I am replacing the stator and trigger assembly on a 1981 70 HP Mercury outboard (serial 5755495). I have the new parts and noticed that the stator is different. The old one has two yellow wires, 1 red, 1 blue, The new one has the same wires plus a black wire (ground??). The red/blue wires on the new one are shorter than the old, by about 3 inches. When I set the new stator in the same orientation as the old, the red/blue wires don't reach. If I rotate the stator 180 degrees it will seat correctly and the wires will reach the ignition box, but not sure this is right, wouldn't this affect the timing? Also there are some markings that are punched into the the top of the stator. They are probably telling me something, but I don't know what. Both are circles with hash marks on the inside and an arrow in the middle pointing to one of the hash marks. Once circle has 12 hash marks and the arrow is pointing to the 7. The other has about 30 hash marks and the arrow is pointing to the 10. Did some engineer figure out you could reorient the stator to save money on wire length, or do I have the wrong part? I looked up the replacement part (Sierra - SIE18-5865 for Mercury - 398-5704A7) . This should be the replacement for my motor.
Thanks
Kevin
Thanks
Kevin