Shift Interrupt wiring

[SLiM JiM 156]

My boat is a 1988 Sea Ray Sorrento. Everything is back together and runnning good, except the shift interruptor switch. I've looked at all the wiring diagrams on this site to find out how to wire the switch, but none of the wiring diagrams look like mine. I don't have the serial of the engine (i'll grab it when im off work,) but the Engine is a 5.7 Mercruiser 260. All of the wiring diagrams on this site have 4 wires coming off the distributor, but mine only has a single black wire coming out. The interrupt switch has a black wire going onto the top terminal, and a white/green on the bottom terminal. The white/green isn't hooked up to anything at this moment, I hooked it up to the negative side of the coil and it just grounds out the ignition and wont start. Is that how it is supposed to be wired and the switch needs to be adjusted? Or do I have something wrong here. Sorry for not having very much info on the engine since i'm at work. Thanks for any input.

Jim

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

The green/white wire suggests the motor had a Thunderbolt electronic ign sysytem
Dosent really matter, look closely where the switch wires are connected to the connector block, 1 screw supplies the ground connection ,the other screw is isolated in the block, the isolated one goes to the neg side of the dist.

 

[Don S]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Download the OEM service manual #9 here.
http://www.4shared.com/file/239137832/3b1f383d/Service_Manual_09.html

The wiring diagram on Page 4F-5 should cover your wiring.

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

The green/white wire suggests the motor had a Thunderbolt electronic ign sysytem
Dosent really matter, look closely where the switch wires are connected to the connector block, 1 screw supplies the ground connection ,the other screw is isolated in the block, the isolated one goes to the neg side of the dist.

The way it was wired when I got it was the neg wire off the dist. was going to the negative terminal on the coil. I've read that the shift interruptor basically grounds out the negative side of the coil, so I hooked it up directly to the coil and it totally grounds it out and the engine wont start. Shouldn't that wire only provide the ground when the controls are shifted out of gear?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Yep, only coming out of gear in the water , not on land. check how the wires are terminated on the plastic block, if reversed, the ground will always be present

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Yep, only coming out of gear in the water , not on land. check how the wires are terminated on the plastic block, if reversed, the ground will always be present

So should I hear the bog when the boat is on the trailer? I can shift it in and out of gear no problem on the trailer but I can't hear a slight bog as if the switch is working. Thanks for the help!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

So should I hear the bog when the boat is on the trailer? I can shift it in and out of gear no problem on the trailer but I can't hear a slight bog as if the switch is working. Thanks for the help!

Ayuh,... It Only works in the water, with a Load on the prop...

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Ayuh,... It Only works in the water, with a Load on the prop...

Thanks, I thought I read that. The weird thing is that with a test light, both of the terminals are grounded, and when I hook the white/green wire to the negative side of the coil, the boat wont start. I figure if I try switching them, i'll get the same result.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Look at how the wires are connected. There is a connecting block with 2 phillips screws. The upper most one is the mounting screw that should have 1 wire from the switch, this screw also supplies the ground side. The lower phillips screw is the isolated connection for the green/white wire and should also have the return wire from the switch itself.
Seeing a short on both leads may indicate a shorted switch.

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

I figure a picture is worth a thousand words. Does this look like everything is hooked up correctly? I can move the roller and hear the click. Thanks

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

looks correct except for the extra black wire.

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

That black wire goes into the harness and it taped up with the rest of the wires, so i'm not exactly sure where it goes, but it is a ground. I think the distributor has been replaced because the only wires coming off of it is a black ground wire, I don't even see any terminals for the white/red & white/green wires.

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

On second though, i'm not sure what I was thinking. Of course if I hook up the white/green wire to the negative side of the coil it's going to ground out at all times. Is there any other way to hook the switch up, or should I start hitting the classifieds for a used distributor with the terminals for all the wires like on the diagram? Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[ringmaster72]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Hook the green/white wire of the switch to the neg side of the coil and hook the other wire on the switch to a ground. To test it, start the motor and push the switch down and the motor should die.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

unhook the wires and test the switch by itself, shouild read open untill you push the lever, then it should go shorted

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

unhook the wires and test the switch by itself, shouild read open untill you push the lever, then it should go shorted

When I unhook the white/green from the neg. side of the coil the switch is working correctly, but when I hook the wire up to the coil, it is grounded. There is a grey wire that is on the negative side of the coil which makes me think this is whats causing the switch to short out. but the boat runs fine with it hooked up.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

nothing should be shorted to ground untill the roller is out of the "V" section. Like I said remove the 2 switch wires and test just the switch. The switch itself may be bad giving you a constant short to ground.

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

nothing should be shorted to ground untill the roller is out of the "V" section. Like I said remove the 2 switch wires and test just the switch. The switch itself may be bad giving you a constant short to ground.

I must have been doing something wrong, because I took off that black wire you said, put the white/green wire on the negative side of the coil and it started right up. Switch is working like it should. Thanks for all your help! Now I just have to do a water test. Thanks again!

 

[180shabah]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

Now I just have to do a water test.

That'll be the real test, good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

Re: Shift Interrupt wiring

That'll be the real test, good luck and let us know how it goes.

Got her out on the lake today, everything is working good! I can hear the engine die briefly when i put it in neutral. Ran her for about 2 hours and everthing went good. Thanks guys!

Jim