1989 Yamaha 175ETXF---Does it charge the battery while running?

[mattfreywsp]

I am wanting to know if my motor charges the battery at all while its running?

thanks in advance

[rodbolt17]

if every thing is working, yes.

[pstephens46]

What is the issue?

[mattfreywsp]

I have been told conflicting things....my battery does not stay charged as long as it should...i was told there is no alternator(or something like that) on that year and model motor

[pstephens46]

Hard to imagine any 175hp would not have the ability to charge a battery. Do you have an electrical meter? Have you taken battery and had it load tested?

[pstephens46]

According to diagram your engine has a rectifier/regulator so it should charge the battery.

[boscoe99]

I have been told conflicting things....my battery does not stay charged as long as it should...i was told there is no alternator(or something like that) on that year and model motor

Be very careful what you hear and read particularly if it is on the inner web. The inner web has made it much easier for bad information to travel far and wide. Once crap is in print it is believed to be true. Remember the story of "it must be true if it is on the inner web. Where did you hear that? I read it on the inner web".

What you might have heard is that a Yamaha outboard motor does not have an alternator. Which is true if and when an alternator is defined as the belt driven electrical generation device that is used on most cars and trucks.

But your motor certainly has an electrical generator installed that provides electrical power to the motor itself and which provides power back to the battery to recharge the battery.

One failure mode of a battery is if and when it fails to hold a charge. If the battery is fully charged one day but then won't start the motor for about the next month's time then it could very well be failing. You can test it yourself if you have a voltmeter.

You can also see for yourself that your motor charges the battery. Put a voltmeter on the battery before the motor is started. A fully charged battery will have a voltage of approximatly 12.7. Start the motor. Run it at a fast idle for several minutes. Put your voltmeter on the battery terminals again. If the voltage is 13 or more then the system is working and recharging your battery.

[mjf_1955]

..... Run it at a fast idle for several minutes.

Fast idle is what, about 1000 rpms?

[boscoe99]

1000 should do it.

[mattfreywsp]

1000 should do it.

thanks for the info!!!