Re: 1960 mercury 700 wont start
your problem is exactly the same that I had with my 58 mark 78. The dwell synchronizing plate your last mechanic was talking about simplifies the point breaker settings. But you do not need it to get your motor to fire on all 6. Initial point gap setting should be at .007. Take the distributer off (takes 5 min), so you can easily see what you are doing. take your time and set them as close to .007 as you can. make sure you are on the high lobe in each set..it's easy to be off slightly. Make sure the points are parallel and not tight on one side and open on the other, you may have to adjust them slightly with a pair of pliers. Once you feel you have them set as dead on as possible, now check with key on and see if you can see both arcing when you turn by hand. The key to getting spark off both sets is that they are opening/closing 60 degrees from each other. One last item to check-this turned out to be my whole problem) there is a mercury switch on the side of the powerhead, which is tied in to the points. this switch is designed to short the points and kill the motor if it is raised. mine was shorting out the points..sometimes. sometimes on only 3, sometimes on all 6. I just cut 1 wire leading into that switch and it solved my problem immediately. That switch is not available anymore but I adapted an automotive one. Just disconnect 1 wire which leads into one of the resistors and try it..<br />Gary
