Stator question on 1976ish mercury 1150

[Goofy420]

Ok this boat is going to be the death of me. It was running fine then started jerking and died. It would not start. It cranked over but wouldn't start. I found that I was not getting any spark. The wire insulation on the stator was all but disintegrated. I took it to a mechanic and he said that I needed to replace both the stator and the switch box to the tune of over a grand.
First: what does the stator do
Second: what does the switch box do and should I replace both?
Thank you in advance for any info or suggestions.

 

[Chris1956]

A 1976 Merc 1150 would have distributor ignition. The stator would serve to charge the battery only. The switchbox is powered by the battery.

You can change the stator only, if it is bad. It does not directly affect spark.

A lot of those motors have wiring harnesses that are falling apart. Luckily replacements are available at quite a few places on the web. Look for the best price.

 

[Chris1956]

Forgot to answer your second question. The switchbox generates the spark. It contains capacitors that are charged by the battery, and a electrical trigger circuitry. When the distributor senses it is time to fire a spark plug, it sends a small electrical pulse to the switchbox. The switchbox then sends a spike of electricity to the coil to fire the spark plug.

 

[Faztbullet]

Sounds like trigger died....

 

[Goofy420]

Also the pee hole was working and now when trying to start it nothing

 

[Goofy420]

Forgot to answer your second question. The switchbox generates the spark. It contains capacitors that are charged by the battery, and a electrical trigger circuitry. When the distributor senses it is time to fire a spark plug, it sends a small electrical pulse to the switchbox. The switchbox then sends a spike of electricity to the coil to fire the spark plug.

Can the stator cause the switch box to go bad? I'm trying to figure out what I need to replace to get the motor running again.

 

[Goofy420]

Sounds like trigger died....

Ok what is the trigger do?

 

[Goofy420]

A 1976 Merc 1150 would have distributor ignition. The stator would serve to charge the battery only. The switchbox is powered by the battery.

You can change the stator only, if it is bad. It does not directly affect spark.

A lot of those motors have wiring harnesses that are falling apart. Luckily replacements are available at quite a few places on the web. Look for the best price.

So if I'm not getting any spark I should change the switch box first correct?? All other wires look to be in good condition may have been replaced by previous owner.

 

[racerone]

Your best bet is to do some trouble shooting.------cdielectronics-----Might help you find the part that is defective.-----Throwing parts at these motors gets expensive in a hurry !

 

[Goofy420]

Your best bet is to do some trouble shooting.------cdielectronics-----Might help you find the part that is defective.-----Throwing parts at these motors gets expensive in a hurry !

I'm finding that out, I have spent more money fixing the motor than I did on the boat. The mechanic that rebuilt the carburetors said the switch box was falling apart and would need to be replaced

 

[Faztbullet]

The trigger tells the switchbox when to fire ..similar to electronic points .Get the testing instructions before buying parts.

 

[racerone]

Trouble shooting is not easy on these things if you are working on your first outboard.-----Helped an owner a few years ago with a similar ( 85 HP ) motor.----Shop said they could check it , Get it running for about $1500.----We had it running without spending a penny.-----Choke was not wired correctly !!!

 

[Goofy420]

Thank you all for your help, this is my first boat it ran good for about a year after I had the carburetors rebuilt.

 

[racerone]

Was a new water pump impeller installed ?----Compression test values should be posted.-----Battery load tested ?

 

[Chris1956]

The CDI electronics web page has a test for all parts (wiring, switchbox, coil), except the trigger. If she has spark while running the test, just the trigger is bad. Normally that is the case on those motors.

Heck, my switchbox was under saltwater for 2 weeks, and it still worked.

 

[Goofy420]

Was a new water pump impeller installed ?----Compression test values should be posted.-----Battery load tested ?

It was replaced before I bought it and was working up to the time the motor quit, I think maybe sucked up mud when trying to start the boat, we drifted up to the shore. Like I said I'm new to this and trying to figure it all out.

 

[Goofy420]

The CDI electronics web page has a test for all parts (wiring, switchbox, coil), except the trigger. If she has spark while running the test, just the trigger is bad. Normally that is the case on those motors.

Heck, my switchbox was under saltwater for 2 weeks, and it still worked.

I took the coil wire off the distributor and had no spark to the distributor so I think the trigger is ok. Or hoping it is.

 

[Goofy420]

The CDI electronics web page has a test for all parts (wiring, switchbox, coil), except the trigger. If she has spark while running the test, just the trigger is bad. Normally that is the case on those motors.

Heck, my switchbox was under saltwater for 2 weeks, and it still worked.

I had a mechanic tell me the switchbox was on its way out and would need to be replaced soon.

 

[XS POWER]

Mercson l6 you tube shows the testing procedures

 

[Chris1956]

Gee, I am not sure how a mechanic can tell the switchbox is on it's way out. They are one piece and potted with epoxy. If the epoxy melted out, that would be a sign, but other than that, he would need XRay eyes.