Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

[444]

Just replaced the rectifier with a brand new quicksilver brand one from the mercury dealer in a failed attempt to solve a non-operational tach issue. The new rectifier lasted about an hour or so out on the lake before something crapped out and the motor started sputtering and I had to nurse it back to the boat launch. Put in another new rectifier from the dealer. Rectifier looks like this one, small 3-wire unit.

Ran great on the muffs at home. Get it out at the lake and it runs nice at idle, bogs/sputter when I give it much throttle, will not plane. I pull the boat onto the trailer, disconnect the rectifier and tape up the two yellow wires and the one red wire, keeping them all seperate. Fire it up and she runs perfect out on the lake. Am I doing any harm running it like this? I drove it around like that for two hours, stopping and starting the motor a couple of times in there and didn't have an issue. Battery did not *seem* to be discharging during that use. I realize my battery won't be recharged by the motor without the rectifier hooked up but I'm tired of fighting with this thing. At this point having to top up the battery occasionally on the charger seems like a small price to pay to not have to keep fighting with this same issue.

The wiring diagram I have indicates if the rectifier is removed, the only contact the battery has with the motor is the starter. Without the rectifier/battery in the mix, will the stator put out too much voltage and eventually fry my switch boxes or coils??

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

It won't hurt a thing. There are seperate windings on the stator that feed the rectifier. Test your stator.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

Replace/test the stator and grounds on ignition plate,and yes it will damage stator running with wires disconnected as the windings will overheat. It would be better to ground them to the block as CDI universal stators do. We had this talked about in CDI class and on the digital ignitions(omc)for example, you have to ground or remove the power coil or it will melt or the 5454 stators will swell and rub flywheel.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

I've run V6's with open circuit. With the newer regulators and basically the same stator, when the load is low, it lets the coil voltage go essentially open circuit.

I'd get one of these instead of continuing to fry those cheap messican (literally) murkery rectumfiers.

 

[Dave1027]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

Replace/test the stator and grounds on ignition plate,and yes it will damage stator running with wires disconnected as the windings will overheat. It would be better to ground them to the block as CDI universal stators do. We had this talked about in CDI class and on the digital ignitions(omc)for example, you have to ground or remove the power coil or it will melt or the 5454 stators will swell and rub flywheel.

Are you sure about this? I would think the opposite. If you ground both wires of the stator winding it would be a dead short. Then when you run the motor you'd have nothing limiting the current causing meltdown.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

Are you sure about this? I would think the opposite. If you ground both wires of the stator winding it would be a dead short. Then when you run the motor you'd have nothing limiting the current causing meltdown.

Actually, the amount of iron in the stator (simplified engineering view) limits the output current by design. It won't hurt the stator to be either shorted or open. It will run warmer if shorted. If something else is going on, such as a cooling system failure, then the stator could get damaged.

Open circuit voltage would be well under 200V peak to peak, and most magnet wire has 600 volt insulation on it. Magnetic flux saturation limits the current to a safe level if overloaded or shorted.

It would help if those commenting actually had some experience or training in electromagnetics.

hope it helps
John

 

[chum1]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

I ordered this for my 77' 850 and it works beautifully

http://www.allelectronics.com/index.php?page=search&search_query=fwb-352&x=0&y=0

Thanks, j martin

 

[merc850]

Re: Any harm running w/o rectifier? 1984 90hp 6cyl.

I am having a similar problem and for the time being I am doing what the Merc manual says - until I buy the rec/reg.