Battery Cables and a puff of smoke

S

Skiff_Meister

Cadet
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
Messages
12
I have taken on the task of "re-doing" my bat. I recently purchased a 1996 Johnson 88spl. I was hooking up the battery cables today; I had them connected to the motor already, I was connecting them to the battery and accidently hooked up the positive first. When I was hooking the neg. on the battery there were a few minor sparks...this caused me to realize the error of my ways and before I could do any think a heard a pop and a puff of smoke came out from under the cowling. I am not sure exaclty what blew as the xowling was on and I did not get a chance to see. When Connected correclty the starter spins well but the motor will not engage... <HELP>
 
M

Moody Blue

Captain
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
3,136
Re: Battery Cables and a puff of smoke

Doesn't matter which cable (+ or -) you hook up first. With everything OFF, you should not be getting any sparks when making the connections. <br /><br />Sounds like you may have connected the cables in reverse (+ to - and - to +) and cooked the rectifier or regulator. They don't tolerate reverse polarity. Its possible the starter motor is spinning but in the wrong direction if the polarity is reversed.
 
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BoatBuoy

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
4,856
Re: Battery Cables and a puff of smoke

Agree with RodC. Sounds like you "smoked" the rectifier. This only affects the charging circuit, not the starting circuit. If the cables are connected correctly, connections are tight and clean, and battery is hot, your starter should work correctly. Starter circuits have no knowledge of the rectifier, so even if it's fried, the start should work unless you have other problems.
 
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BoatBuoy

Rear Admiral
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
4,856
Re: Battery Cables and a puff of smoke

On second thought, a malfunctioning rectifier can drain the battery over a period of time, which would effect starting.
 
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