charging system upgrade 83 175

[bleedblue94]

So let me start this thread by saying I am not above admitting when I have a brain fart. That being said I had one. A couple years ago I decided I wanted to upgrade the charging system on my J175txctd 1983 175hp sea horse from the 10 amp system to the 35 amp system. I have added several electronics to my boat and did not feel the 10 amp system would be sufficient, nor did I think it was a big deal to upgrade considering the next year omc started introducing more of the 35 amp systems from what I could tell. Thanks to information gathered on this board I knew I needed to change the flywheel, stator, and regulator/rectifier assembly. I used the following numbers: 0582572 FLYWHEEL ASSY., 35 AMP 0582574 STATOR ASSY., 35 amp. 0582904 RECTIFIER & REGULATOR ASSY., 35 amp The motor went together fine, ran fine, and I was satisfied. Just recently I have developed a tach issue and have traced the problem to a failed regulator/rectifier assembly. Now here is where the brain fart enters... While searching the net for appropriate part numbers to use for my replacement unit i noticed the term "liquid cooled" being used to describe the 35 amp reg/rec units. Needless to say, shortly into my information gathering i realized that the 35 amp unit needed to be liquid cooled and not air cooled. I have had no issues with the motor, wiring, or the assembly until recently. No melting, and not damage, so I consider myself lucky. Now the question I have is in order to get my motor back in operational condition, is there an air cooled 35 amp reg/rec assembly i can't use whether it is from omc or aftermarket? If so can someone provide the part number? If not, what are my options to cool this assembly? Thanks in advance!

 

[Vic.S]

The rectifier regulator you used should be water cooled. Where used it fits on top of the cylinder block in place of the water passage cover plate. I do not know if it would fit your 1983 model

A few models have used air cooled rectifiers. Sorry, I do not know which You may be able to find the in after market spares catalogs such as Sierra, CDI Electronics

 

[emdsapmgr]

The Bombardier 35 amp regulator/rectifier part supercession is as follows: 582904 to 395391 to current part: 395204 Bombardier stocks the 204 part in all warehouses. It would seem to me that all 3 of these are water cooled devices. They all mount atop the block just under the flywheel. Is there a reason you don't want to use this water cooled rectifier/regulator? These units are generally very reliable, but can quickly fail if the main battery cables become loose, either on the engine end or the battery end. When that happens, they can't dissipate their current and can overheat-even catch fire. The high capacity of this rectifier/regulator is no doubt the reason why they are water cooled. It mounts in place of the original top cover plate (323896) on your engine.

 

[bleedblue94]

Hi guys, thanks for the quick responses. I am not against using the water cooled version, I just do not understand what manner it should be mounted that allows it to be water cooled, hence I can't tell if it is actually being cooled as it sits right now. Like I said I have had it in place for two years running. Maybe this unit just died, but if I don't have it situated in such a way to allow cooling then I would like to fix that. It's sounds like I may have to remove a plate or position the reg/rec in a specific location to allow it to cool. I'm not beyond making a bracket. I just would really appreciate if someone with knowledge could tell me where exactly i should position the unit (a picture would be AWESOME) so it can get the necessary cooling. Someone mentioned to me at some point i may need to get a new upper bearing housing and that would allow the unit to be mounted in the correct spot, but if I know where it goes i can just fabricate a bracket. Thanks again

 

[emdsapmgr]

You may be able to examine the original factory exploded parts diagrams to get an idea where the combination rectifier/regulator sits ontop of the powerhead. Check out this factory website: epc.brp.com. The cooling fins of the device will be sitting in the cooling water circulating between the two cylinder v-banks.

 

[bleedblue94]

Thank you. I finally realized what people meant online about the placement. I didn't realize that the top plate needed to be removed and this unit goes in its place. Now I feel even sillier than I did before ha. Any suggestions on using a sealant or anything on the gasket? Also, I realize the preferred way to make this change is to remove the flywheel, but I have read of people doing it without pulling the flywheel, I'm hopeful this is true bc I'd prefer not having to pull my boat out of the lake if I can just do this while it's on the lift. Thanks

 

[emdsapmgr]

Some caramel colored Permatex gasket sealer should work. It's in the small can with the brush under the round screw-in cap. You will have to pull the flywheel and stator to get the rectifier/regulator in place.