Re: 1981 evinrude 35hp, starts, runs, won’t shut off

[jerry-ahrens]

You may have the wrong harness for your particular motor, as there are different ones, even though they will all plug into the engine harness. To stop your engine, you are essentially shorting the black/yellow tracer wire [from the ignition power pack] through the key switch to the black/ground wire. You could run a continuity test on each wire… the black/yellow wire at the key switch should have continuity all the way back through the harness, engine harness connector plug, and all the way over to the power pack. Disconnect the anphenol [rubber] connector at the power pack, and look for the black/yellow wire. Now connect one lead from your ohm meter to the black yellow wire, and the other meter lead to the black/yellow wire on the key switch. You should show continuity… Before the test I would disconnect the wire at both ends. Then you can test the black wire at the key switch for continuity to ground. That black wire will also run through the harness and plug at the motor, and will ground somewhere on the powerhead. You could also have a faulty key switch I suppose… With the key in the ”off position, you should have continuity between both ”M” terminals.. Hope I made sense with all of that!