1994 Mercury 25HP 2 Stroke - Stator wiring - 2 wires vs 3 wires

[JGeiger]

1994 Mercury 25HP 2 Stroke Marathon, Motor S/N 0G002366, black flywheel.

My stator (original?) has only 2 wires and these have the barrel connectors for the switchbox. All of the aftermarket stators I've seen online appear to have 3 wires. There is an additional wire with a ring terminal, which I assume is for ground connection.

Is this a design change by Mercury, or am I going to have problems using a stator from companies such as Sierra?

If I'm replacing the stator, should I need to change the switchbox as well? If so, is it important to match brands of stator and switchbox, or are they generally compatible?

TIA,
Jeff

[EuropeanAM]

Where OEM is available, we usually do not recommend aftermarket components (especially in electronics).

That being said- the design of any aftermarket part is not a "design change by Mercury". It would be a difference in the aftermarket part you are looking at, when compared to the original OEM part.

It is not mandatory to replace the switchbox in most cases, unless it is bad/failing.