Post from flat cat 77

daveswaves

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This came in as a PM, I am posting it here so that the community can see, respond, help, learn etc. Flat Cat 77, reply to this post and lets get you up and running.

how ya doin dave. my name is matt. i have a 500 thunderbolt. inline 4. i bought off a guy who said it ran like a top. i have tested everything and come to the conclusion that the ignition keyswitch is bad. i have juice to everything. but the switch is stuck in the run position no matter what way you turn it. i have a 12V toggle switch two post. and a 12V momentary contact switch push button that also has two posts. i fabbed up a small piece of aluminum to take the place of the old box covor and drilled two holes and fitted the switches in there nicely. do you think that will work instead of just the old keyswitch. this motor was origionally a remote motor. someone has mounted a tiller on it. and there is a control switch coming off of the harness with a keyswitch on it. the ocntrols are not on the motor. i just thought it would give it my own little touch and i already have those switches sitting in my box here at home.



and do you by any change know what wires hook up to the 12V and what two wires go for the ignition switch? there is also a momentary contact switch for the electric choke. if you wnt to help me out let me know and i will snap a few photos so you can see whats up.


I took and put my gas and battery up to the motor. nothing. i took my impact gun like a bump starter on the nut on top of the flywheel and the thing popped off like a champ and ran really great. it has rebuilt carbs on it and new coil my friend told me before i bought it. but once running. my switch was stuck on the on position no matter what position i turned it. so i had to take off the spark plug wires to kill the motor. i had no way to ground the thing out with the switch messed up. lol
 

JB

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

Why, pray tell, is Flat Cat 77 not a registerred member who can post his own questions??
 

daveswaves

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

Why, pray tell, is Flat Cat 77 not a registerred member who can post his own questions??
Apparently he is registered as he sent me a PM through I boats private messages. As I am not a moderator this was the only way I could get his question public so to speak. Beats me JB.
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

hello everyone. i bought the switches. they were only a few dollars. i just signed up for this forum last night and just wasnt familiar with it yet. daves signature said ask me about my inline merc's. i've got time. and he was on quite a few posts so i figured i would give him a hollar. anyone know an easier fix to my mess? this motor runs awesome. it does not have a pull start. so thats not an option. its electric start only.
 

daveswaves

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

hello everyone. i bought the switches. they were only a few dollars. i just signed up for this forum last night and just wasnt familiar with it yet. daves signature said ask me about my inline merc's. i've got time. and he was on quite a few posts so i figured i would give him a hollar. anyone know an easier fix to my mess? this motor runs awesome. it does not have a pull start. so thats not an option. its electric start only.

http://www.iboats.com/Mercury_Outbo...0998457--**********.798105566--view_id.214928

Follow this link to the I boats store, this manual has all the wiring diagrams and everything else you will need to keep your motor running. No problem with the PM, but then you just get my opinion, by posting on the forum the I boats world can help you out.
 

Laddies

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

To answer a wiring problem question we need a serial number or year as there are many different harnesses, in less of course you want to order a manual and wait. Don't waste your money on aftermarket manuals.
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

the serial number is #4145411 its a mercury jeweled thunderbolt it says. 50hp and its a 4cyl. it runs great. i think once i get a lil plate made at work to take the place of the one with the keyswitch hole and figure what wires to hook up to the right poles i will be in buisiness. thank you guys for all your help. i had a 350 35hp but it was very tired and i hit the lower unit last summer and found out what it was to replace it and it was more then twice what i got in this motor. i picked up this one for 300 dollars and fired it off by putting a 18v driver with a socket on it on the nut on top of the flywheel and it only turned over twice before it fired off. no choke was used. new gas, new plugs, just the keyswitch is stuck in the on position. so i'm replacing it with two momentary push button contacts for the starter and the choke. and one toggle for the 12v switch. thanks guys for your input. i'm awesome on small engines and 2 cycle stuff. i've just never worked on outboards much. Matt
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

the motor is a 500 el. electric start long shaft, with alternator
 

Laddies

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

This should be the same as yours.
scan0002-1.jpg
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

well dave, and matties. that is going to totally solve my problem. tomarrow night after i get off of work i'm gonna hook those switches up. that will solve my issue. i cant wait to get my boat back on the water with this motor. the way this runs vs. the merc 350 i had on it is like night and day difference. thank you guys. i will post back with a pic of my lil homade switchbox cover and the new switches in it when i get er done. and another pic with a grin on my face. i owed the old motor i had for over half my life and you cant hurt these old merc motors. i need to mount my transom lowering mounts i made because this one is a longshaft. and i think that it is 5"difference between my 350 short shaft and my 500 long shaft i have now. anyone know for sure? i just kind of micked it up on the transom and taped the gap between the hull bottom and the anti-cav. plate on the lover unit.
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

i got into that wire harness and there is a lot of wires that dont even go for my make and model so where your harness comes apart with the small inline plug. with like a spring that holds it together. i pulled back the cover on it and i see that from my motor to that plug has every color that is supposed to be there. i'm going to trash that whole end of the harness because i dont need it to be 12ft long anyway.
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

does anyone know how to hook up some sort of toggle to turn on the 12v and a push button momentary switch for the start? any help would be greatly appreciated. the boat is done. just trying to figure out this harness is giving me a headache
 

Laddies

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

Using a momentary switch red to yellow will run the starter, red to gray will choke the engine and you will need a off-on switch to supply 12 volt to the switch box red to the white. Can't you read a wiring diagram the name is laddies.
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

i can read it just fine. you all know what happens when you hook 12v up to somthin its not supposed to. better to be safe then sorry. i just didnt understand why the white wire didnt go through to the motor side of the harness. i'm gonna give it a go when i get off work. thanks laddies. matt
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

so on my on off toggle to run 12v to the switchbox i put white/red
i already have my choke figured out. red/grey
and the momentary switch is red/yellow. sounds good to me? any comments welcome. i'm open to any ideas on this. its my fishing/hunting boat and i'm lookin to keep it clean and simple.
 

flatcat77

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Re: Post from flat cat 77

that worked great laddies!!! but now i cant get the thing to shut off. that switch with the white/red when shut off shoud kill it shouldnt it. i settled for the next best thing but it seems that the choke selenoid isnt working. so i grabbed the manual choke and pulled it to kill the motor. pushed the button in again and fired right up. its draining my battery too when its just sitting there not running. is there a ground loose somewhere mabey?? i ran it for a good half hour and there isnt a thing wrong with the way it runs. i'm so excited its starting to come together. but i'm stumped on why its not killing the motor. i can go for a ride if i dont kill the motor. i can choke it to kill the motor. but if i want to stop between here and there i need to be able to shut the 12v off or i wont have anything to get home with if its dead.
 
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