Another attempt to wire up the electric start on he 1957 Evinrude Lark

[mgsolakis]

No insult intended Wedgie, I do want to keep the safety intact for exactly the reason you suggest. I could also be distracted and make the same mistake. "Stupid" was a poor choice of words. This motor does have a safety that rides against the mag plate for the pull start. You cannot accelerate past a certain point while in neutral.

[wedgie]

Not at all insulted MG.

I have started my 6 hp in gear at medium throttle in the test barell and it pushed itself and the stand it was on toward me before it emptied enough water and lost "traction". That was funny 😆 , but highlighted the risk of getting tossed overboard, even with a smaller motor.

[gjonz]

quote Wedgie:

quote mgsolakis:

It looks something like that. I don’t have a generator so I’m just looking for the simplest way to do this. I’d prefer to use the safety switch if I can just as a precaution but I would never be stupid enough to start the boat in gear.

You might not be stupid enough, but there are many, including me, who are. All it takes is a moment of inattention, or a distraction that makes you forget to flip it back into neutral.

I hate to admit this…BUT…I start my boat all the time in gear! Reasons?

1. Old timers disease

2. Shut the motor off to talk to a curious boater asking about my boat.

3. Throttled down too low coming into dock. Damnit!

4. Just don’t feel like putting extra wear on my clutch dog when shifting.

5. Just lazy!

But the safety switch is there for a reason…and I replaced mine with new ones from SeaWay Marine. 9.00 or so. It was meant to be there and it should be there…PERIOD! I have no issues with defeating it during troubleshooting as you are doing. :geek:

Also I would NEVER use a pull switch for the starter. If it get pulled out unnoticed I guarantee the start will get toasted. Momentary pull or push switches are okay for this purpose. But they really should be momentary switches. And they are readily available from Napa, etc. :ugeek:

Good luck.

Greg

[frankr]

quote fleetwin:

Frank
Can these older mercury switch engines be easily converted to the later style that uses the single safety switch that rides against the mag plate?

Well not "easy". You would have to change the exhaust cover and install the different parts on the armature plate.

[frankr]

quote mgsolakis:

It looks something like that. I don’t have a generator so I’m just looking for the simplest way to do this. I’d prefer to use the safety switch if I can just as a precaution but I would never be stupid enough to start the boat in gear.

I guess we don’t understand your goal here. Do you plan to use the junction box and cable that plugs into the side of the motor? If so, the second diagram would be appropriate. Just ignore the stuff related to the generator and regulator.

[frankr]

Actually, here is the correct diagram for the motor without a generator.

upload a gif

[mgsolakis]

I’m don’t have a junction box, just a solenoid. So do I use the wiring harness on the side of the motor?

[frankr]

The electricity really doesn’t care. An awful lot of them get hard-wired without all the formality. It’s up to you and your ingenuity.

[mgsolakis]

What gauge wire should I use? Also a wire is already going to the safety switch, I’ll have to trace it back to where it is coming from.

[mgsolakis]

It seems as though wires are already running to the cut out switch and the Mercury safety switch. So what changes when I wire it up for electric start? Is it just a wire from the solenoid to the cut out switch? If I’m not mistaken if I use the wiring harness from the motor I will just have to add my wires from the start switch to the solenoid and from the solenoid to the battery.

[Author]

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