How can I bypass the "plug" on the side of my Mercury 115.....

[Theoutdoorsman]

I'm not sure of the year, so here's the numbers off the motor:<br /><br /> Serial # 3113431 <br />If anyone knows the year please let me know..... <br /><br /> I would like to completely do away with the "plug" on the side of the motor because it has a short and when I steer the boat to the left, it stalls every time. This really makes putting the boat back on the trailer a real chore. I would simply replace the plug, but from what I gather, these motors are notorious for electrical problems in the plug. Soooo, I have decided to completely do away with it so I don't have to worry about this anymore. If anyone can tell me exactly how to do this, I sure would appreciate it !!! Another reason for doing this is, I am also having a problem with the motor and my mechanic noticed this (the plug problem) when he "water-tested" the boat after rebuilding the carbs 2 weeks ago. Well, I have another problem now and he suggested I bypass the plug to elliminate the possibility of IT being the problem. Anyhow, to make a long story short, The motor runs fine for a while and then suddenly looses power. When this happens, I can't turn more than 4000 rpm's BUT the motor is purring like a kitten while NOT cutting out or ANYTHING. We are almost certain the power pack is breaking down when it gets hot, but we thought we would eliminate one thing at a time until we know for sure this is what it is. Oh yeah, before anyone asks, the bulb on the fuel line stays hard and DOESN'T get mushy at all. If anyone can tell me how to elliminate the "plug", or direct me to a wiring diagram explaining how, it would really be a big help. Thanks.........Alan

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: How can I bypass the "plug" on the side of my Mercury 115.....

Bypass the plug with a handfull of butt connectors and some black tape if you must.<br /><br />Beware most of the older merc wiring insulation will crumble when handled, so you may enter a bigger problem than you desire.<br /><br />Use some multi pin connectors if you want to, at least that way the motor could be removed from the harness if desired.<br /><br />Perhaps the best way would be to find a doner harness (s) engine and boat for your year model.<br /><br />If electronic ignition components are actually the culprit, as suspected, trouble shoot those, and condemn the harness when it becomes apparent during testing to be the issue.<br /><br />There are a lot of old mercs running around with taped up/ heat shrink covered, ect, crumbling wire harnesses.

 

[12Footer]

Re: How can I bypass the "plug" on the side of my Mercury 115.....

And if your plug is ok,socket is ok, you can repair a shorted section using a scotch cast, which are available at electrical supply shops.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: How can I bypass the "plug" on the side of my Mercury 115.....

1150 (115,0) 3023086 - 3270479 1971 6 cyl inline

 

[ledgefinder]

Re: How can I bypass the "plug" on the side of my Mercury 115.....

This is an excellent idea for the older Mercs. <br />Suggest boat trailer connector(s) for the smaller gauge wires, and just run big cables directly to the battery for the two big wires. That way the whole setup is watertight, but still reasonably disconnectable. <br /><br />IMHO, running the motor with a flaky sideplug jeopardizes some expensive/hard-to-find switchboxes on some of the older Mercs (voltage spikes from intermittent connection) - replacing them is a good idea.

 

[Theoutdoorsman]

Re: How can I bypass the "plug" on the side of my Mercury 115.....

Finished the project!!!!!! Thanks for the reply's. At least I feel better about it now even if it doesn't help solve the power loss problem. Thanks again........Alan