TOPIC: help... spark plug idiot here...

well, it's the wires i know little about, really. i am replacing the wires on my outboard and i have to make my own set. having never made up my own set, and outboard wire ends being different from the automotive ones i'm used to, i wanted to make sure i was doing things right before i screw up the ends and wires. i've included a pic.



the wire that's freshly stripped is how the guy at napa advised me to do things (except i didn't crimp down on the insulation yet). it seems to me that the core should somehow be secured directly to the terminal for better conductivity. for instance, in car wires there's a second spot to crip that pins the core to the terminal. should i solder the core to the terminal, or what?

also in the pic is the terminal end from the wire i'm replacing. i've never seen one like it, and thought perhaps it could be the original ones from 1958? just curious.

lastly, the ends that thread into the distributor cap... do i strip back and bare the core and then just cram the wire in there and crimp, or... ? the one in the pic is one of the old ones. new ones are on the way. do i need a special crimping tool, or can i get by with some creative use of a standard crimper?

thanks again for the help.

I agree, there's got to be some way of securing the core of the wire directly to the connector I would think. I've seen some that you actually stripped enough of the insulation back to allow the core to be folded back under the wire, then crimped in place (between the insulation and the connector).? If you'll post a pic of the connector without the wire in it, maybe somebody can advise you better. I'm not that swift on spark plug wire connections, hopefully one of the gang who is will chime in here.

Firstly Id take no further advice from that Napa guy if he told you to leave a little core exposed as in your pic

you could as mark suggest fold the wire over then crimp but those spring connectors are available at eastcoatmarine.com and many Hi Performance speed shops

the other end IS an issue, Ive seen one set that was jerry rigged but it was soldered to the threaded end , anything short of soldering I should think may very well fail threading the wires back in place into the cap

I opt for a used cap with wires from ebay when I need to deal with bad wires and these funky threaded ends

Alternate pics as requested:




MadProps: let's say that i'm no stranger to parts store folks that guess at an answer rather than say "i don't know." helpful guy, but not someone i'm seeking out when in a bind. hence my posting here =)

i have no beef with folding the core under the insulated portion before crimping. heck, i'll even solder the core to the terminal before folding it over and crimping everything down. i've got some 95% tin solder that may even help with corrosion resistance.

the threaded end is something i'd like to keep. the cap that's on it is in great shape. heck, it looks almost new, or at least recently cleaned. no need to replace it, IMHO. I can solder the core to the threaded end too. i'll just pre-tin the inside of the terminal and the tip of the core and stick 'em together and heat and crimp should be solid. i just didn't know if that was advisable or not, or if there was a simpler/better way to go about things. can't really beat $14 for enough supplies to make a set of 4 wires, especially if they're available from a local supplier.

what make of motor? bes place to get motor info is on one of the "motor" boards. Lots of info on exchange.

You can get wires pre-made for many vintage outboards. Try Vintage outboard supply in Spokane WA, Seaway Marine in WA, The Mastertech in FL, Grubbs Marine, and there are many others.

The threaded end brass cup starts out round. The Sparkplug lead is inserted fully into the cup. Wire cut flush - or if you want, remove 1/4" of insulation & bend the lead back so it gets crushed between the rubber and the cup when it's crimped. Then there is a star-shaped crinping tool that crushes the cup around the wire, holding it firmly in place.

There should also be a rubber "boot" slipped onto the wire before the end is installed and crimped. The boot slips over the the towers on the disto cap. This keeps moisture out of the connection. Don't re use the old boots unless the rubber is pliable. They are cheap get new ones.

As for the spark plug end - Get new "sparky" right angle plug boots and spring contacts. As with the disto end, cut the wire off clean. DO NOT strip any insulation. Take a NEW spring and carefully install it on the end of the wire. The chistle end of the spring is designed to pierce the insulation and penetrate the copper core. Poke it into the rubber jacket, about 1/4" back from the cut end. Pliars may be needed to do this. The high tesnion - high voltage electric pulse in the wire does not need soldering.

