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#1
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I have a mercruiser I/O 4 cyl. 3.0 and was in the process of
winterizing it on the trailer. I always disconnect the battery terminals while its on the slip between uses because it drains rather quickly if I don't (it's my first season with this boat and I suspect that the radio/equalizer that the prior owner installed may be grounding out and draining the battery). Anyway, I had it on the trailer and connected the battery, positive first, then negative, then went forward and switched on the key to start it and warm the engine for the oil change when I heard a "click" from the engine compartment. I looked back and there was brownish/white smoke flooding the engine compartment, which seemed to be eminating from the alternator, but I didn't waste any time and immediately disconnected the battery. The terminals were warm to the touch. It took several minutes for all the smoke to clear, but when it did, I didn't see any signs of damage to external wires. Can someone please help me with this?!? I don't want to ruin the alternator or the battery by hooking it back up if I'm missing something, and I certainly don't want a battery blowing up on me! My only thought is that maybe it was caused by the boat being on the trailer, and there was a grounding issue, but I've winterized it at the end of last season with no problems and it worked all of this season with no issues. The only thing different from last fall is that I didn't have the muffs on the lower unit yet when I connected the battery. Thanks!!! -Smokey |
#2
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#3
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Wayne.B ) wrote:
: Going forward [retching sound] In the future, please. -- Jim Hollenback my opinion. |
#5
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#6
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Where's all the auto electricians?
I'd suggest that the alternator is toast. I'd also reckon that the regulator (inbuilt or external?) was sticky & feeding power "backwards" & in effect turning the thing into an electric motor? I bet you if you didn't have belts on it (or wasn't direct drive?), it would have been spinning. Either way I'd be getting it serviced. (or replaced now?) BruceM "MikeG" wrote in message ews.com... In article , says... I have a mercruiser I/O 4 cyl. 3.0 and was in the process of winterizing it on the trailer. I always disconnect the battery terminals while its on the slip between uses because it drains rather quickly if I don't (it's my first season with this boat and I suspect that the radio/equalizer that the prior owner installed may be grounding out and draining the battery). Anyway, I had it on the trailer and connected the battery, positive first, then negative, then went forward and switched on the key to start it and warm the engine for the oil change when I heard a "click" from the engine compartment. I looked back and there was brownish/white smoke flooding the engine compartment, which seemed to be eminating from the alternator, but I didn't waste any time and immediately disconnected the battery. The terminals were warm to the touch. It took several minutes for all the smoke to clear, but when it did, I didn't see any signs of damage to external wires. Can someone please help me with this?!? I don't want to ruin the alternator or the battery by hooking it back up if I'm missing something, and I certainly don't want a battery blowing up on me! My only thought is that maybe it was caused by the boat being on the trailer, and there was a grounding issue, but I've winterized it at the end of last season with no problems and it worked all of this season with no issues. The only thing different from last fall is that I didn't have the muffs on the lower unit yet when I connected the battery. Thanks!!! -Smokey If it were me and I had winterized the year before, pulled the boat out of mothballs in the spring, ran it all summer, ran it up on a trailer, then IF the ONLY other thing I did before turning the key was unhooking the battery then hooking it back up I'd strongly suspect I screwed something up while connecting and disconnecting. -- MikeG Heirloom Woods www.heirloom-woods.net |
#7
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I'm confident that the leads were hooked up properly, as they will
only reach to the appropriate terminals, so that isn't the issue. My only thought is that because I connected the positive terminal first, it may have started grounding out somewhere, and subsequently connecting the negative terminal wouldn't have corrected the issue because it would lie "further down the line" as well as the main circuit breaker, which didn't trip. So my first inclination is that it grounded or shorted out through the alternator, frying it in the process. Thanks for the input everyone, I'll just have to hook 'er up again tonight and see if it's toast....... |
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