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Port engine stopped charging

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:51 am
by mikeandrebecca
Although both engines were charging the batteries, as evidenced by readings on our battery monitor, the port engine just stopped doing so and I don't know why.

I found the following in some document that I had saved on my computer:
Electric Output - The engines are very sensitive to ground. If the grounds are not
perfect, the rectifier will not charge. Check out the grounding yourself with a VOM.
You should have continuity every place. Especially check the wire that connects the
upper unit to the lower unit and the grounds in the motor casing.
The ignition system is AC with a rectifier not an alternator. There is no regulator. The
rectifier will put out as much as 13 amps at 13.5 volts. You can tell if the rectifier is
working by measuring the voltage at the cables. Make sure all other charge sources are
shut. It should read 13.5 volts with the engine running above quarter throttle.
Any comments on this? I have the shop manual for the engines but the parts that they recommend testing (lighting coil?) are nearly inaccessible on the port engine.

Any help is appreciated!!!

Mike

Re: Port engine stopped charging

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:58 am
by amytom
With the rough weather you've been in I would check the connections to the regulator. As you said they're hard to get to on the port engine but if you tilt up you should be able to re-seat all the regulator connectors in the connector block. I believe they are the green ones but please verify with the shop manual.

Re: Port engine stopped charging

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:43 pm
by mikeandrebecca
Thanks Tom. I will check that.

Re: Port engine stopped charging

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:56 pm
by amytom
Also, in the excerpt you posted above it stated the engine will put out 13 amps max. I thought they were all maxed out at 6 amps.

Re: Port engine stopped charging

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:44 pm
by mikeandrebecca
Ours show greater than 6 amps at cruising rpms. Well, the port one doesn't anymore, but the starboard one does.

Re: Port engine stopped charging

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 7:32 am
by Expatriate
I guess this is as good a place to post this as any. Sometimes while cruising, after running for a while, the red idiot light on the panel that has a picture of a battery on it comes on and flickers. I do not know exactly what this indicates, but I assume it means that the voltage output from the alternator is below some specified value. This is for the port side engine, starboard is fine. Also, if I start up the port engine alone and look at voltage on the distribution panel, it shows over 13 volts. So it does seem to be putting out something. Does anyone know what this really means?

Tim
M/V 068