Battery overcharging on 100 hp Merc
 

I have a 1988 100 HP merc and the battery is being literally cooked to
death. At the end of the season my battery needed at least a litre of
water. The in dash volt meter on the boat reads about 12 1/2 volts with the
motor off and 17 volts when cruising. Is there a voltage regulator on this
thing and is it an easy to change part?

--
Denis Roy
D. Roy Woodcraft
www.ideasinwood.com

In article %WTge.1327139$Xk.1146828@pd7tw3no, says...

I have a 1988 100 HP merc and the battery is being literally cooked to
death. At the end of the season my battery needed at least a litre of
water. The in dash volt meter on the boat reads about 12 1/2 volts with the
motor off and 17 volts when cruising. Is there a voltage regulator on this
thing and is it an easy to change part?


I just went through the same sort of ordeal with an Evinrude. Mine has a
rectifier, but no regulator. I was seeing higher than expected voltage, and
one of the service manuals warns not to use sealed electrolyte batteries,
as they will out gas by excessive boiling, and no water can be added.
Someone here on the group suggested I run with my lights on, and that is
exactly what I do. Your 17 volts is to high indeed, and on a motor the
size of yours, I would expect to find an integrated rectifier/regulator
in one aluminum/epoxy lump bolted to the side of the engine. Time to
buy a spec book for your motor. I finally broke down and bought one for mine.
Well worth the time and money, and I learned a few things about my
motor in the mean time!

--
Denis Roy
D. Roy Woodcraft
www.ideasinwood.com

His outta have a regulator............perhaps it's KIA

Run the lights and CD player...............


-W

"gudmundur" wrote in message
...
In article %WTge.1327139$Xk.1146828@pd7tw3no,
says...

I have a 1988 100 HP merc and the battery is being literally cooked to
death. At the end of the season my battery needed at least a litre of
water. The in dash volt meter on the boat reads about 12 1/2 volts with
the
motor off and 17 volts when cruising. Is there a voltage regulator on
this
thing and is it an easy to change part?


I just went through the same sort of ordeal with an Evinrude. Mine has a
rectifier, but no regulator. I was seeing higher than expected voltage,
and
one of the service manuals warns not to use sealed electrolyte batteries,
as they will out gas by excessive boiling, and no water can be added.
Someone here on the group suggested I run with my lights on, and that is
exactly what I do. Your 17 volts is to high indeed, and on a motor the
size of yours, I would expect to find an integrated rectifier/regulator
in one aluminum/epoxy lump bolted to the side of the engine. Time to
buy a spec book for your motor. I finally broke down and bought one for
mine.
Well worth the time and money, and I learned a few things about my
motor in the mean time!

--
Denis Roy
D. Roy Woodcraft
www.ideasinwood.com

On Fri, 13 May 2005 02:04:43 GMT, "Denis Roy"
wrote:

I have a 1988 100 HP merc

I put two of these on a small inflatable dingy when I was young. It
ran over 90 mph.
Me and the wife
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/harkra...bum?.dir=/1323

In article ,
says...

On Fri, 13 May 2005 02:04:43 GMT, "Denis Roy"
wrote:

I have a 1988 100 HP merc

I put two of these on a small inflatable dingy when I was young. It
ran over 90 mph.
Me and the wife
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/harkra...bum?.dir=/1323

Where's my hip waders? Let me guess, dual tiller handles, and you sat
between them. I did see a guy put a 4 cylinder Evinrude 50 on a tiny
little wooden boat, and jump the boat up onto land with the first pull.
It was one of the old motors with no neutral, or reverse, and you set
the throttle at about 2/3 open to start it. That guy was my Dad.
He got badly bruised up in the deal as he fell down against the front
of the motor, and transom, and every little pointy object like the
clamps, throttle lever, tiller, and so on took a chunk out of him
on the way down. He would have done better to have just been thrown over.