did i fry it again?

[Kajun38]

well i been gone a couple months then i come home and try to do some maint. on my boat and motor...i took both batteries out to charge them...and i ran new fuel hose/bulb from tank...tonight i drop the batteries in and i think i crossed them!! sparks flew.....the nav lights work...the bildge pump works..curtesy lights work.......the radio dont work and the most important thing....when i turn the key over usually the power to the fuel/battery gage would come on..now it doesnt..and doesnt turn over at all..what do you think i fried? and where do i start to look to troubleshoot? last time i did this i ended up replacing my electrical system

 

[Kajun38]

Re: did i fry it again?

120hp 1990 force OB us marine

 

[roscoe]

Re: did i fry it again?

Replace the main fuse.

When you get it running, check the voltage rectifier output.
Usually when you cross the cables, even for a second, you will fry the rectifier.

 

[Kajun38]

Re: did i fry it again?

double post

 

[Kajun38]

Re: did i fry it again?

where is the main fuse located at roscoe? i reset the circuit breaker things that are under the motor cowling, there was 2 of them, then i looked inside the center console where all the wiring is ...there are some fuses but none of them are burnt or say main fuse.....thanks


i cant believe i did this again..you'd think that a man would learn something after spending 5months and hundreds of dollars cuz he did this last time!

 

[roscoe]

Re: did i fry it again?

My mistake, your motor has the circuit breaker(s).
The newer ones had the fuse.

Seems strange that the starter won't work, perhaps the starter solenoid has failed.
Maybe try jumping past the solenoid to the starter, to verify the starter is working.

 

[Kajun38]

Re: did i fry it again?

tried jumping past the solenoid and it didnt work......came back to the battery and tried a different setting on my dual battery switch and put it on #2...(also used the other negative lead since i only use one battery at a time .).....still wasnt working....messed around with the radio, the fuse for it was burnt..replaced that...somehow messing around some where it started working again....

at first the starter would just spin and not come up and connect to the flywheel....so i swapped out to a fresh charged battery..still the same...tried it a few times.. nothing just spining...started doing something else.. then came back and tried it...the motor starts...sounds fine........i now have all my battery cables labeled with positive ones tied together and negative's tied together so this wont happen again ....thanks for the tips roscoe

 

[eurolarva]

Re: did i fry it again?

Your starter may be on its last leg. I would take it apart and clean it and lightly file the brushes. When you hit that starter your motor should practically jump out of the boat. After market starters are around 130 dollars however with a can of WD40, some Qtips and some mono fishing line you can probably make it as good as new.

 

[roscoe]

Re: did i fry it again?

Now that it is running, check the voltage to make sure it is charging.

 

[Kajun38]

Re: did i fry it again?

euro..the starter has been freshly rebuilt..i sure hope not....i will do them checks this week at let ya know what #'s were

 

[Kajun38]

Re: did i fry it again?

roscoe..i finally got to get out there and started her up tonight on the hose.....when i first started the motor ..the i was getting a flucuation between 13 and 14.5 volts....after a few mins of running it mellowed down to a steady 12.5 -12.6 volts.......i checked the battery and it was 12.5 steady, i never brought the rpms up over 800-1000......is the rectifier ok?

one more question for ya....

my front red/green nav light doesnt work... i checked the volts on the wires that are connected to it.... it reads .59 , how many volts should i be reading up there to run that light?

 

[roscoe]

Re: did i fry it again?

Most boat lights are 12 volt.
Check the fuse.

12.5v isn't too good. I think you will find that your battery voltage will continue to drop, from lack of charge.

The engine "should" continue to run, but will not charge the battery.

Keep an eye on it the next time you use it.

 

[Kajun37]

Re: did i fry it again?

what voltage should i be reading at idle ? what do i need to do to fix it?

 

[Kajun37]

Re: did i fry it again?

roscoe....what should it read at idle?

 

[roscoe]

Re: did i fry it again?

A fully charged battery should read 12.6
When you are running the engine (and charging), you should see 12.9-14.4v.
It appears that you are not charging the battery at this time.

If battery voltage drops below 12v, it is definitely not being charged.

Rectifier/regulator needs to be replaced to fix it.

 

[Kajun37]

Re: did i fry it again?

thanks.. today i dropped it in water and went fishing.. before i left dock i checked it again and at idle it was reading 13.3V..motor ran awesome all day..i'll prob just replace the rectifier just it case.. thanks..

 

[roscoe]

Re: did i fry it again?

Rectifiers are expensive.
Just keep an eye on it for a while.
You may be ok.