evinrude 90 charging problem

I have a 1989 90 hp evinrude and when the motor is running at idle and operating speeds the volt gage does not seem to show a charge. I read in some of the searches that people have problems with overcharging but that definetly does not seem to be my problem. Last night when the motor was running the volt meter read just under 11 volts. The battery is new this year. What do I do?<br />Thanks for your time

Re: evinrude 90 charging problem

Do you have any pulling juice from the battery? Fish finder? <br />Smaller engines normally do not charge real well at an idle. Check the voltage at WOT. should be in the 13V range.<br /><br />If at a good running speed the voltage does not change, then most likely the stator is bad. Do you have a battery switch? If so, did you switch the battery switch while the engine was running?<br /><br />I spent 3 years with my 88hp evinrude, before the figured out the problem. <br /><br />The stator kept blowing. Tach would normally act strange first then die altogether.<br /><br />My motor could have been either a 4amp stator or a larger regulator/rectifier. When they finally replaced the stator with the rectifier under the flywheel, I no longer have the problems.

Re: evinrude 90 charging problem

Thanks for the reply. I have a fish finder(Eagle) and the boat lights running off the battery. The trolling motor runs off a seperate battery. Last night I had the lights and fish finder running for a few hours and I know I ran the battery down. When I started the motor it turned over slow and when it did run, the gage read under 11 volts. If it is the stator, wouldn't the motor not run? I thought the stator had something to do with the spark for the plugs.<br /> thanks for your help

Re: evinrude 90 charging problem

Sorry, I was posting this when I was talking boating with someone else.<br />YOu are absolutely right.<br /><br />There is a 4amp rectifier and a (I believe 9amp regulator/rectifier) available for that model.<br /><br />The first thing to do is to test the voltage at WOT (wide open Throttle) and see what you get. That is a good indication of where to start trouble shooting.<br /><br />Even if the battery is bad and can't hold a charge, the engine should show a charge over 13V when the RPM's are high.<br /><br />Do you have a Tach on the boat?

Re: evinrude 90 charging problem

I do have a tach on the boat and it works fine. I am assuming that the volt gage functioning correctly and I did check it when I was at WOT. It still read just under 11 volts. Next time I am out I'll get a better volt tester and see exacly what I am at.

Re: evinrude 90 charging problem

Normally a bad rectifier will cause the tach to blow. (very common) <br /><br />If you have a engine repair manual, I would test the charge from the rectifier wire, I believe it is a red wire. The rectifer should be located on near the wire bar on the left side of the motor looking out the stern. <br /><br />I would bank on a bad rectifer. They run about 40 bucks online and are easy to install. <br />should be one red wire and 2-3 yellow wires. the yellows are interchangeable. The factory original probably has a yellow and a yellow and gray.<br /><br />Another possible problem could be cracked magnets under the flywheel. but that to me is not a DIY job.<br /><br />let me know how you make out.

Re: evinrude 90 charging problem

Well, I was finally able to take a look at the engine. The first thing I did was to pull the battery to charge it. This is where I noticed that the positive terminal was not securely screwed down. I charged the battery, reconnected the terminals and went out for a ride. Sure enough, the gage read just over 13 volts when the motor rpms where up. Easiest fix I have ever had. Thanks for all your help and time.