Where do the wires go on the outboard?

[ebsail]

I just bought an O Day 25 and it came with a 9.9 Mercury outboard (circa 1990) electric start w/alternator. Since the engine was not on the boat when I saw it, I don't know where to attach the battery cables to the engine. The cables don't plug in anywhere, as they have ring connectors that would go over a stud. My guess would be that the positive goes the the red (positive) on the solenoid, and the black to any ground.

Anyone actually know? The engine is a 2 cycle with a single lever that controls both throttle and gearshift if this rings any bells.

Thanks Ernie

 

[jackhartjr]

I will look at ours in a few and get back to you.
Jack

 

[ebsail]

Thanks Jack- I'll wait for your reply Ernie

 

[Dan Hill]

The red will go to the + positive side of the battery and the controlled/output side of the solenoid, and the black goes to the - ground side of the battery and the outboards grounding point, usually at one of the starter mounting bolts . I have a Hunter with a 4 stroke Yamaha 9.9 but that doesn't matter. All will be wired the similar. I installed a connector on mine, similar to those used on snow plow hookups. This way if I want to pull the outboard I don't have to un-wire the battery or motor. And remember, under no circumstances should you ever disconnect from the battery while the outboard is running, IE using jumper cable ends. This will fry your charging system in seconds. Have fun and enjoy the boat.

 

[Gudenuph]

......... And remember, under no circumstances should you ever disconnect from the battery while the outboard is running, IE using jumper cable ends. This will fry your charging system in seconds. Have fun and enjoy the boat.

Are you certain about this? I've heard from mechanics that the only real "no no" is allowing the motor leads to short against each other and that the leads do not have to be connected to a load or battery. I'd sure like to know which is which and what is what.
Thanks, Geohan

 

[Dan Hill]

When "jump starting" another vehicle, be it on water or land, you are just assisting the battery that's already there with yours. What I described was disconnecting the outboards only battery while the charging system is putting out. This will cause a back-feed into the charging system causing damage. And yes, when jumping a vehicle, never ever short the 2 cables together. I cringe when I see people swipe the cable ends against each other to "see" if they have juice by the sparks flying . Very bad idea considering the very expensive electronics on today's vehicles/crafts.

 

[JoeWhite]

Battery cables.

Here is the battery connection on my 4-Cycle engine Mercury 9.9 2006.
I purchased a plug from a trailer supply shop that allows me to disconnected the cable near the engine so that I do not have to unscrew anything when removing the engine. They are commonly used on gulf carts to charge the batteries.

 

[ebsail]

Thanks everyone. You've all helped. The disconnect plug is a very good idea since the boat is on a mooring and dropping nut means its gone.

 

[Dan Johnson]

ebsail...

run your connections through a trolling motor plug/socket and you'll be able to disconnect safely anytime you need to. They are more than adequate to carry the current load of your outboard.