mercury switch

[dg22]

I have a 1961 Merc 500 and it has a mercury switch mounted on the side of the motor and is wired to the magneto. I'm assuming this is a switch to shut the motor off incase of a flip. Would this be where I would connect the Tether kill switch? If so, would the Tether kill switch replace the mercury switch?

Dave

[Don]

kill switch

yes that is where you would attach one wire of kill switch the other to ground
no you would not have to remove mercury switch.
Don 5Z

[pops67g]

What is that switch?

The switch in this case is to kill the motor if an obstruction is hit in the water that violently kicks up the motor. One wire is to ground and the other is connected to the stud on the side of the magneto. When we hook up a kill switch for racing we connect one wire to ground and one wire to this same stud. No worries about frying "brain boxes" and stuff with these old ignitions.

[Fast Jack]

Switch

The mercury switch worked to ground the mag when the motor was tilted past its trim limit (you hit a rock or log) if the boat flips the motor pretty much takes care of shutting itself off. Use a normally open swith , ground one leg to the mag case and the other to the insulated terminal on the mag.

[dg22]

The switch in this case is to kill the motor if an obstruction is hit in the water that violently kicks up the motor.

Thanks...that makes sense. I reallly appreciate the feedback from you all.

Dave