Installing a kill switch?
 

Bought 2 universal kill switches for the poker run I'm attending in 2 weeks, not sure it's necessary but won't hurt to have them. How hard is it to install as far as the wiring goes. The back of the plug has four pins, 2 ignition and 2 magneto. Haven't looked at the back of my ignition switches yet but what should I expect to see. And what needs to go where. The instructions are terrible.

I have the single switch that kills both engines. Bought at cp. it has four wires on back. 1 set for each engine. Interrupts ignition hot. Very simple

So I could get by with just installing one switch?

I would think the wiring on a 88 311 would be similar to an 86 - 272. On mine, I have a hot lead that powers the fuse rail. Each engine ignition has a separate fuse on that rail. A wire goes from each fuse to the ignition key switch. The ignition key switch should have two wires then leaving it. One will go to the starter on the engine, so it will go directly to a wire harness plug under the dash. The other is the ignition lead and will also provide power to your gauges. You need to find the wire that goes to the gauges/ignition. You want to cut that wire after the switch and before it connects to anything else. Install the lanyard switch where you cut that wire.

When the lanyard is open, it will remove power from the dash panel and the engine ignition. The motor will still crank over if you turn the key, but without ignition power it will not start. You will not use the Magneto contacts.

Brian

No you can not. If you run them both off of one switch, they will have a common ignition source. Then once they are running, the key will no longer turn one motor off. You would have to shut down both motors to kill the ignition power source.

the single switch that kills both motors has two separate switches built into it, called a single throw - double pole switch.

Ok. I didn't think I could do that either after I thought about it. Gonna try to do it tonight.

http://www.cpperformance.com/p-13200...op-switch.aspx

Here's the one I was talking about

I installed that very switch! Never have made it work though. I'm sure I wired it wrong. Sure looks purty, but doesn't do a damn thing! I keep meaning to get back and switch the wires around but it is a beotch to get to the back of the console.

Just interrupts ignition hot. If no power to ignition engines stop as that power feeds coil.

You can run just one switch. You need to put the lanyard on the hot wire that powers the ignition switches before the switches. Then the keys will cut the power to individual engines but the lanyard cuts the power to both ignition switches. That's how I have them wired in.

That is true, check how your boat is wired. Being an 80's formula, my guess was each ignition had a separate fuse, so two leads going to the two switches. The only place a single hot comes in on my 86 formula is to the fuse block. Do that one and it kills everything controlled by the console to include navigation lights.

Come to think about it, I would find it odd that any twin would not have separately fused ignition leads. One short would kill both motors then. Or are the fuses after the ignition switch or just not fused separately. Got a short in one, don't turn that key on!

Good point to bring up though for future reference. Check your wiring out first!

Brian

Ok, if you look atnthenback of the ignition switch there are many wires and only three positions. Top positions has 1 red wire which I assume is hot, bottom right I have 1 yellow with red line I assume that is going to starter. The bottom left has a bunch of purples going to the gauges.

It makes since to wire the kill switches in on the hot, if I do it to the one going to the gauges that's a cluster as ther is four wires on one side and 5 on the other(fuel gauge).

Can I get by doing just the hot.

Red = 12v
Yellow/Red - Starter
Purple = switched 12V/ignition

You can either do it on the red going into the switch or the purple coming out of the switch. If you do it on the purple coming out of the switch you can still turn the motor over with the ignition turned off, if you pull the lanyard. Say if you wanted to spin the engine over a little bit before it fires to 'pre-lube' the engine.

I wired mine in on the purple side. So it goes switch > lanyard > igntion/gauges/etc.

yes just kill the red wire,,you want to kill everything in the boat just incase you hit shore or rocks so the power still being on wont ignite anything..