If you have high charge voltage, please read

[harkawy]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Trust me, I have tried on several occasions with a fine tuned engine, and I can't get it to spin fast enough. Maybe an under sixty type might be able to start an 85 with a rope, but I can't.

John

When I had what I thought was a starter motor problem, I tried to pull start my 75. It stopped as soon as the first cylinder compressed; about 1/3 of a turn. I was afraid if I had pulled any harder that I pull the boat off of the trailer.

Oh, by the way. The problem wasn't the starter motor, it was loose battery connectors.

 

[ammermanfam]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Is there any danger to the stator from this high charge?? Or is it limited to battery and accesories Thanx John

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

The high voltage is Direct Current and is downstream from the stator. There is no danger to the stator unless one of the AC wires were to be shorted to ground.

John

 

[tmet01]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

What if the voltage is always low from the regulator?

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Check the output of the stator when the engine is running. At idle, it should give you 12 to 13 volts, at 2000 rpm, it should be at 14.5. Use the AC scale of your meter on the yellow wires. If the output is good, then you have a bad regulator or possibly a high resistance ground. If the output is low, you have a bad stator.

John

 

[jacksonjrs]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

I just got my regulator in and took a look at it. I'm a little confused as to what to do with the black wire. It does not hook to the regulator at all. The red, yellow and green/yellow all connect to the regulator but the black wire is connected to the plug end and just has an eyelet on it. Do I just take the black wire off the engine harness and put that too a ground spot and just have 3 wires to hook to the regulator?? Or do I need to do something else??

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

If you are talking about the Universal Regulator, the case is grounded so, if you mount the case to a good ground, you don't need it. If you mount the regulator to a non metallic area, then you can use the black wire and a terminal lug to ground the case to the engine.

John

 

[Robreefer]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

I had the same problem with my 93 force 120. I wound up replacing the voltage regulator and problem was solved. Now im running at 12.9vdc-13.5vdc.

 

[iboatsopie]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

In the spirit of giving back, here is my repair report. Don't blame me if it does not work for you.... It worked for me just fine.
I was boiling my batteries with 16+ volts. I had to refill the batteries each trip. My old regulator/rectifier was no good after 9 years on my Honda 50hp outboard. Thanks to this board for steering me to the universal reg/rec. It was 1/3 the price of the OEM part.
My Work Link

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Nice report and pics. Glad the Universal Regulator worked out for you.

John

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

I have received many private messages from folks who have benefited from this idea. Let me suggest that you keep your battery on a tender when not in use and you may get six years of good service and it will never die unexpectedly.

John

 

[cstoaks]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

I just installed my Universal Voltage Regulator today! Engine started right up and ran great! I will take it out on the lake next week and report back how it went! Thanks John your instructions were very helpful! I should be able to test it with my handheld volt meter off the battery right?

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Congratulations! Now your battery should last longer provided you keep it on a tender in the off times.

You should see 14.5 Volts on your voltmeter once you get up to @1500 rpm. Unlike the rectifier only set up, this will regulate in that neighborhood plus or minus a couple of tenths of a volt.

John

 

[Probus]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Would this work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volt...2269290QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

only 12$

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

I'm sorry but it does not give enough information to make a determination. Additionally, I can't tell what terminals go to what as their are no markings or wires with a color code.

The second picture on this link is the one I have been installing on Force engines.
http://www.mfgsupply.com/SnowRegs.html

You can find it cheaper by searching for snowmobile regulators. Make sure you get one for an engine with an electric starter. Those made for no starter installations won't work.

John

John

 

[RRitt]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Just to be contrary - I put in a $7 square bridge. It was exactly like the original and even connected the same wires in the same places. I put in a battery switch to turn off the battery whenever the boat was parked. I bought cheap wal-mart marine batteries and mounted them in a dry location on my boat. My batteries last about 6-7 years. I can park the boat for winter and she will crank without jumpers in spring. I just don't understand why people want to use these snowmobile regulators.

 

[john from md]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

The fact is, the rectifier is unregulated voltage. It does stress your battery and your electronics. It is not unusuall to see 18vdc coming out of the rectifiers.

John

 

[RRitt]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

The fact is, the rectifier is unregulated voltage. It does stress your battery and your electronics. It is not unusuall to see 18vdc coming out of the rectifiers.

John

yes ... but ... a 12V marine battery has very low internal resistance combined with a preset voltage. The difference between stator potential and battery voltage will be dissipated either in the stator windings or in the battery cables. If you keep your battery cables completely healthy then they will have much lower resistance than stator windings. The measured voltage at rectifier is a direct consequence of how clean and healthy you keep your wiring.. If you have sloppy, dirty wiring then you're going to end up needing a tow sooner or later anyway. If you have clean and efficient wiring then a rectifier is all you ever need.

say for example that you measure 18V at the rectifier and your battery is at 13.5V. That means you are dropping 4.5V in the wiring between rectifier and battery. That seems like a lot of voltage to lose in just wires and connectors. I'd bet there's some kind of problem with the wiring.

 

[Shife]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

yes ... but ... a 12V marine battery has very low internal resistance combined with a preset voltage. The difference between stator potential and battery voltage will be dissipated either in the stator windings or in the battery cables. If you keep your battery cables completely healthy then they will have much lower resistance than stator windings. The measured voltage at rectifier is a direct consequence of how clean and healthy you keep your wiring.. If you have sloppy, dirty wiring then you're going to end up needing a tow sooner or later anyway. If you have clean and efficient wiring then a rectifier is all you ever need.

say for example that you measure 18V at the rectifier and your battery is at 13.5V. That means you are dropping 4.5V in the wiring between rectifier and battery. That seems like a lot of voltage to lose in just wires and connectors. I'd bet there's some kind of problem with the wiring.

For an EE you're really having a hard time understanding this issue.

The reason people are switching to the rectifier/regulator style is because the generic rectifier these engines were originally fitted with is unable to prevent over voltage at high RPM. This is a problem because flooded lead acid batteries will boil off electrolyte in an over voltage condition. This permanently damages a sealed FLA. AGM batteries are a gray area as some can handle over voltage with little issue and others need strict charging voltage regulation. Gel batteries must have very strict charge regulation or they are quickly destroyed.

These posters are not trying to relay a voltage drop scenario to you. They are trying to tell you that their rectifier is putting out 18 volts while running and after a day on the water the static voltage level (engine not running, load should be applied to batt prior to test to remove surface charge) on their battery is through the roof. The water found near the battery isn't because their boat leaks. It is because the over voltage has literally boiled electrolyte out of the vents on their sealed lead acid battery.

 

[Hawgboss22]

Re: If you have high charge voltage, please read

Hey guys, I also have high charge voltage on my force 50. I thank you all for your postings. I wish that there was a local outlet in Spokane, Wash. where I could buy this regulator. I would like to install this immediately instead of waiting on shipping. Anyhow, I will check connections as well, but it sounds like the regulator is the fix. A quick question, isn't there a way to put a resistor in series to drop the 18 volt down to say 14 or so?