I took off my flywheel to check points, condensers, and coils. The coils insulation was cracked and one had small pieces of the insulation missing. Should i replace them?
Wouldn't be a bad idea James. Won't be long before the coil starts shorting to ground. Sometimes cracks can be sealed with liquid tape or vinyl and you can get somemore time out of them, if the cracks ain't to bad. But to be on the safe side, I would replace them. Might save you trouble on the water.
I agree completely. Eventually the coils will get water in them and then they'll completely dry. Now they'll just start arcing over at higher rpms. New coils are cheap. Check for PN 18-5181, or get the factory one. I actually like the aftermarket ones more. Marinemanifold dot com wants 22 CAD for them, Iboats wants less (USD) but I don't think they ship.
I second the suggestion that you replace those coils. They'll give you trouble at some point. With new coils in there, you'll be set for another few decades of reliable service.
Epoxy was a new relatively new thing back in the 60's. Any motor of that era will have cracked coils if they are original just because they are old. You might as well change the points and condencers and set the timing while are into it and you motor will appreciate it. Your motor is bigger than the ones on my site but the ignitions are basically the same. Check out http://outboard-boat-motor-repair.com and look at my ignition tune up pages.
