TOPIC: 1966 homelite/bearcat wiring help

hello,
my stepson recently received a free boat with a 1966 homelite fisher pierce bearcat 55 motor.it has some parts with cut wires connected to them and some with no wiring connected to them at all.
we are both new to boat motors and don't know how everything is suppose to connect.it has electronic ignition upgrade and electric fuel pump upgrade.
does anyone have information on the the electrical connections and part discriptions?
do these motors have kill switches or is the start up and shut down controlled by the ignition switch?
thanks for any help

You can contact either Bill Roberts or Dick Johnson (4stroke) on fiberglassics as both have a ton of knowledge.
Pictures of what you have will help both of them.
Welcome to the site.
both of these guy's have helped me in the past
Sabot

is it a blue block motor near northern california?
yes the motor is started/killed via the key only, do you have the controls or are they missing?

it was purchased from a shop in northern ca by my neighbor.
i think it had the blue block originally because everything has been repainted blue by the shop i believe that did the upgrades.we were given a control assembly that controls forward,neutral,reverse,steering and the carburetor.the steering part of it was modified on the engine cover and currently isn't complete.

well we got the ignition switch and a couple batteries from the neighbor who gave it to him.
i connected everything up the best i could from internet researching. it cranks but spark is weak and it didn't fire up.
not sure where to start looking.
it has pertronix ignition and electric fuel pump.
no resistor wire i keep hearing about!
has no wiring block,just straight wires to everything.
the carbs were quite dirty and don't know if this motor is even worth messing with.any advise on whether i should just buy a new motor or try to fix this one?

Pics would help.
Most likely that motor came from www.4cyclemarine.com
You might want to take it to Ed.
Looks like the site is no longer up, just checked.

Otherwise, if you intend to tackle the motor yourself, you need service literature.
To get that you need to find out what the model and serial number are, and look at the serial number on the block/crankcase. Ed's motors are often a mixture of parts from models A-F, so generally you can't just go by the model number on the data plate.
So if you get the factory service manual, closest illustrated parts list to what you have, and the carb/controls service guides you can work on the motor and order parts. I have those 4 documents available as a package.
See my site www.bearcat55.com and call if interested.

Re the oil leak, is the drain plug still installed? DId the dipstick come loose? Is there oil inside the pan? Is the lower unit installed or not?

drain plug is installed,dipstick is tight,from where the oil fill cap is located,it looks like the motor oil is stored below the pan in the lower unit.
the lower unit is installed.
it only loses oil when running a short time.
latest update:we got it wired up,he made gaskets for different parts of the motor.
the oil leak has slowed way down,maybe stopped.
it takes a bit of cranking to start and backfires through the carburetor occasionally.once it starts he can keep it running though,
the wierd thing is,we went to time it on the #1 cylinder and when the #1 cylinder is firing the timing mark is 180 degrees off ! how is that possible for this motor to run like that? it would be firing on the exhaust intake stroke correct?

jnjw wrote:

once it starts he can keep it running though,
the wierd thing is,we went to time it on the #1 cylinder and when the #1 cylinder is firing the timing mark is 180 degrees off ! how is that possible for this motor to run like that? it would be firing on the exhaust intake stroke correct?

The bottom plug is #1, timing to the top plug will make it appear 180 out. If you are using the bottom plug and it's 180 out the flywheel could have been put on 180 out as they are not keyed. I'd suggest you get a manual from Bill.

billr wrote:

Pics would help.
Most likely that motor came from www.4cyclemarine.com
You might want to take it to Ed.
Looks like the site is no longer up, just checked.

Ed's site is back now.