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How much current does a 40HP mecury provide

L

loic

New member
"Hi all,
Further to this prev

"Hi all,
Further to this previous post: http://www.marineengine.com/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi, I've got the 40HP Mercury engine installed and almost wired up. I'm thinking of adding a small sound system to the boat, but I'm worried that even a small amp might take too much power from the engine's alternator meaning I'll be running from the battery which will eventually kill the engine. What sort of current can I safely take from the engine? I've got a voltmeter on the batteries, so I suppose I could run the amp and see if the voltage drops below maybe 13V with the engine running?
Thanks in advance for all your help.

-Loic"
 
"Most of the 40 horse models w

"Most of the 40 horse models will have a 9 amp (at minimum) charging system.

That doesn't mean you are getting 9 amps all the time - it's dependant on rpms.

So at idle is probably putting out somewhat less than 1 amp and wide open you are getting the max.

Killing the battery will not kill the engine. It may leave you using the rope start (if equipped), but the motors themself are self contained and do not need the battery for anything more than providing power for the electric start in this horsepower range.

A small sound system will not significantly deplete your battery while the motor is running - however, if you are looking at installing a huge power sucking amp and running it while simply drifting without power you could drain the battery."
 
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