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primodude

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Ok....here I go again... I have had my 1979 Evinrude running several times and the problem I encompassed was non existant. Here is the situation. I badly flooded my engine, so I pulled the plugs and let the cylinders dry out on their own overnight.
(New J plugs BTW) During the night, I recharged my battery to full... and unplugged the 110V from the charger....but NOT THE CHARGER ITSELF from the battery.
After setup with water to the motor, the motor started rather quickly....
Oh craps.... smoke started rolling from the rectifier and black goop dripping from the case. I quickly shut off the motor, and smoke ceased. I ordered a new rectifier, and installed it. My hunch, and only a inexperienced hunch, my charger, still in line to the battery, may have caused a problem.. I will know in day or so when I retest the motor if all is well.. Did anyone ever have this particular calamity??
PrimoDude
 
Good practice says to disconnect the motor from the battery before charging with a charger. Reason: High voltage from the charger can destroy the motor's rectifier. I don't know if that is what happened in your case, just a guess.

Loose or poor battery connections are the most common cause of rectifier burnout.
 
A great answer...and now I know what the red dial knob is for on the battery... it will be easy to flip that dial switch to OFF. Its been a puzzle to me since I purchased the boat from the prior owner. Your answer made my day.
Many thanks again.
PrimoDude
BTW... I use the Optima battery charger as I have the Optima battery for my Minn-Kota. But future shut off will be the rule.
 
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