Jak wrote:

There should be two black wires going up into the stator plate if this
is a forward control motor, one to the harness and then the other to the
vacuum cut-out switch then to the harness, or one if it is a tiller
motor, to the vacuum cut-out switch. To shut off the forward control
motor, the two are shorted to each other, on the tiller, you twist all
the way down to stop.

To run, no wires to the stator should be contacting ground.

Check points(OMC# 580148), condensers(OMC# 580321), and coils(OMC#
582995). All parts are readily available if needed. Even with new
points, at this age, the coils are probably cracked and/or leaking(HV)
pretty bad and the condensors have broken down.

Rob


I have a wire from the vacuum cut-out going up under the flywheel,
thats it.
You hit the nail on the head, the coils are cracked plently with the
hard casing just peeling off the coils. Any chance of replacing the
points/condensors with an electronic system?
JK

http://tinyurl.com/26mf4

You can request part #18-5101 at NAPA, this is a kit with 2 modules and
all the hardware. The list price is about $55.00, $40.00 on the street
if you do a web search for "Sierra 18-5101". You should carry a spare
module nearby if you go this route (18-5100). I like the points on
small engines, though, as they can be adjusted/repaired/replaced on the
water with a minimum of work. They can usually be adjusted or cleaned
enough to get you back to the dock.

Rob