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Need help! No spark on 1967 20hp Mercury Outboard

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blackal07

New member
I have a beautiful 1967 Mercury 20 hp outboard on my 14' aluminum. Last spring I went to get it ready for the summer and couldn't get it started. I checked both plugs and was not getting any spark. The points seem to be in good condition so I am wondering what else I need to check. I am not very experienced with outboards but don't want to get rid of my grandpa's old mercury(good memories.) Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Very nice motor.-----Check out the stop switch first.--------I would say you have to clean the points and set them at 0.020"---------By " clean " we mean really clean as in no oil / dirt of any kind allowed on them.------That is the start for a " no money required fix " as far as I am concerned.
 
racerone said:
Very nice motor.-----Check out the stop switch first.--------I would say you have to clean the points and set them at 0.020"---------By " clean " we mean really clean as in no oil / dirt of any kind allowed on them.------That is the start for a " no money required fix " as far as I am concerned.
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The stop switch has been broken for a long time. That being said I have used the motor countless times with the stop switch being broken..... I have the flywheel off and everything looks pretty clean. No rust or anything of the sort. I will clean the points and let you know. Thank you!
 
The stop switch grounds out the points to stop the motor !------If it is broken and the circuit is open the motor will run, no big deal there.
 
Great info. Thank you! The only mistake I have made is I have used starter fluid in the past. That being said I will never use again. I will see if I can get some pictures once I get the flywheel pulled off. And yes I changed the gear oil not to long ago. I will keep you posted.

Thanks again
 
Okay now that spring has come around I have finally dug into this motor a little bit more. After checking the points, they are pitted and have a little bit of dirt/black specks on them. I have two new points and two new condensors on the way. I will replace them and post another update shortly. One thing is for sure, my grandpa took great care of this old merc as the inside of the motor is spotless. Hopefully I will be out on the lake soon.
 
blackal07 said:
Okay now that spring has come around I have finally dug into this motor a little bit more. After checking the points, they are pitted and have a little bit of dirt/black specks on them. I have two new points and two new condensors on the way. I will replace them and post another update shortly. One thing is for sure, my grandpa took great care of this old merc as the inside of the motor is spotless. Hopefully I will be out on the lake soon.
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Good news! After putting new points and condensors in, the old mercury fired right up! I am planning on taking out the motor this weekend. Thank you all for your comments and help.
 
I have a 1969 mercury outboard 20hp 2 stroke it had spark maybe two weeks ago and now it won’t get spark I just replaced the stop switch with what I believe 20gage wires don’t know how to fix please help trying to get it ready for summer
 
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