Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

[DirtyOldBoat]

I'm trying to fix up my 1974 Mercury 1500 which has been sitting out in the weather uncovered for a few years. I haven't attempted to start it yet, but I'm really worried about the old rotten wires coming out of the distributor trigger and the stator. I plan on rewiring the whole motor, but these wires aren't really replaceable. Is there anything I can do short of completely replacing these parts? I noticed that somebody is selling new distributor triggers and stators for this motor, but they aren't cheap...

 

[mercurymang]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

I have a '75 and have pretty much the same issue. My dist. wires are good but the harness is pretty bad. I attempted to fix it but didn't have alot of luck (although it can be done). I found a old/new one on ebay just yesterday for $150 and it's on its way. May not be what you want to hear but it's an option.
Once I get the new one installed, I'm going to dismantle the old one and see what it takes to rebuild it. The wires are molded into the hard plastic as are the connectors. I think the only way to get to it is to do some cutting.
Short of that you can cut away as much of the wire as possible and then crimp on new wire.

 

[DirtyOldBoat]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

Yeah, I replaced the main harness on the motor about 10 years ago - I just did away with the big molded connector and ran regular wires through the hole. It all needs to be redone again though, since somebody left it out in the rain. :faint2: I'm afraid if I buy a used or even NOS stator or trigger on ebay I'm just going to end up with somebody else's old wires. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow so you can see what I'm dealing with.

 

[mercurymang]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

FYI, i got my harness yesterday and it was basically brand new and in great shape. I found out that the connector that I thought was a hard plastic is actually rubber. It's just become rock hard over the years.
As far as your distributor is concerned, unless there are breaks in the wire, I think I would be tempted to wrap ithem n tape and live with it due to the cost of replacing it.
Another thought that I had was that you could possible disassemble the dist. to where you can get to all the wires. This would allow you to completely replace the wire. That being said, I haven't done that so I don't know what's involved in that and it may be a risky process.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

Replacement wiring harneses are avail on the web, at several places. Surplusunlimited is one of those. if the distributor wires just have bad insulation, put some shrink tube over them and install new ring connectors.

 

[quicktach]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

Look carefully at the wires where they come from the cap. I would be surprised if they can't be worked free. If so, get new cables at an auto supply store. If they absolutely won't come out, heat shrink tubing is better than electrical tape. And how are the contacts inside the cap?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

Spark plug wires unscrew from the the distributor cap. They are stranded stainless steel, and must be replaced with SS or copper stranded. No auto supression wires will work well. Oldmercs (or vintage mercs) has them on their web site. They call them "Tiger Tails"

 

[DirtyOldBoat]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

Well, the distributor wires aren't quite as bad as I thought, though they don't look good. I should probably just clean up the contacts as best I can and pray it works.


The stator wires look much worse. I put some liquid electrical tape on it about 10 years ago where it was cracking but it probably needed replacing then. I'm afraid no matter where I cut the wire it will be too corroded to attach a new terminal.

I have a really vague memory of somebody digging some of the epoxy off of the stator and soldering new wires directly to it...anybody have any idea what I'm talking about?

 

[DirtyOldBoat]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

Spark plug wires unscrew from the the distributor cap. They are stranded stainless steel, and must be replaced with SS or copper stranded. No auto supression wires will work well. Oldmercs (or vintage mercs) has them on their web site. They call them "Tiger Tails"

Interesting...is it possible to test the wires I have now with an ohm meter? They are a bit weathered, but if they are stainless steel maybe they survived? The dist. cap looks pretty good, I think I should be able to just clean it up.


I'm trying to get this thing running on a super low budget...after I hear it run again I might be interested in spending a little more to fix it up. :lol:

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Rotten distributor wires on Mercury inline 6...what to do?

You may test the spark plug wires with an ohmmeter. usually the corrosion is at the spark plug end, where the wires connect to the springs, that get rusty. Those are cheal to replace. You can cut the plug wires sorter and get to new metal, for better conection. Resistance should be zero