Outboard question but not antique

[fleetwin]

Bill-
Yes, the solid/non vented flywheel indicates the standard 10/12 amp charging system. Like you say, it seems highly unlikely that someone snuck a 35 amp stator under there as well. The correct stator should be the black or green sealed/potted unit, you would be able to see the heavy alternator windings if you had the 35 amp stator under there.
OK, your packs have the single stop lead connections which you have unplugged, so that rules out pack to pack interference. Seems like your meters are probably OK, but again, meter polarities/settings changed in the late 80s, so it is very important to find the correct manual for the engine. I doubt the cranking voltage increased to 400 volts for the charge coils, but who knows.
Please be sure to do all the resistance and voltage tests for the charge coils, including the shorts to ground tests. And, just for grins, check for shorts between the alternator yellow leads and the charge coil brown leads with an ohm meter.
I agree, seems like a bad pack, and it is amazing how well these engines idle on three cylinders. I just don’t want your new pack to get ruined by funky charge coils.
Interesting problem for sure, I will keep my eye open for an affordable stator for you.

[fleetwin]

Found a few affordable stators, but PLEASE be sure to confirm part numbers and condition with sellers:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Evinrude-Johnso … 74&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Johnson-Evinrud … 9e&vxp=mtr

[jw-in-dixie]

RE: "high charge coil voltage". First, I know nothing about this motor. I don’t even suspect anything. However, my Mercruiser once began cross-firing and back-firing. Voltage regulator
had failed, ginning > 16 volts to the ignition. Have you checked the voltage regulator – if there is one?

Good luck, JW in Dixie

[fleetwin]

OMC’s use of the term "charge coil" is very confusing. We hear charge coil and think of alternator windings/12 volt charging system. But, in this case the charge coil(s) are ignition components and have nothing to do with/no connection to the 12 volt battery circuit. The term charge coil probably was due to the fact that these windings are used to "charge up" the capacitor(s) in the power pack(s). But, even though these are two independent/no connected systems, electricity is capable of most anything, so anything IS possible. So, checking the alternator/battery circuit is worth doing.

[billw]

Back to this again….

The engine is an ’86 150.

Today I did an ohms test. Found found the stbd. charge coil had 545 ohms; port 547. No shorts to ground. No shorts to each other. No shorts to alternator windings. This all seemed to be within spec, as I remembered it. So, I did a cranking, not running, output test with my peak volt meter and whadda ya know, no real surprise: Around 130 volts each. If anything, a little LOW.

I guess now, the questions are just more philosophical:

Is cranking voltage really that much less than idle speed voltage?
Was my high reading BECAUSE the engine was running?
Was it because I was testing inline with the power pack connected?
What voltage would it be capable of at 5500RPM???
What, if anything, regulates charge coil voltage?

What Mercury tests I have ever done, you can test running voltage all day long and the correct readings are in ball park with OMC’s. Cranking is not that much different.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Long live American manufacturing!

[fleetwin]

Well, those resistance readings seem normal for the charge coils. The cranking voltage seems correct also. Are you sure you didn’t interrupt/accidentally open the charge coil to pack circuit while checking running voltage? I know OMC never wanted us to do running tests without the packs connected. They had those crazy inline switch box things to do the running tests. I don’t have a book for the 86 models, but will look at my 1980 book to check on the running charge coil voltage, sure don’t think it was 400 volts though.
As for regulating the charge coil voltage, the only thing that would do that is the constant draw by the powerpacks. So, I would expect the voltage to climb high if you ran the engine on one bank with the other charge coil disconnected to monitor its voltage.
Not unlike what you would see if you pulled the positive battery cable of a running car and checked the voltage.
My nickel says you don’t have a charge coil problem, just a bad pack like you said.
I think I have a V6 pack at home, you are welcome to it if you want. Don

[billw]

Thanks very much for the input, Don. I don’t believe that I ever had an open to the packs while the engine was running. What I had done was to take some old Ampenol connectors from old harnesses and packs and splice two together, so that I could connect a meter in the middle and plug the ends into the pack and harness. This acted as a circuit-specific break out "box," only there was no box. I dunno…my neighbor, who is a pretty smart guy, was watching the whole thing, as I was explaining what I was doing; and he also agrees I had both meters on the right range, or so it seemed to him.

Thanks for the offer of the pack…I sent him off on an internet hunt for one, yesterday. He is good at finding deals out there! He may have one coming already. We’ll see how he makes out!

Thanks again, everyone, for the thoughts. I’m chaucking it up to mercury in retrograde, I guess….

Long live American manufacturing!

[fleetwin]

Well, I reviewed the 1980 manual today, it said acceptable charge coil running output is "230 volts or higher". There was nothing saying anything about voltages that were too high, so maybe 400 volts is OK. The meter is supposed to be set at "negative and 500 volts" in 1980, I don’t think that setting changed until 1988-89. I’m guessing output would have decreased as RPM increased.
Your home made break out box sounds fine as well. Let us know how you make out with the replacement powerpack.

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