Electrical Review Please

[boscoe99]

There is some controversy between the use of a motors' isolator lead and the use of a VSR between the two batteries. I am not sure why.

In the latter the VSR conveys engine generator electrical power at battery one over to battery two, via a VSR lead, once the voltage = X volts.

In the former the equivalent of a VSR conveys engine generator electrical power from the motor itself to battery two, via the isolator lead, once the voltage = X volts.

Electrically there is no difference. Just a different way to get to the same place.

Am I missing something in my analysis?

[rodbolt17]

yep
your missing it.
you can use the isolator lead to charge the house battery anytime the engine is running.
voltage is irrelavent for isolator charging.
VSR's are rather expensive and fairly unreliable.
I replace more than a handful every year.

the most nightmarish one had twin F150's 4 starting batteries and two house batteries and two VSR's.
I bypassed the VSR setup and used the isolator leads and the dead house batt issue went away.

I am not against VSR stuff but why waste the extra money if the motor is already equipped with an isolator?

in defense of failed VSR systems it is usually where it got mounted.

some hull manufactures make a pretty product with the most stupid layouts of hull equipment.

[boscoe99]

yep
your missing it.
you can use the isolator lead to charge the house battery anytime the engine is running.
voltage is irrelavent for isolator charging.
VSR's are rather expensive and fairly unreliable.
I replace more than a handful every year.

the most nightmarish one had twin F150's 4 starting batteries and two house batteries and two VSR's.
I bypassed the VSR setup and used the isolator leads and the dead house batt issue went away.

I am not against VSR stuff but why waste the extra money if the motor is already equipped with an isolator?

in defense of failed VSR systems it is usually where it got mounted.

some hull manufactures make a pretty product with the most stupid layouts of hull equipment.

Yandina VSR (combiner) is $85 bucks. Cheaper than a Yamaha isolator lead. Easier and faster to install.

[99yam40]

dang how much does a wire cost from Yamaha?

[boscoe99]

Depends.

SIM Yamaha is your reliable Yamaha outboard motor engine OEM parts dealer!

Many have simply cut the Yamaha connector within the engine pan and run a wire to their house battery.

My conclusion is that there is no added benefit to using the engine isolation system over using a non-OEM isolator device.

[99yam40]

Come on now Boscoe you know better than posting a link to another Yamaha parts dealer on here

looks like expensive wire

[rodbolt17]

for a few ft of 10 ga wire a couple of quality butt connectors and an inline fuse. is a lot cheaper and less rigging than a vsr.

[boscoe99]

Come on now Boscoe you know better than posting a link to another Yamaha parts dealer on here

looks like expensive wire

I had to do it. Not for parts purchasing purposes anyway. For illustrative purposes only.

View parts wherever you like. Buy from boats.net

[pstephens46]

for a few ft of 10 ga wire a couple of quality butt connectors and an inline fuse. is a lot cheaper and less rigging than a vsr.

Any advantage to rigging the engine isolator to batt switch #2 pole or directly to battery?

If you want to experience being snowblind I suggest waiting until July for this project. About 12 noon in my case. Flopping around on the white deck pushing and pulling wire. At any rate, it is done....

[boscoe99]

Any advantage to rigging the engine isolator to batt switch #2 pole or directly to battery?

If you want to experience being snowblind I suggest waiting until July for this project. About 12 noon in my case. Flopping around on the white deck pushing and pulling wire. At any rate, it is done....

Wait until you get older. It only gets worse. My eyes were the second thing to go. I can't remember what the first was.

To me it was a big advantage to simply make the connections at the battery. Did not have to mess with the rigging grommet and the rigging tube. Three wires, each with a ring terminal. One for the positive of battery one, one for the positive of battery two, and one for the common ground.

It was a rigging nightmare. Having to remove and reinstall three nuts that is. Oh the inhumanity of it all.

[FabricGATOR]

for a few ft of 10 ga wire a couple of quality butt connectors and an inline fuse. is a lot cheaper and less rigging than a vsr.

Do master technicians and Yamaha service centers have access to replacement connectors for the wire loom? If you were to discover a dodgy connector, surely you wouldn't replace the entire wire harness nor would I imagine you cutting out the connector and making up the splice with butt splices or a trailer light plug set.

Can I source the same plug sets that Yamaha uses?

[rodbolt17]

if you use a real set of crimping pliers,not the crap ACE sells, and use a quality heat shrink connector it works.

[FabricGATOR]

if you use a real set of crimping pliers,not the crap ACE sells, and use a quality heat shrink connector it works.

I agree and get the good Ancor connectors, maybe the ones with the heat shrink covers...

But my question is if the Yamaha service centers and technicians have a parts book that has numbers for individual connectors and pins. Those good Japanese connectors that are water tight.

I source them from an American motorcycle enthusiast who lives over there. But then I have to wait for them to come from Japan in a plain brown wrapper.
There must be a source for the real parts to do a repair correctly and professionally here in the states. I would suspect Yamaha makes them available.

It is very dis-satisfying having an array of quality professional crimpers and not having the good parts to use them on.

Like having a FN FiveSeven but you can't get those neat little .17 cal cartridges for it. Impotence:...

[99yam40]

only place I have seen them listed was the same place you found them

[boscoe99]

The Yamaha US marine group (outboard motors) does not sell individual wire or specialized connectors. Except for bullet connectors that is.

From a warranty perspective I have never seen or heard of them authorizing a field repair. Their modus operandi is to remove and replace a complete engine harness, even if just one wire to just one single/double/triple or four wire connector is damaged.

Classic example is some early F90's had a wire or two to the idle speed control valve connector get damaged. The entire engine harness was removed and replaced with a new one as the solution. If I had an F350 and one wire was damaged I personally would prefer for the one wire to be cut and spliced as opposed to having the entire wire harness removed and a new harness installed.