rectifier? Sportster 1800

[m.colley]

Had some issues while at the lake this past weekend that I believe are rectifier related, mainly battery not staying charged, leaving me stranded on the lake and having to be towed 3+ miles back to the dock ( that was a long day ).. My question(s) are.. (1) will the rectifier from any 717 motor swap out to my boat? (2)where's the best place to get a good quality rectifier from? (3) where the heck is the rectifier located at on my boat, on the wall between the engine compartment and passenger area?


Thanks,
Martin

 

[Dr Honda]

1) Yes and no. Yes... any 720 regulator will work, but your's has a 4-pin "Weatherpack" plug on it. Most of them just have bullet connectors. So... if you don't mind a little soldering... any of them will work.

2) I like OEM units. The aftermarket units are hit-or-miss. I've found a few on ebay... but if you are in a rush... I'd say to hit one of the on-line shops with a good rep. (I like the sponsor, parker yamaha, or parts pitstop)

3) I believe your's are in the black electrical box. But, it's been a while since I've looked into a "Sportster 1800."



With all that said... have you checked if your system is charging? You could just have a loose wire, or a bad battery.

 

[m.colley]

1) Yes and no. Yes... any 720 regulator will work, but your's has a 4-pin "Weatherpack" plug on it. Most of them just have bullet connectors. So... if you don't mind a little soldering... any of them will work.

2) I like OEM units. The aftermarket units are hit-or-miss. I've found a few on ebay... but if you are in a rush... I'd say to hit one of the on-line shops with a good rep. (I like the sponsor, parker yamaha, or parts pitstop)

3) I believe your's are in the black electrical box. But, it's been a while since I've looked into a "Sportster 1800."



With all that said... have you checked if your system is charging? You could just have a loose wire, or a bad battery.

Thanks for the answers Tony. I haven't checked to see if its charging iin the boat yet but I have had it load tested at Auto Zone. I had to put it on charger twice over the weekend, once because of the water level sensor on the bilge pump being stuck. I charged it fully over night only to get stranded the next day..

Martin

 

[Dr Honda]

I don't trust the testers at an autoparts store. We see it here all the time where they say the battery is OK... but in reality... it isn't. The best "Load Tester" is your own boat. It's real simple. Put a meter on the battery terminals. You should be seeing 12.2 ~ 12.6 volts. Then... try to start the boat. If the voltage doesn't stay at 11v or better... the battery is on it's way out. The 720 engine's aren't as sensitive to low voltage as the other boats... but if the MPEM has a "Brown out"... then then engine isn't going to fire.

 

[m.colley]

Thanks Tony. The rest of this past weekends story goes something like this. After finding out early Saturday morning that the battery was drained completely ( no two beeps, no lights,no radio etc) I pulled the battery, did a full charge out of the boat overnight and reinstalled it Sunday morning. Boat cranked fine Sunday several times after stopping to swim, switch tube riders etc.. Just prior to heading back to the dock for lunch I refired the port engine with no problem, when I tried to start the starboard engine, it actually killed the port. After that you couldn't get it to turn over period and after a couple of minutes you couldn't even get two beepss..

After getting towed in I pulled the battery again and recharged it so I could get it back on the trailer. Thats where I'm at now...

Martin

 

[Dr Honda]

If you try to start the SB engine first... will it start? If it's laboring, and pulling the battery down... you may have a bad/dirty cable... or the starter isn't happy.

I'm assuming you have one large battery (like a group 24 or 27) and not 2 small motorcycle type batteries.



Now... back to doing a self "Load" test... once the engine starts... you should be seeing 13.5 to 14.5v on the meter. (if you are charging)

 

[m.colley]

If you try to start the SB engine first... will it start? If it's laboring, and pulling the battery down... you may have a bad/dirty cable... or the starter isn't happy.

Neither would turn over or start just prior to being towed, BUT when the port engine WAS running and I tried to start the starboard engine it actually "pulled down/killed" the port engine

I'm assuming you have one large battery (like a group 24 or 27) and not 2 small motorcycle type batteries.

Yes one single group 24 battery.

As soon as the rain lets up enough for me to pull the battery again I"ll put it on the charger again and do my own " selfload test". FYI and FWIW, on Sunday morning after I reinstalled the "charged" battery it ran for several hours before leaving me stranded which is why I'm leaning towards the rectifier. Its acting as if its not keeping it charged while its running..

Martin

 

[Dr Honda]

I agree... but it's easy to check the output on the trailer... and when we "Ass-u-me" things.... well... you know.

 

[m.colley]

I agree with you too, it is easier to check on the trailer. The rain has moved out so I'm pulling the battery after work today and putting it on the charger and I'll go from there...

 

[m.colley]

3) I believe your's are in the black electrical box. But, it's been a while since I've looked into a "Sportster 1800."

just for future reference, the rectifiers on the 98 Sportster 1800 are stud mounted on the engine bay wall just in front of the engines..

Martin