wrote in message

When's the last time you worked on a 1965 Merc???

-W

but it is timed by a fixed coil that sees a moving magnet on the crank
shaft. Maybe you don't call that a stator.
Sorry if I caused unnecessary confusion.

We already discussed how to test the difference between a bad stator
and the rectifier. You would hope the rectifier went bad first but it
may not always be the case.

sigh It is *not* even timed by a moving magnet on the crank (we call that
a "trigger" by the way). It still uses "breaker points" - remember those??
You must be thinking of 1980's motors to get a trigger at the crankshaft.

And I don't "hope" the rectifier went bad first, I'm 99.9% sure it did based
on the size of the stator windings vs the PIV rating of the diodes. Do the
math. Yes, you can test the rectifier.. but if the guy don't own an
ohm-meter... it's cheaper to buy a rectifier than an ohm-meter. Particularly
when that's the most likely problem. (assuming the stator leads ar OK).

Presume that when I bother to speak in here re. anciant Mercury that I'm
speaking *ex cathedra*, not opining or guessing.

-W