Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

[jjay74]

Hello all, it's been a while since I have posted. I just purchased a Larson trihull with an 85 Force (not sure what year) and am trying to get it water worthy by this weekend.

When I turn the switch off, the engine will not turn off. I cycled the key several times to try and cut the motor off to no avail. Today, I removed the white wire from the M terminal on the back of the switch. I wired it to one side of a seperate ON-OFF toggle switch. I wired the other side of the toggle to ground. This works like a charm. Kills the motor every time.

My question is this......According to Alabama State Law, I have to have an emergency kill switch (lanyard/clip style) that works. I have done a search and just want to verify. I know that I need to use the two M terminals on the back of the emergency switch, but how do I wire it into the system using the toggle switch that I installed?

 

[seabob4]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

You really need a new ignition switch that matches the terminals on the old. You've got it right in that the motor shuts off by grounding the coil. But that nifty little toggle won't get it per Alabama state req.'s. So pull the old ign switch out, go down to the local auto parts store, and get one that matches up...

 

[jjay74]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

thanks for the quick reply, seabob. The ignition switch is a 3-way, push-to-choke, 6 terminal switch. Can these be found at auto parts stores? I called the local marine parts dealer and they didn't have any in stock. I know I can order one off the internet, but was really wanting to get out on the water this weekend.....not for fun and games, but to test everything out (long weekend, will have time to tinker). Can the emergency kill switch be wired into this setup temporarily until I can get a new ignition switch?

 

[seabob4]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

You can wire one in, thats easy enough, bring the ign run circuit and a ground together on a NO switch...but how to attach a lanyard to it...

 

[jjay74]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

:redface:I think I may have not explained clearly. I'm going to leave the toggle switch in place....this is the only way to turn the motor off, as I have bypassed the starter switch. I'm going to ADD a lanyard style kill switch in addition to the toggle switch that is already in place. I thought about just using a lanyard style kill switch by itself INSTEAD of the toggle, but don't like the idea of having only one way to kill the motor.

So, when all is done, I *want* to have a starter switch (for choke and starting), a toggle switch for turning the motor off, and a lanyard style switch for regulation.

I have run a battery positive wire and a battery negative wire to the front to wire the rest of the boat. Nothing will draw its power from the key switch. All of this is costing me relatively nothing since I already have all the parts. I don't want to put a lot of money in this until everything is tested out on the water.

Which brings me back to my original question....how do I wire this in? Right now, I have the white wire coming from the motor harness on one leg of a ON/OFF toggle and a ground wire going to the other leg. How do I wire the two "M" terminals on the lanyard style switch into this setup? My idea of how it should work is that the motor will not start without the lanyard clip in place, no matter what position the toggle is in.

 

[seabob4]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

Nothing wrong with that. You can wire the kill switch the same way you wired the toggle, where if you pull the lanyard, the circuit will close and ground your coil...

 

[jjay74]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

Thanks....just wasn't sure. All this wiring stuff is making me go crazy. Sometimes it is beneficial to run it by folks that know about this stuff than to hang out on a limb and "see what happens".

 

[wire2]

Re: Engine "OFF" separate from key switch

Re: Engine "OFF" separate from key switch

I believe the word you're looking for is "parallel".

In other words, bring the 2 connections from your "kill switch" to the lanyard switch.
One caveat; the lanyard switch must be open with the lanyard in place, and close (short) with it pulled out to kill the ignition.

On an I/O, a lanyard would be closed to run, (to supply 12v to the coil), which is opposite an O/B app.

 

[jjay74]

Re: Engine "OFF" separate from key switch

Re: Engine "OFF" separate from key switch

I believe the word you're looking for is "parallel".

In other words, bring the 2 connections from your "kill switch" to the lanyard switch.
One caveat; the lanyard switch must be open with the lanyard in place, and close (short) with it pulled out to kill the ignition.

On an I/O, a lanyard would be closed to run, (to supply 12v to the coil), which is opposite an O/B app.

Ok, I've got EVERYTHING wired into my new control panel and working with the exception of these two switches (kill switch and lanyard switch). I've been racking my brain trying to understand this.

Here is what I understand. The white wire has to complete a circuit to ground to turn the motor off. So if I wire it into the toggle kill switch normally open, the motor turns off when the switch is closed. I know this works, I have it wired that way now.

The back of my lanyard switch has four posts, (2) labeled "C" and (2) labeled "M". "M" is open with the lanyard in place, "C" is closed with the lanyard in place. If I took the toggle kill switch out of the equation, I would wire it exactly the same way over the normally open "M" posts.

My question is this....How do I wire these in parallel as to where the toggle kill switch will be able to turn the motor off while the lanyard is in place?

Sorry for the long, drawn out post, but I just want everything to work correctly as planned.

 

[jjay74]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

Here's how I have it wired now:

One leg of toggle switch and one "M" leg of lanyard switch pigtailed together and ran to ground.

The other leg of toggle switch and the other "M" leg of lanyard switch pigtailed together and spliced into white kill wire off the harness.

Do you guys think this is the correct way to wire this? I won't be able to test it until tomorrow when everything is put back together (foot is off for water pump replacement).

 

[seabob4]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

Here's how I have it wired now:

One leg of toggle switch and one "M" leg of lanyard switch pigtailed together and ran to ground.

The other leg of toggle switch and the other "M" leg of lanyard switch pigtailed together and spliced into white kill wire off the harness.

Do you guys think this is the correct way to wire this? I won't be able to test it until tomorrow when everything is put back together (foot is off for water pump replacement).

So what your saying is that either the flip of the toggle or the pull of the lanyard will apply a ground to the white wire, killing the motor. Put a meter on both switches and check continuity, the toggle in the on and off position, the lanyard in place and pulled. Should see continuity with the lanyard pulled or the toggle off...

 

[jjay74]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

So what your saying is that either the flip of the toggle or the pull of the lanyard will apply a ground to the white wire, killing the motor. Put a meter on both switches and check continuity, the toggle in the on and off position, the lanyard in place and pulled. Should see continuity with the lanyard pulled or the toggle off...

Thanks seabob! I used your method to double check the way I had it wired and sure enough, it was right. Made me feel alot better before I started the motor this afternoon. Used both switches at different times to kill the motor and everything works as it should. Thanks again!

 

[seabob4]

Re: Engine "OFF" seperate from key switch

Jay,
Just do you and your family a favor...WEAR that lanyard! Here's a link to a thread on THT that shows you what happens when you don't...http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/286214-so-old-man-totalled-my-boat-today.html


Good reading...