For your outboard motor to function well, there are a lot of parts that have to perform flawlessly.
One of these parts is the rectifier in the outboard motor.
That is why you have to test and keep it in a good working condition when you see symptoms of bad outboard rectifier.
Some of the signs of a faulty outboard rectifier includes battery drain, battery overcharge, voltage fluctuations and fluctuating outboard electronics.
When any of these symptoms show up, the performance of the outboard motor will be greatly affected.
To return your outboard motor to a good performance level, you have to make sure that you replace the bad rectifier with a good one.
This will prevent extensive damage to other components of the boat.
Signs Of Bad Outboard Motor Rectifier
1) Battery Drain
The battery in an outboard motor has a huge role to play.
This makes the battery a very vital component in an outboard motor especially when it is an electric starter and not a pull start.
In such a case, the battery will be needed to supply charge for the functionality of the outboard motor.
This cuts across supplying charge for starting the outboard motor as well as producing stable voltage to run the boat electronics.
As the outboard starts, the energy from the battery gets used.
The electronic components in the boat also drains the energy in the boat battery too.
But when the outboard motor is functioning well, this energy drain is well replenished.
This is where the rectifier plays a role.
For the battery in an outboard motor not to be totally drained while in use, the energy from the stator or alternator helps to recharge the battery.
But the direct energy from the alternator or stator cannot charge the battery.
This is because the alternator and stator produce an alternating current.
This creates an inability for the alternator or stator to charge the battery effectively because the battery charges with a direct current.
To help convert the alternating current from the stator or alternator to a direct current, the rectifier helps in carrying out this task.
The rectifier converts tha AC from the alternator or stator to DC.
It also sends the right voltage needed to charge the battery.
With this, the battery is kept at full charge to function well and power the electronics in the boat like the fish finder or boat inverter.
But if the rectifier is not functioning, then the battery in the outboard motor will not be recharged.
This will cause a battery drain in the outboard motor battery.
Due to this, the outboard motor will not be able to power the electronics in the boat.
At worse cases, it will not be able to even start the outboard motor.
When you encounter frequent battery drain in your outboard motor , make sure that you test for the functionality of the rectifier.
A frequent battery drain is one of the symptoms of a faulty outboard motor rectifier.
Due to this, the alternator or stator will not be able to charge the battery with the energy it produces.
2) Fluctuating Voltage Output
Apart from converting the alternating current from the stator or alternator to direct current, the rectifier plays other roles.
This has to do with the output range of the direct current.
The rectifier helps in making sure that the direct current it outputs does not exceed 14.5 volts.
This helps in making sure that the battery in the boat is optimally charged.
Any voltage above or below this range will lead to an overcharge or undercharge which is not good for the battery life.
So when you notice that your rectifier is producing less then volts or more than 14.5 volts, then your battery will have issues performing well.
3) Battery Overcharge
Another symptom of bad outboard rectifier is battery overcharge.
With the use of a rectifier in the outboard motor, the voltage to charge the battery is not just converted from AC to DC, another thing occurs too.
This DC is being regulated to a voltage that will charge the battery well and avoid a scenario of overcharging.
But if you discover that your battery is constantly getting overcharged, then you have to check the rectifier.
Overcharging is one of the top reasons why a battery gets damaged easily.
It can also lead to explosion too which is very dangerous.
That is why you have to make sure that the voltage that charges the battery does not exceed the allowable range the battery needs.
One of the ways of ensuring this is by making sure that the rectifier in your outboard motor is working well.
If the rectifier in your outboard motor is not working well, it will show signs.
One of the symptoms of bad outboard motor rectifier is battery overcharge.
if this occurs in your outboard motor and you discover that your rectifier is producing excess voltage, you have to make sure that you change it.
This will help increase the lifespan of your battery and the electronic components in your boat.
4) Fluctuating Outboard Electronics
When an outboard motor is running a boat, other components can function too.
These other components are the electronic devices in the boat.
This includes components like the fish finder and other components like an inverter if you want to power some 110v or 220v alternating current devices.
But the thing is that most of these components are made to function with 12v and can tolerate a little voltage change.
But during an excess release of voltage from the rectifier, these components can be affected too.
This will lead to the damage of the fuse and at worse cases can also lead to the damage of the electronic devices in the boat.
That is why you have to pay close attention to the signs of bad outboard motor rectifier.
When you see any of them, you have to make sure that you change the faulty rectifier to a good one.
This will help keep your outboard motor in a great functional condition.
The electronics in the outboard motor will also be protected from damage too.
if you have any question concerning symptoms of bad outboard motor rectifier, notify us by using the comment section.