.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

didya say a bad word 12ftr?

 

[12Footer]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

That's what the orange wire is there for.<br />Just clip a remote starter switch to it and ground... Start....Then hit the button. The engine should stop. If it don't,the orange wire is not hooked to the stator assy like it should be,or it's coil is open...But then, if it's open, how come the engine runs? Highly doubt that is the case.<br />The orange wire looses it's connection the plug mostly, due to engine vibration. That is the first place to look. Remove this plug, and take a small crewdriver, and re-stress the contacts, by spreading the prongs just a little. Don't over-do it, as you might break the prong, or get it so spread-out, as to not be able to fit in the plug.<br />You just want it to make good,clean contact.

 

[Dave R]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

Woops I forgot to tell you that this is a pull start engine. From what I can deduce from the Clymer manual is the kill switch OPENS the connection to groung. Therefore I assume the problem is in the stator assy-- Yes ?

 

[12Footer]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

No, the switch closes the connection of the orange wire to ground. To defeat the wiring harness and the switch for testing, disconnect the orange wire,and let it dangle. You should get spark. With the orange wire dangling, it should fire right up, and you will have to ground out the orange wire to kill the engine. The switch is normally open. It should only read continuity across it,when it is in the off or kill position.

 

[Waco]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

Just my .02cents worth here, but last year I replaced the stator, coils, points, etc...on a 9.8hp 1972 merc. In the midst of talking to 150 people trying to get parts, I ran across a seemingly knowledgable guy that told me this: He said that the kill/stop setup on these style engines were of poor design. Because the switch actually opened the ground from the stator, it would eventually cause stator failure, as the stator would try to find something internally to ground against while the button was pushed. Anyway, he said that in order to keep your stator in top condition, to ALWAYS kill the engine by pulling the choke, not pushing stop. He also said that this is why merc. went to a different setup in the later 70's when reports/service calls came pouring in about stator failure. I'm not sure if any of this is true or just a bunch of bullsmack. Has anyone else heard anything like this before? Good luck.

 

[dmessy]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

For sure..the switch must open to kill it. It needs to be grounded(orange wire) to start. This drove me crazy trying to figuere it out on my 1970 20 HP Merc. Common sense says ground the wire to kill it but thats NOT the case on this particular motor.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

Ok, could be,guys. My Clymer is for 1972-1989 models and it shows the orange stator wire normally open., so they must be different on a 1970, if this is not the case. Sorry if I got it backwards, New blood.

 

[dangerdiver]

Re: Mercury 20 ho 1970

does any one know how to wire in the kill button - i have a two wire button and need to know how to hook it up - im new to outboards so a drawing would be helpfull