changing ignitions

[phone sails]

hey all ,,I have a 1989 175hp evinrude , which i have hooked up to a side mount shifter that i had from a previous boat,,,I now after cleaning up and fixing all the cosmetics of the boat want to use the binnacle control that is mounted on the console so i already bought the new control cables and wired the trim switch that is located on the handle now here is the question ,,,the binnacle shifter does not have a key switch there is one on the dash so when i buy a new ignition can i use the same wiring harness that goes to the side shifter or what am i to do ,,it has the red plug ,,someone help

 

[guitman32]

Re: changing ignitions

Hi there. I also have an '89 175. I believe that if you want to use a separate key switch, you're going to have to cut the big red connector. It should work without any hassle, and since the motor is so old I do not see the necessity to keep the big red plug in tact, so long as you make sure to properly crimp new ring terminals to connect to your ignition switch (adhesive line heat shrink tubing, dielectric grease, etc).

Whether or not there is an adapter that will neatly split the cables to allow the use of a separate keyswitch, I do not know.

 

[phone sails]

Re: changing ignitions

Hi there. I also have an '89 175. I believe that if you want to use a separate key switch, you're going to have to cut the big red connector. It should work without any hassle, and since the motor is so old I do not see the necessity to keep the big red plug in tact, so long as you make sure to properly crimp new ring terminals to connect to your ignition switch (adhesive line heat shrink tubing, dielectric grease, etc).

Whether or not there is an adapter that will neatly split the cables to allow the use of a separate keyswitch, I do not know.

why would i have to cut off the red plug that is on engine side ,,my thaughts where to cut the side that goes into the shifter now and rewire it to the new ignition in the dash ,,,but now u threw me for a loop and btw 89 is not old for a outboard esp a evinrude ,,,my uncles 73 runs stronger than most peoples new mercurys lol,,, but really why do i have to cut the red plug off

 

[Silvertip]

Re: changing ignitions

You don't. But you may have to "extend" the wires from the current switch to the new switch. Move them one wire at a time, noting carefully where each wire came from so it goes back on the corresponding terminal on the new switch.

 

[guitman32]

Re: changing ignitions

why would i have to cut off the red plug that is on engine side ,,my thaughts where to cut the side that goes into the shifter now and rewire it to the new ignition in the dash ,,,but now u threw me for a loop and btw 89 is not old for a outboard esp a evinrude ,,,my uncles 73 runs stronger than most peoples new mercurys lol,,, but really why do i have to cut the red plug off

Thats exactly what I was referring to. The way you worded your original post it sounded like you had a red connector on the control side of the harness (ie under the console).

Anyhow, I made my own wiring harnesses for this motor from scratch. What you said is correct, just cut and rewire the CONTROL side of the harness to suit your needs. Just make sure to get a wiring diagram so you know what goes where. From what you described you shouldn't have to do anything to the ENGINE side of the harness (big red plug side), assuming it is in good repair.

You're going to need to crimp ring terminals on the following wires to get the aftermarket ignition switch to work (colors listed are the typical Evinrude colors):
-Accessory (Violet)
-Primer/Choke (Violet/White)
-Starter (Yellow/Red)
-Ignition kill (Black/Yellow)
-Battery POS (Red/Violet stripe)
-Battery GND (BLACK)

If you're using the control cable with the big red plug these wires should be in that loom somewhere. Just strip it back and see what you find. Im not sure if you have the console off and are re-rigging completely, but my one tip would be to inspect the wires coming out of the loom and also the leads in the big red plug. Mine was old when I originally acquired the motor and I was getting voltage bleeds that were driving me nuts (and more importantly blowing my power pack).

Do a Google search for "Continuous Wave." There is a wealth of knowledge on that site (in the Reference section) that will hopefully get you sorted out.