93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

[Vitamin Sea]

I have a 200 johnson Ocean Runner thats gone thru 2 regulator/rectifier in about 3 years this time it has taken out the powerpak and maybe be even the stator which appears to look a little cooked the motor still runs but has no tach of course and a little miss I am aware that the unit is water cooled the way its mounted in the top of the powerhead I am not having cooling problems thru a few test I have run but something seems to be causing excessive amounts of heat up there or do I have another problem if anyone or everyone has had this problem please comment this one will; cost about 500 bucks if I replace it all <br />Thanks <br />Greg

 

[rons boat]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

Here is a mod I have suggested to a few friend for your consideration. I usually use a standard bridge rectifier and do away with the regulator. I am not sure but most of the Stators are rated at about ten Amps and worked fine for years until they decided to voltage regulate which is a heat generating process. If you take the two stator leads one of which goes to the tach, thats why your tach isn't working, and connect each of the two leads to the ac side of a good bridge rectifier block and the negative output side to the ground and the + side to the output, which goes to the battery, usually red, then you have a rectifier with no regultion. This is the way it worked for years. You have a shorted out internal regualtor which is not good for the stator, and that system is somewhat flawed as you see it is prone to what happened to you. A good heavy duty bridge rectifier from an electronic supply store with a 25 Amp or better rating at 200 PIV or better will provide you with a good charging circiut and cost you less than ten bucks. The bridge has only a .7 V drop so it is ok to mount on a cooler part of the motor. Now just watch the voltmeter during runing and if battery voltage goes over 15V as in all day and all night running of the motor; Turn on the lights to put a load on the system and reduce the charge current to the battery. I hate to keep taking things off these late model motors but the guys keep making mistakes in design. That regulator should never have been put inside the motor cowling but should have been located external of the motor were it could disipate the heat from the voltage dropping process. Your stator is a saturated magnetic flux design which means it puts out its limit and then stops at that limit even if shorted. It is supposed to survive even at a short. Hope yours did.

 

[clanton]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

Its a 35 amp stator. DHadley can tell you how to vent the block, to insure water on the regulator. What do battery termials and cables look like? Would be wise to check upper bearing housing screws while you are working on the charging system.

 

[rons boat]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

There is no field in a stator unlike a car alternator so high Amperage regultion is more difficult in this situation. If you need 35 Amps to sustain on board operations on your boat, most need only 6 to ten then somebody is going to have to redesign the regulator out of the Cowling. If it were mine I would do as I suggested and place a ballast or resistance lamp between the charging circuit and the battery so only the suggested amount of current will flow to the battery and that would take an extra wire, output of the rectifier, from the charging circuit thru the ballast to the battery. This would enable the existing high current wire to float on the battery and run everything as normal. While this was occuring the stator would be unloaded to a lesser current flow, say 10 Amps. I hope you understand the reason yours failed is the stator was making its capacity and your weren't using all the power so your regulator was dropping the voltage by disipating heat under your cowl. Another way to put it it was burning itself up. Meanwhile there is an infinite heat sink available on the lower housing that builders can use to cool the regulator and escape the heat of a just switched off motor under the cowl. If as the Admiral said you have a 35 Amp stator you would have to lose about 600 Watts of heat or about the same as a small electric heater, if they insist on doing it analog under the hood.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

YOur '93 V6 has a "blow off" valve on the back of the block. Change out the internal plastic valve with one from a '98 or later V6. It has grooves in it to bleed off air that can get trapped under the regulator and cause steam pockets, overheating the rectifier diodes.<br /><br />Make sure, also, that the battery cables are fastened with lockwashers and hex nuts, per the owners manual, service manual, and training classes. Do not use wing nuts.<br /><br />Factory parts have a 1 year parts and labor warranty, make sure your dealer is aware of that.

 

[Vitamin Sea]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

tahnks guys I guess I have a few ways of doing this considering that i can get a blowoff valve I think Ill try that to see if I can get pass this mess I dont want to change the rectifier regulator from it's stock set-up if its not necc I like the blow off valve idea i also did a search and found the article by DHadley to drill a hole in Im not sure what part to releeve the air pocket it the top of the block which I think is my problem but seahorse,s way seems a bit safer to me who has done any of these mods and be specific in the process please <br />Thanks A bunch <br />Greg

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

The original fix until they came out with a new blow off valve was to drill a 1/8" hole in the middle of it to bleed off the air. Either way will work. Drilling, of course, is cheaper.

 

[Vitamin Sea]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

After My First project boat Nothing has ever been cheap. Never liked one way tickets or Tow Boat Either<br /> thanks for your help SeaHorse<br />Greg

 

[rons boat]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

I love it. Sounds like the mfg will do anything to not put that regulator where it belongs, a piece of aluminum connected to the water.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

Ron,<br /><br />They finally got smarter years ago when they got rid of the multiple thin, but short, cooling fins that would get plugged with salt or mud, and went to long rods (heat sinks) that probed deeper into the cooling water. They also wired in a thermo-switch if things got too hot. The newer ones are next to bullet-proof.

 

[rons boat]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

Maybe the new guys at Bombardier will do a better job. They at OMC arn't the only ones who coundn't adapt. Many Mercs including several of mine popped rectifiers like chewing gum and they (Merc) would not go back and put a ten cent capacitor on the rectifier to keep voltages from exceeding the PIV rating, or they would not go back and raise the PIV on the bridge to a reasonable level. This would have been a truly easy fix. Bet they made a mint from selling those $3.00 bridges for $30.00 I disected several and it is amazing how small of diodes they tried to get away with.

 

[joe Hetz]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

You do have some great idea's Ron Davis

 

[rons boat]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

Thanks for the comment. I have made all the stupid mistakes that I am complaining others are making. Rule One, if it can it will....

 

[Vitamin Sea]

Re: 93 Ocean Runner regluator rectifier problems

You betcha<br />Thanks Guys<br />Does anybody have a Part# for the Blowoff valve