regulator 4-stroke 2000 mecury; replace wiring harness too?

[biology]

My regulator melted on my 2000 75hp merc 4-stroke. I got the replacement and it came with a separate, but complete new wiring harness (all the wires and fuses between the starter, the bottom of the cowling, and the flywheel).

My existing wiring looks pristine except for the leads from the old regulator. These would be replaced with the new regulator.

Question; should I go through the extra trouble to replace the old wiring, or just put on the new regulator and connect it to the existing wiring?

Thanks

 

[sxmerc]

Re: regulator 4-stroke 2000 mecury; replace wiring harness too?

I believe that the wiring that came with your new regulator also has an additional inline fuse that the old one did not have. The melting of the regulator was a common issue with the smaller fourstrokes (30 through 60 hp) that actually prompted a recall. All the new regulators for these engines came in a kit with a new exhaust cover, and a wiring harness that contained a fuseable link from the regulator. The idea behind this was to have the fuse blow should the regulator overheat, rather than it melting and possibly creating a fire under the cowl. Your motor was not affected by this recall, but I would inspect the new harness for the presence of an additional fuse, or any other subtle changes. They wouldn't have packaged the regulator with a new wiring unless there was a good reason. My advise would be to just change the wiring while you're right there.