1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

[sabbett4]

I have a 150 hp evinrude that had an electrical fire this spring. When I started the motor, I could tell that something was wrong--it didn't sound right. In fact, I had to switch it to manual start to even get it started. When I would give it gas, my hydraulics would drop banging my motor against the transom. This happened about three or four times, but each time I was able to tilt it back up. I finally idled to where I needed to dock. I decided to let it run for about five minutes when I noticed smoke. I took the hood off of the motor and found a small electrical fire. I unhooked the wires from the battery and got the fire out. The fire started in my regulator/rectifier leaving a big hole (and possible damage to the stator). I was curious if anyone could help me figure out what happened and if the two incidents were related.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Welcome!!<br /><br />Your regulator / rectifier is water cooled. If for any reason the water cavity in your block is not getting completely full of water, those reg / rec can overheat to the point they catch the wiring on fire. The reg / rec itself will probably have a burned place in it. <br /><br />The problem starts when running. The block isnt full and theres no (or little) water on the cooling fins of the reg / rec. It overheats and starts a slow burn. I've seen a boat on the trailer for a week start on fire.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Thanks for the input...<br />Does this mean that if I replace the reg/rec it could happen again? What should I do to fix the block?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Yes, its possible it could happen again. It could be as simple as a loose wingnut on the battery. But in any case youll want to make sure the water pump is in proper working order. If it hasnt been changed in a while, now would be a good time. <br /><br />It wouldnt hurt to pull the heads and look at the deflectors too. If the water passages are plugged up that will need to be addressed.<br /><br />What might have happened is that air got trapped at the top of the block. All the small bleed holes will need to be looked at whaile you have the heads off and the reg/rec off. Youll see them inside where the reg/rec sits. To be absolutely sure, you may want to do a search about block venting. Real simple, especially if you have the heads off.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Thanks a lot Dhadley.<br />Any advice on the hydraulics? And any links between the two incidents?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

What did you mean when you said you had to "switch it to manual start"?<br /><br />If the motor was in the tilt range and you gave it gas, in gear, it will slam down on the trim rams. Thats just the way the system operates.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

I believe it's called the starter solenoid where there is a switch for automatic and manual start. Sometimes if it was cold or flooded I would make this switch and then switch back to automatic. A little gasoline would leak out of it while it was on manual start.<br /><br />In regards to the tilt, I'm not sure what you mean by "tilt range." This is something that had never happened to me before, and I don't remember doing anything different.<br /><br />Thanks again for input.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Ah! Youre talking about the fuel primer with the little red lever, right? The cap must be cracked if it leaks fuel. That needs to be fixed too. It probably leaks when you activate the "choke" circuit at the control box.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

That's it...would I need to replace the entire unit?<br /><br />Still not sure about "tilt range."<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Nope, just the cap. Be really really careful if you remove the hoses. The nipples break real easy.<br /><br />Your hydraulic tilt & trim has two stages. Trim - which is from all the way in (down) to part way up. The two trim rams push it this far. <br /><br />From the top of the trim range on up is the tilt range. The large center ram is the tilt cylinder. <br /><br />The system will hold the motor anywhere in the trim range at any rpm. But if the motor is above the two trim rams and therefore in the tilt range and you apply much throttle it will come down to the two trim rams. With the motor tilted into the tilt range you can idle around but too much throttle will cause it to come down against the trim rams. Thats normal.

 

[steamboatwilly]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Dhadley,In your statement about tilt-trim.Im glad I read your post about this.Ive never done that,but its a miracle.I hadnt ever thought that.Thanks.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

That makes a lot of sense; Thanks for all your input.<br /><br />Two more questions, and then I promise I'll leave you alone.<br /><br />After my fire incident, my boat sunk(this was all in one day)--I later discovered that my transom was rotted. Without going into too much detail, I replaced my transom gutting it all out and putting in new wood and fiberglass. I put the motor back on and now my trim/tilt kind of skips when its going down. When going up, it's fine. Could it be that I need to put in fluid?<br /><br />My final question is if you know what the part number for that cap is? Is it just the cover--<br />#511807 or the Solenoid Assy. #582865?<br /><br />Thanks again for everything...this forum is awesome.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Dhadley...I was hoping you could help me out on these last two questions.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Sorry I didnt see this sooner. Anyway if its "skipping" on the way down but OK on the way up it could be it needs grease where the stern brackets and the swivel housing meet on the tilt tube. Watch the motor tilt up & down and look at the tube where the steering goes thru. Youll see the mounting brackets stay still but the other piece moves. Thers a zerk fitting there. Most folks think thats for the steering cable. It greases the bushing inside the swivel housing as it moves around the tilt tube or steering tube.<br /><br />The large tilt ram pushes the motor up but doesnt really pull all that hard down. It relies on the motor weight to some extent. If its binding up there it'll do like you describe.<br /><br />If it was low on fluid the pump would cavitate as the motor went up. Although now would be a good time to check the level.<br /><br />If its just the cap thats cracked, and most times it is, its the 511807. Those screws dont have to be real tight. Remember we're working with material thats warm to the touch (plastic) rather than material thats cool to the touch (metal).<br /><br />Just notice the position of the rubber diaphram. Theres an up and a down. Youll see what I mean. Its real obvious once youre looking for it.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

BTW -- that was a really bad day! But just for future reference -- you dont have to sink it to put out the fire. It'll work, but that makes clean up a bit harder.<br /><br />Seriously though, nobody should have that much bad luck in one day.

 

[sabbett4]

Re: 1984 150 hp evinrude--electrical fire

Dhadley--Thanks for all of your help(and pitty)! I'll update you in a few weeks.<br /><br />Thanks again for all of your advice