Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

[broush69]

Ok so i have a Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder that i worked alot on last summer. The last time i took it out i heard a pop and the motor wouldnt run anymore. I took the boat to a mechanic and he told me good news its only a distributor. i would have to replace the distributor on the boat. So i went on ebay and bought a distributor that would fit my boat. once the part came in i noticed once i took the dist cap off that my original one had 2 wires on it a red one and a black one the red one went to the positive on the power cap and the black one went to the neg on the power cap. The one i purchased from ebay on has 1 black wire no red one. So i really dont know if i bought one that will work even though it was stated that will work on my boat. the one i bought has SAE J1171 Marine sticker on it and looks identical to the one i have. I dont know if it will work or not just seeing if anyone out there has more info on this for me Thanks in advance.

 

[old islander]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

If you had a red and a black wire coming out of the old one it sounds like you had a pertronix conversion unit in it. Did the old one have points in it? or an electronic conversion kit in it? Points would have one black wire. The conversion to pointless would have a black and red wire.

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

correct it does have a Pertronix conversion unit on it. could i possibily take out the conversion of the old one and place it in the new one?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

correct it does have a Pertronix conversion unit on it. could i possibily take out the conversion of the old one and place it in the new one?

Ayuh,... What, Exactly is wrong with the original distributor,..??

 

[old islander]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

The distributer you ordered would come with points in it because that was the stock setup. Look up pertronix on the internet. The conversion part# you need is ML-141. It's a simple install and throw the points away.

 

[old islander]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

Like Bondo asked.....What broke?

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

When i took the boat out last summer I heard a loud POP. i took the boat to my boat mechanic and all he told me was the distributor died on me. Replacing the distributor would resolve my issue with the boat not running. I'm not sure what was broken on the original but there are 2 little vents on the distributor that were black as if something broke and smoked out of it.

 

[old islander]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

Sounds like you smoked the pertronix unit. I had one burn once too. If that was the case, you most likely did not need a new distributor. Just a new pertronix unit.

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

thanks for all the input. I just purchased a new pertronix ml-141 will take a couple of days to come in. I'm going to test it out and get back to you guys on this.

 

[old islander]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

Pull he old pertronix unit out of your distributor. The pick up is connected to the plate and has the red and black wires coming out of it. Look at the back of the pickup where the label is. If there is a hole burned there the unit is burned up. Two things can cause this.
1 The unit was wired backwards [unlikely because you had it running]
2 One of the wires shorted or grounded out. Check to make sure all wires in and around distributer and coil are tight and in good condition. Also check that the previous owner REMOVED the resistance wire from the old points system. You can find it by looking at the wiring diagram in your service manual. If you don't have one, go to the adults only section at the top of this page.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

thanks for all the input. I just purchased a new pertronix ml-141 will take a couple of days to come in. I'm going to test it out and get back to you guys on this.

What brand distributor did you get? If you have the Delco distributor on the 4 cyl 165 you need 91146A. The ml-141 is for the Malory distributor. If you are replacing the original distributor it is likely a Delco. does your old Petronix look like this?: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-91146a/media/images

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

What brand distributor did you get? If you have the Delco distributor on the 4 cyl 165 you need 91146A. The ml-141 is for the Malory distributor. If you are replacing the original distributor it is likely a Delco. does your old Petronix look like this?: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-91146a/media/images

Yes actually it does look like that one. I did purchase a pertronix ml-141
"Pertronix Ignitor Mallory 23,24,YD,YL Non Vac Distr 4CY"

Will this one work??

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

Will this one work??

No. You need the 91146A Ignitor II, and it should be paired with the Flamethrower II coil #45011 (oil filled) or #45111 (epoxy), if you don,t already have one.

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

ok so the Pertronix that is on the original distributor is a Ignitor by Pertronix model D-57 2

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

That number, I believe is the C.A.R.B (California Air Resources Board) number and indicates that the Ignitor meets the D-57 2 standard, whatever that is. I am not sure if they are stamped with the model number. I think the modules are all pretty much the same, only the baseplates are different. If the one you ordered is not the correct one, you should be able to just mount the new module on the old baseplate. The magnet on the old one should be OK if the new one does not fit. Give Petronix a call, they should be able to help you out. PerTronix Product Support

 

[old islander]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

Broush69, Before you do anything more with this find out what what distributer you have, Mallory or Delco. The reason I told you the ml-141 part number is because I have and have had 3 140's and they all had Mallory distributers from the factory. Also in a previous post you stated that the distributor you have has two small screened holes in it. This would also indicate a Mallory. I'm not saying that they never came with the Delco unit, or that stonyloam is wrong in any way. Many times Mercury used more then one supplier of parts and often used two different parts in the same model year. I should have had you verify the make of your distributer before I mentioned a part number at all. For that I am truly sorry if I was wrong. I was speaking from my own experience with the 140 and I was only trying to help a fellow boater. Verify the maker of your distributor before you order anything else, and also check the old one to see if it is burnt up to verify you need a new unit at all. If you do need the delco part PM me and I will pay for your return shipping costs on the wrong unit. When I make mistake in life, I allways try to make it right.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

I have and have had 3 140's and they all had Mallory distributers from the factory.

He has a 470 engine and almost all of them came with Delco distributors. But either way, if the modules are the same, should be able to use the old plate.

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

no need to apologize i've learned alot from this post and am thankful for that. How can i tell if its a delco or mallory distributor? is there any specific markings that would indicate which brand i have? i do have pictures of the distributor and also the pertronix on the old one is Pertronix Ignitor CARB E.O. D-57 2.The one i purchased when looking at it is a Pertronix Ignitor CARB E.O D57-22

 

[broush69]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

sorry i mean the one i bought is a Pertronix Igitor CARB E. O D-57 22

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser 165 4 cylinder Distributor issue

OK the CARB number means nothing as far as the part # goes. It only means that the module meets CARB air pollution standards.
If your old petronix looks like this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-91146a/media/images it is Delco
If it looks like this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-ml-141/media/images it is Mallory
If it is the original distributor it is almost certantly Delco.
P.S. It looks like the modules are NOT interchangable, so do not open the package when it arrives if you have the Delco distributor, contact the seller for a return.