Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

[JamesCoste]

Engine is 1983 Johnson 50HP.

My engine would not crank while at the dock after a long day of fishing. Thankfully this was discovered just a few yards from the landing and I paddled my boat to my trailer.

Upon examining my engine, I found a frayed/corroded wire. Many of the wires in the area are stiff and "brittle looking".

Here are some pictures.

The "green" arrow shows the corroded wire. The yellow arrow shows the red "connector" of wires that leads to the ignition coils, ignition power pack, and more.

All of the wiring needs replacing.

I think I can unhook the wires at the point where the yellow arror is and then replace the wires connecting the ignition coils and ignition powerpack.

I have a Clymer Manual that is helping educate me some, but this is new territory for me.

Finally my questions:
1) The part numbers clearly listed on the coils, wiring "harness"(?)(red part near yellow arrow) don't match what I-boats recomments for my model engine. Does that matter?

Original Part # for Coils is 582106 OA 8R. Iboats Marine store recommends 18-5176.

Original Part # for PowerPack is 582452 OA 9R 24. Iboats Marine store recommends 18-5758.

Kaydee WireHarness - 582061 3-Q-82. I can't find a replacement part for this part.

2) Do I need to replace the PowerPack? My manual says that it must be replaced since the wires are hard-wired.

3) Do I need to replace the coils (can I just remove the corroded wires)?

Here are a couple more pictures:

In this picture (above), there is another frayed/corroded wire (green arrow) that is connected to the others on the other side of the engine.

I appreciate your help. This forum helped me rebuild the carbs and do a link and sync. Hopefully I can figure out how to replace all of these frayed/corroded wires.

 

[tschamp20]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

for the time being maybe clean the area and use liquid electrical tape(auto parts store)more coats the better 5+ letting dry 10-15 minutes between coats.will maybe give you some time to organize the project.hope it helps

 

[imported_lorin]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

1. The part numbers get updated or superseded so it's not unusual that the numbers on the coils etc. dont match current part numbers. Sometimes there are changes in a part and then the part gets a different number. For example, the new coils for this motor dont come with wires attached so the new coils have a different number.
2. and 3. You probably dont need to replace any of the parts. As tschamp20 suggested, cleaning and insulating the wires should do the trick for most of the wires. In addition to the liquid electrical tape, you can go to a marine parts store and also get Ancor "heat shrink" tubes of plastic that go over the wires to provide new insulation. Also Ancor crimp-on connectors with built in heat shrink so you can splice on new wire for the really bad ones.

 

[JamesCoste]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

I've got some liquid electrical tape. I can use it to help coat some of the wires to help reinforce the insulation.

One or two of the wires are "shot". I should be able to get replacement wire of similar gauge and splice it in to areas that are stronger, right?

My point is that where the wire is badly corroded, I see little hope in repairing the wiring connections.

Thanks all! I would love to simply fix the wiring and not pay too much money.

 

[imported_IL_Glastron]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

I have seen new wire harness on ebay, for little $$ Have a look there. I see mine is getting brittle too, jst wating until I see one pop up on ebay.

There was one out there for up to 75 hp Jonny rudes last week, may still be there, brand new in box was like $25 bucks!!

my 2 cents.

 

[JamesCoste]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

So, that is called a Wire Harness. I guess it starts at the yellow arrow (in my picture) and the wires feed to other parts (coils, etc.)?

I will look into it. I would prefer to get a new one instead of patching an old one.

 

[JamesCoste]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

Well, iboats does sell the Wiring Harness. They are $199 new. I tried finding one on Ebay for my motor, but didn't find one.

This could get costly, but my boat does me no good just sitting in my yard. I've got to get it running no doubt.

I'll look at the motor again this weekend and see if there is any way to fix the wires.

 

[imported_airxsteel]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

James, just reading some old posts, wonder how you made out on this.

Eric

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Frayed wire in ignition system (pictures).

I would not attempt any band-aide fixes to that harness. You are only prolonging the agony. Judging by the discoloration of the main harness connector (big red connector) there is an issue at that connection as it shows signs of heat. That heat can be created by corrosion in that connection. If you are on a real tight budget, try phoning or e-mailing Twin City Outboards. They generally have a good supply of this stuff. They are the equivalent of an auto salvage yard for outboards. A used harness may require installation of some new terminal ends but at least the rest of the harness is in good shape and I would not expect TC Outboards to ship you one that is not useable. You will need to determine exactly what engine you have. Check the serial tag.