Kill Switch on a Mercury

croft adams

Cadet
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
7
I just bought my first real boat and have no idea what Im doing. It ran when I bought it but the throttle cable was broken. I changed the throttle cable but when I attached it in the control box the kill switch was lose and it didnt look like all the pieces were there. The control box is a Quicksilver commander and the motor is a early 80's 80 hp mercury. A guy at the boat ramp looked at it and said it wasnt getting a spark, it does discharge a small spark. I changed the plugs and cleaned the starter connections and the coil packs and the only thing that looks odd is the kill switch it was a metal dip switch in a black housing but there is no way to hold it in place. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,030
Re: Kill Switch on a Mercury

It would be best to post a picture of the control box. If that motor has 4 coils, then grounding the blask/yellow wire will kill the spark. Is that the color wire that the "kill switch" you mention is connected?
 

croft adams

Cadet
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
7
Re: Kill Switch on a Mercury

quicksilver.jpg this is a picture of the same control box. The kill switch has like a black and blue wire on the top and a black and yellow on the bottom. So if the black and yellow cannot be grounded if I disconnect the yellow wire should it fire if thats the problem?
 

croft adams

Cadet
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
7
Re: Kill Switch on a Mercury

To clarify there are two wires going to the same pole on the kill switch one is black and one is blue.
 
Top