Voltage Regulator Fire? - 2002 Bigfoot 50ELPTEFI

[FlipFlops365]

Here are some pictures of my motor. I was out on the water with my 4 year old when the console beeped so I slowed down and noticed the engine was smoking. I quick threw my kid in another boat and took off the cowl, watching wires burn. I've included the pictures. Is this part of a recall? Is this indeed the voltage regulator?

Will my boat insurance pay for this, or does Mercury have to pay for it? I'm not the original owner of the boat, but if there was a recall and it was never performed, what are my options?

 

[bilge rat jim]

Re: Voltage Regulator Fire? - 2002 Bigfoot 50ELPTEFI

Yes, that's your regulator, and yes there WAS a fix campaign (recall to you) initiated by Merc in 2005, that covered the replacement of the regulator and related parts on most 2002 and 2003 30/40//60 4 strokes. The fix campaign ran for 2 years, and all owners who where registered with Mercury where notified of the problem and offered free repair. The problem was that the newer regulators where higher output and created more heat, and where poorly located on the exhaust cover, so did not receive sufficient cooling. The repair included replacing the exhaust cover, thermostat, regulator, and related gaskets, etc. Here is a link to the service bulletin:

http://www.ishopmarine.com/ishop-catalog/bcat/MM/001/03/2005/EN_11.PDF

Unfortunately, the fix campaign expired long ago, so Merc is not going to pay for it. If you write a nice letter to your Mercury area rep, they may offer you the parts package at cost, I have had some success with this over the last few years. Your local Merc dealer will be glad to supply you with the reps contact info. Whether or not your insurance will pay will depend on your insurer and your policy. The service bulletin gives the part # for the repair kit, and detailed instructions on how to perform the repair. BTW, the repair kit is still available from any Merc dealer, retails at about $200, and requires 1 hr labour.