key swithch want turn motor off

need help just purchased a used 1985 cheetah 156 with a 90 hp johnson v4. when i cranked it the key wouldnt turn it off and it was idling high and when i went to manualy push the throttle linkage i got shocked? any suggestions on what might be the problem?

Re: key swithch want turn motor off

Check the kill circuit with a ohm meter and correct as needed.

(Ignition Kill Circuit)
(J. Reeves)

A Black wire (ground) should lead from the powerhead to the powerpack. There will also be a Black/Yellow wire leading from the powerpack to a raised "M" terminal of the ignition switch. To complete the circuit, there will be a Black wire from the other "M" terminal of the ignition switch to ground.

When the key is in the OFF position = The two "M" terminals are connected,. effectively shorting/killing the ignition.

When the key in ON position = The two "M" terminals are not connected and the ignition is engaged.

Re: key swithch want turn motor off

Joe Reeves said:

Check the kill circuit with a ohm meter and correct as needed.

(Ignition Kill Circuit)
(J. Reeves)

A Black wire (ground) should lead from the powerhead to the powerpack. There will also be a Black/Yellow wire leading from the powerpack to a raised "M" terminal of the ignition switch. To complete the circuit, there will be a Black wire from the other "M" terminal of the ignition switch to ground.

When the key is in the OFF position = The two "M" terminals are connected,. effectively shorting/killing the ignition.

When the key in ON position = The two "M" terminals are not connected and the ignition is engaged.

Click to expand...

thanks got that part fixed. but i have a kill switch that doesnt have the lanyard seems to be a 3 wire set up one black wire that comes from the "m" on the switch and 2 other wires ones gray and the other one is purple is there any way to jump them out to see if thats my no fire problem now? thanks.

Re: key swithch want turn motor off

jamo61 said:

need help just purchased a used 1985 cheetah 156 with a 90 hp johnson v4. when i cranked it the key wouldnt turn it off and it was idling high and when i went to manualy push the throttle linkage i got shocked? any suggestions on what might be the problem?

Click to expand...

I had the same thing happen with not being able to kill a 140 Hp V-4 Evinrude. Touched the metal steering wheel and it knocked me on my rear end!! It was one of the worst shocks I've ever had and I had to sit down for a bit. As the previous thread indicates, the motor stops by grounding it out. The ignition switch is a normally closed switch to ground and when the key is in the "on" position it doesn't turn anything on, it just "doesn't" turn it off with the switch open and allows the motor to run. When the switch is "off" the ignition is closed and is grounded out through a wire going back to the engine block.

I suspect you have a broken or lose wire in your wiring harness, plug connector or in the motor itself that is connected back to ground on the engine block through the circuit previously posted. In my case the ground wire that attached to the engine block under one of the bolts that holds the starter solenoid in place had come lose. This effectively left the voltage of the ignition controls live to the throttle box and any other metal it was connected to.

Hope this helps.

Re: key swithch want turn motor off

jamo61 said:

thanks got that part fixed. but i have a kill switch that doesnt have the lanyard seems to be a 3 wire set up one black wire that comes from the "m" on the switch and 2 other wires ones gray and the other one is purple is there any way to jump them out to see if thats my no fire problem now? thanks.

Click to expand...

???? A little confusion here.... If you have that part fixed, the engine will now shut down (no fire, no spark) when you turn the key switch to the off position.... and now is sounds like you're saying that you have a no fire/no spark problem.

Are you saying that the engine shuts down okay now with the ignition switch BUT does not shut the engine down with the Dead Man kill switch, and this kill switch is wired into the circuit?