Can anyone identify the part?

[TampaBoater]

I have a 1985 mercury black max 175, and I notice that right above the rectifier, there's alittle black piece bolted to the block. It's round, no larger than a baby carrott, and has a black wire grounded to the block, and a balck and green wire cut off right at the base, that hooks to this little piece via a nut.

Can Anyone identify what this little piece is? I don't suppose it should be cut offlike it is.

Here's a pic.


Update: My motor still bogs down when at higher rpms, and not due to overheating. The water coming out the back when it starts to slow down is not super hot, not even steam, it's fairly warm but not to the point where I have to pull hand away. It's fineat idle, and low revs, but 2 minutes into 3/4 throttle, the motor starts to sound like it's slowing down w/o even touching the throttle. I am becoming aggravated. I pprobably will take to tech to get compression check. Any thoughts?

 

[phebus1]

Re: Can anyone identify the part?

That is the mercury switch. It will kill the motor if it is over tilted while running.

I would check your fuel tank vent and make sure that it is venting well and that you aren't starting to pull a vacuum.

 

[TampaBoater]

Re: Can anyone identify the part?

So, what does hook up to? Any reason why they would cutt it off?

 

[phebus1]

Re: Can anyone identify the part?

It hooks into the kill switch wiring and goes to ground on the other side. There is a mercury switch that completes the circuit to ground when the engine is tilted past a given point. Don't know why someone would disconnect it, as from what I understand they rarely go bad. Once disconnected, as long as the wire going to it doesn't go to ground, it wouldn't play any part in the system.