Mercury online 6 distributor swap

[Captain Nino]

I have a working distributor that came off of a 1965 900 90hp. I want to put it on a 1971 115. Both are inline 6s. Will it swap?

 

[racerone]

Check the firing order.

 

[Captain Nino]

Is the firing order the only factor?

 

[GA_Boater]

Look up the parts diagrams for both motors and compare part numbers, including supersessions.

 

[matt167]

it's a distributor, so couldn't you just run the leads in the correct order?

As I recall, the distributor advance is linked externally. one person could modify a Chevy/ Mercruiser 165 6cyl distributor head to go on the outboard shaft/ mount and then use a pertronix kit or the like to get a reliable/ servicable battery style ignition.

the 1965 points are NLA last I knew. Carbs can be rebuilt but without reliable ignition you can be stranded

 

[GA_Boater]

Might as well buy a brand new motor for what that would cost to fab up as a one-off.

 

[merc850]

Aren't those 2 different types of ignitions? One is dual point/coils and the other is Thunderbolt CDI which uses a trigger device instead of points. Even the mounting systems are different, what's wrong with the 115 ignition?

 

[jimmbo]

Aren't those 2 different types of ignitions? One is dual point/coils and the other is Thunderbolt CDI which uses a trigger device instead of points. Even the mounting systems are different, what's wrong with the 115 ignition?

You are correct, the 1965 engine has a Battery Ignition using points and a Coil, while the 71 uses a Battery breakerless CD system.