Then put a dab of dish soap or spit on the spring and 1/4" worth of the spark plug wire rubber. Carefully insert the coil and wire into the rubber spark plug boot. Push it inward until the center of the coil spring is aligned with the center of the the boot. Presto - that's all there is to it.

Important - leave adequate slack in all of the plug wires to allow the entire distributor or magneto to freely rotate as the throttle is moved.

As for wire - I haven't had to buy any in 30 years - but We used to insist on Packard 440. Don't even know if it's made any more. Whatever you use be sure it is copper core and insist that the copper is tinned so it won't corrode.

Bruce - It's a 1958 Fat Fifty that i'm doing the wires on.

i was able to score all the materials (ends, wire, boots, etc.) from napa for around $15. i'm just trying to see if the motor's even going to run at this point. once she's operational i'll look at getting nice bits and pieces for her. i'd hate to dump money into nice parts just to find something horribly wrong inside and have it be a waste.

i've always been apprehensive about using terminal ends of any type that cut into or otherwise damage the wire they're connecting to. same reason i won't use those blue clip in connectors everyone seems to want to use when wiring in trailer lights on their tow rig. just can't bring myself to do it. plus, the wires that were on the motor when i got it used the spring type ends. just a slight tug on the wire and they pulled right out of the springs, tearing the insulation off of the end of the wire with it. granted, the wires were old but still, i'd rather have something crimped on there solid, IMHO.

good to know that soldering isn't recommended. thanks for the info!

Let me throw something potentially stupid out here. Do you have an OMC dealer in your area that has been around since the 50s - early 60s? Talk to them and see what they recommend. They may be able to get you something. We have one here that has no problem with anything for my 64 40hp Johnson.

I got a replacement end from a local ATV/Motorcycle dealer. They sell a replacement end for wire repair that screws into the wire very tightly. I had one on for years and they are waterproof too. Maybe not original but works damn well.

tudor - we have several suppliers around here but no OMC dealers to speak of. when i called around asking about parts, all but one place laughed at me when i dared to speak of needing parts for something pre-1985. the one place that can/will get motor parts this old can take forever and has very little in stock on the shelf. i'll probably be breaking even (time-wise) to find the parts i need somewhere online vs. ordering them in locally.

i never thought of hitting up a local ATV/Motorcycle dealer. we have a bunch of those around here. i've already started into the stuff i picked up from NAPA, so i can't return it. if it turns out to be a total bust, or they need replacing in half a season or something like that, then i'll head to the ATV dealer.

Thanks for the suggestions!

i do need to find a crimper for the terminals that thread into the distributor cap. NAPA was less than helpful about what it could be. anyone on here have a pic of one, or perhaps a part number i could cross reference?

If you need a source for OMC parts, you might want to give Joe a try at www.fergusonpoolemarine.com . He's mostly known for his Mercury parts sourcing and expertise, but has been very helpful with my OMC parts as well. (Also an advertiser here on FG!)

A good wire crimping tool is a must, for ANY crimping jobs IMO. The good ones have fatter jaws that don't tend to cut into the connector as the cheaper ones do. They're available at most good parts stores, hardware stores, etc. Something like this;
www.globalindustrial.com/p/tools/Pliers-Vise/Pliers2/gardner-bender-automatic-stripper-crimper?utm_source=google_pr;utm_medium=cpc;utm_campaign=Pliers-Crimpers-google_pr;infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CMHr1Y6RvK4CFQxX7AodSkcwNQ

Mark -

As i have no reliable at-the-ready local OMC supplier, i'll have to look into this Joe guy. thanks for the tip!

In regards to crimpers: i have a few pretty nice, decent quality ones that will do most wiring jobs. if you look at the brass cup/threaded end in the above pic, you'll see triangular imprints where it is crimped, and they're in 6 spots, evenly spaced all the way around. it also doesn't appear to be deformed like i would expect it to be if it were crimped by regular type crimpers where it would only crimp in two places and then you'd have to rotate the piece and crimp a second and a third time. it looks like a special tool was used that would crimp the whole thing at once. i'm sure i could manage to get the regular ones to do a good enough job, i just wanted to see if the right tool was out there somewhere.

A fat Fifty? Forget all what I wrote above. Use bailing wire