[Dave Beveridge]

Hello all, I have been working to clean up the fuel lines & electrical wiring of a 1978 150 Hp Mercury straight six. I have completely redone all except the wires leading into the ditributor. These have lost the elasticity of the plastic coating and have frayed badly.I have checked most of the topics in this site's forum and can't find out if I have to remove the fly wheel to remove the ditributor.Do I need to remove the fly wheel to remove the distributor?I do not have a manual and they are hard to come buy in Australia, except for getting one shipped from US. I guess the next part is once off can the 3 wires leading from the ignition to the ditributor be rewired?

[ozarkjeep]

YOu dont have to remover the flywheel, at least I didnt on my 80 HP inline 4 cylinder, its a tight fit but you can leave the upper pulley and belt in place and slide the distributor out the bottom.if you dont move the engine or dist pulley, you can line it right back up and preserve your timing marks.this assumes the 80HP and 150 are similar in this regard.

[rbcgonz@aol.com]

Hello Dave,I had the same problem as you with baddily corroded wires leading from the box to the distributor.Yesterday I dropped my distributor by removing the 4 7/16" bolts on the bottom base plate.It's a littls tight but you can get to them.Hopfully my mercury 115 is the same set up as yours.Just remember not to move engine with distributor out.Good Luck,Dave.

[Chris1956]

Dave, I have a 1977 150HP Merc. I too have the frayed wires from the switchbox to the distributer. These wires lead to the trigger mechanism in the distributor. On my OB, the trigger is not replaceable, that is it is one unit with the distributor body. Best if you can save the wires with shrinkwrap insulation or something like it. Also I have 3 5/16 inch bolts which screw in to the distributor from above the bracket. To remove the distributor, I need to remove the small bolt (5/16 wrench) holding the distributor pulley cover, then the pulley comes off and then the 5/16 inch bolts. The flywheel is two pieces, and the outer part can be removed if you remove the eight 5/16 bolts around the flywheel nut. You probably need to get a manual if you plan to remove the distributor. It needs to be timed just right using a timing light. The distributor pulley needs to be installed into the timing belt correctly also. Good Luck. Aftermarket manuals are available (Chilton,Seloc..)

[Dave Beveridge]

Great to have a few quick responses. Thanks. I guess the 1977 150 merc is the best guide for me, I'll have a crack at the 8 bolts in the centre of the fly wheel to remove the outer portion. I think the smaller models sound as though they have a different mounting setup. There is definately a third bolt under the outer edge of the flywheel. Thanks for the tips guys, I'll let you know how I go.My kids hope to be back out skiing this weekend. So I'd better getto it!Cheers Dave.