1963 Merc 650 Magneto Troubles

[scottscar54]

Where to start... Bought this old boat with a 1963 Merc 650 on it. Motor turns over under power fine but will not spark. Changed the rotor, magneto cover, coil, condenser, and points. Set the points to .010 (254mm) according to the service manual and set them a bit tight to be closer to .008. Still not getting spark from the magneto. Tried disconnecting the wire from the harness to the magneto distributor casing as well as the safety switch thinking one of them was bad. Still no luck. Have a new distributor cap on the way to see if that might be the problem but I have a hunch it isn't since the current one is in good shape. Can someone tell me what the internal wiring for the magneto is (this unit was completely disassembled when I got it)? Also any other suggestions would be great. Thanks. Please feel free to email me at scottscar54@cox.net

 

[corm]

Re: 1963 Merc 650 Magneto Troubles

Hi Dave,<br />The short wire goes to the ground the long coil wire goes to the points with the condcer wire, carefull they don't ground out on the plate when you tighten them down. The coil maybe shorted take it out and look at the side you can't see (Top) for a hole burnt in it. This was a very dependable point system in its day, still is for that matter. Don't forget to lube the lobes on the shaft so your points don't close up on you.<br />Make sure you have continuity between your point contacts when they are closed.