Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Blake Hearn · Apr 12, 2010

This is my first post on this site, so far i love it. I have an old 1971 evinrude 18HP fastwin outboard motor. Ive only run it once in my backyard and it ran great. Now im ready to put it back on the boat and it does not have a stop switch. It is electric start and has a momentary switch that the previous owner rigged up to start it with. I need to know how to install a stop switch on this. Im pretty dumb with boat motors so i will probably need some pictures. Thanks for your help.

wbeaton · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

I'm not familiar with that motor, but OMC started adding stop switches to those motors in about 1958 so you should already have one. That is unless the PO wired the starter to run using the stop button and disconnected the kill switch.

There should be two wires coming from under the armature. They connect to the points. One wire per point set. Connect those two wires to a mementary switch and you've got a kill switch.

lindy46 · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

My 1972 18hp has a start button on the (starboard) side of the motor, towards the front. The stop switch is on the front of the motor, on the port side. As mentioned, the stop button grounds out the points via two black wires which you can follow going under the flywheel through the armature plate.

Blake Hearn · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

There is a place for a stop switch on the motor next to the choke, but someone has removed it. So i need to know how to wire it up with no previous knowledge of how it was. What is the Armature?

restornator · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

you would be better off getting a 4-pole key ignition, momentary start switch + your kill switch all in one

Blake Hearn · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

The problem is i dont know where to attach the wires for it to kill the engine.

restornator · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

look under the flywheel, there should be a pair of wires that have connectors or were cut. if you don't see these wires, they were completely removed. You will have to take off the flywheel and the armature plate (has the coils points and condensors). The leads for the kill switch are grounded to each set of points (where the wire coming from the condensor is fastened to). There should also be 2 ports for the lead wire to pass through to the underneath area of the armature. Here they are secured with a tab on the armature plate. The leads should be navigated down through and behind the shift lever, under the solenoid, and down to the kill switch

Blake Hearn · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

I have found both wires and they both have quick connects. I wired up the 4-pole switch from the previous momentary switch to start the motor and it worked fine. I am confused where i put these two wires for the kill switch tho. The 4 poles say BATT-i hooked the hot wire to. ACC-nothing on it yet. IGN-Also nothing on it and ST which i hooked the other wire from the momentary switch to. I am getting 12 volts out of both ACC and IGN when the switch is turned on. I need some more advice on hooking the kill switch up to. I greatly appreciate the quick responses and help from you all. This is my first boat so i have no clue what to do when it comes to repairing it. I am good with small engines tho so i know the basics of a motor.

bktheking · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

You need either either change the switch out or just get a momentary switch, Connect the 2 black wires to a momentary switch. Or get a 6 wire switch for 25 or so bucks, the 2 black wires go to the "m" terminals like this:

Ignore the push to choke wire. If you can find a switch without the push to choke, 5 wire, even better but I think the 6 wire are pretty common in boating stores/dealers.

bktheking · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Of course you could always get creative and wire up an air horn to the push to choke switch and scare the **** out of people at the dock when you go to start it, you could use the accessories wire to run the neon lights you run along the boat for full night funk effect, always wanted to neons on a boat.

Blake Hearn · Apr 13, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Just what i needed to know. I didnt think i should be hooking 12 volts to those wires. Ill figure something out for it, probably just a momentary switch. I really do appreciate everyones help while i was being a pain about this. No one i know seems to know anything about boat motors so im sure glad i found this site i really like it and yall are very helpful. Thanks guys

lindy46 · Apr 14, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Yah - 12 volts to those black wires will fry your coils

Blake Hearn · Apr 15, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Well i accidentally did hook up 12 volts to those wires and now my motor wont start. Im not sure if thats why it wont start or not. It has good spark and every now and then while cranking it it will get fire once and puff white smoke and then go right back to just cranking. Fuel is fresh and spark is good. What could the problem be? I did run it last fall and didnt run it out of fuel and left it outside all winter. Could it just be that the carb needs to be cleaned?

bktheking · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

You fried something for sure, 12V ran back to the system where it was meant to be ground.

Blake Hearn · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Would that not completely screw it up so it wouldnt have spark tho?

Blake Hearn · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Also when i turn the stop switch to off it only takes spark away from one of them and the other still sprks.

bktheking · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Blake Hearn said:
Would that not completely screw it up so it wouldnt have spark tho?

Was "good spark" measured with a tester or with plugs, gotta ask.

Blake Hearn · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

I just took them out and looked at them while it was cranking

Blake Hearn · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

"Them" referring to the spark plugs

bktheking · Apr 16, 2010

Re: Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

Well if spark it "good", spray some 50:1 mix into the carb and try it, could be bad gas in the carb. I'm assuming you have a starting procedure for your motor as you started it last year. Did you just end up wiring the 2 black wires to a momentary switch?

Installing stop switch on 71' 18HP

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