corroded wires

[lpkirby]

Hello everyone,<br /><br />I have my Seloc in and I have been reading it... Now my 1968 65hp has been sitting for a long time(Actually I bought both from him with the hopes of getting one working). Almost all the electrical wires are corroded. Will the motor still turn over? I really dont want to rewire both to see which one I am going to start with. If I must than i will. Is there some magical secret to tell which has the greater potential for success? Thanks for the adviceand help, you guys are great.. <br /><br />also what gage wire do I use to replace the wire, is there a marine wire needed? Thanks

 

[ob]

Re: corroded wires

Rig a battery and remote starter switch up to the starter solenoid and run a compression test on both and see which seems better.Before doing the test remove sparkplugs and squirt some two cycle oil in each cylinder and turn engine fywheel by hand to distribute oil to cylinder walls.

 

[rons boat]

Re: corroded wires

Something about water, even fresh water, that causes them to melt. That green powder is what is left of that bright new copper from years ago. We have made space age teflon for years and it is used in space and on modern aircraft and its on your frying pan. But alas, no boat manufacturer got the message that I know about. I use aircraft wire and most of the time gauge is not critical. Large conductors that carry big currents are obvious. I usually use 18 or 20 ga since I have it.

 

[lpkirby]

Re: corroded wires

Thanks OB, it is my understanding that the compression on all four cylinders should be the same within 5 hp. And if one is lower that it is bad. Am I correct? Do you know what size wire are used on the Evinrude 65hp?

 

[ob]

Re: corroded wires

Cylinder compression should be 100 or better and not vary more than 10%.The wire size you use will vary within the engines components.If the old wires are in tact but corroded ,use them as a guideline.

 

[alcan]

Re: corroded wires

Hello Lyman<br />These model motors use a point triggered ignition system. The parts for this system are in my opinion a little spendy. You might want to try and protect the amplifier and other componates during testing. I would suspect that some type of ignition failure is the reason the motors are not in service. Rotten wireing looms would cause this. If ether one or both are electric shift, this could be another area for concern. After market wiring harnesses should be available. These are great motors,they'er just at the age where most need a total electrical over haul. Like the other guy's have advised do a mechanical inspection (compression test) gear case,etc. Really honker down and do your home work on this one,(read the manual) ask tons of questions. I don't recall the exact price of an after market amplifier, but it's somewhere between 2-4 hundred bucks. A dist. cap somewhere north of a hun. This is why I advise caution. Iam by no means trying to talk you out of this project, just trying to save you some frustration. I know you will do a good job on a rewire because your asking about it, thats good, cause this system won't put up with any second rate job. Good luck,keep asking questions and let us know how you progress.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: corroded wires

Lyman.... Right around the year of 1968, OMC apparently had a contract with a company that produced faulty wiring. After a rather short time, every wire on the engine would have its insulation crack away. The cure at that time was to replace the wiring harness, however that is an impossibility now.<br /><br />What I have done in the past, if the engine warrants it, is to remove the wiring harness and attach it to a piece of plywood, keeping it in its natural curvatures with small nails etc. Then, one wire at a time would be replaced, following those curvatures, and the proper terminals soldered as required.<br /><br />A time consuming job, but it does return the harness to its original new condition.<br /><br />In addition to OB's advice as to how to test the compression, you could also check the spark. Run a wire from the battery side of the starter solenoid to the wire/terminal that applies 12 volts to the powerpack (do not connect that 12 volts to the wrong wire at the pack). On that model engine, when cranking it, you should have a strong blue spark that will jump a 1/4" gap on all cylinders.

 

[lpkirby]

Re: corroded wires

Thank you, everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am going to take my time and with luck get this going. I am now trying to find a compression gauge. And from there see what I have. Both motors are identical they both came off of a 1960 Crosby speed boat, so I hope at least one was in working order before it sat up. I hope I do not need any of that expensive electrical stuff yet..<br /><br />Again thanks for all the help