Stupid Mistake... need help..

[Gill_King]

Ok so it was a little dark out the other day and I hooked up my batter to my 2009 50hp Evinrude Etec (console drive), problem was I hooked the battery up backwards and it was probably like that for 12-14hrs did not start it in that time frame. After finding out I switched it back. The motor starts and runs.. how do I know if the alternator is fried or not? My nav lights and cluster lights still work, but my accessories wont turn on like my radio. Is the radio fuse located underneath the console? Any help here is appreciated.. im worried to take it out if the alternator is bad and not knowing it.

thanks guys..

[Gordie]

Your radio should be fused itself along with most of the other stuff you may have wired up.

You will probably have to have a multi meter to check and see if the motor is charging or not.

[Gill_King]

I just hope I didn't cause to much damage.. I guess its good it still starts and runs, the trim also works as well.

[Rick G]

Don't feel too bad, been there done that I don't think the motor would turn over with the battery hooked up backward if you would have tried. You should be fine with the motor, the lights and pumps will work with the battery backward. The fuse to the radio is more than likley the only thing you messed up.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

blew a fuse, and like Rick said we've all done it

[Gill_King]

Don't feel too bad, been there done that I don't think the motor would turn over with the battery hooked up backward if you would have tried. You should be fine with the motor, the lights and pumps will work with the battery backward. The fuse to the radio is more than likley the only thing you messed up.

that makes me feel a little better lol Thanks!

[aanderud]

I don't want to rain on the parade, but I can tell you from experience that if you hook a hand-held lowrance GPS into a 12 volt cigarette lighter socket, and then hook that socket up to the battery backward, you will fry your GPS. I've done it. It wasn't pleasant. There's no reverse polarity protection in those H20 GPSes.

Not saying you fried everything you own, by any means -- just mentioning that there's a chance you may have fried something. Have to just test it all out and you'll know.

[Gill_King]

Luckily I had taken my fish finder off over the winter and haven't put it back on yet so I lucked out there.

Thank you for the comment good to know.

[Gill_King]

Is there reverse polarity protection on the Evinrude Etecs?, maybe thats why it still started and ran fine.

[Farley]

I've done it, but in my defense it was on my uncles boat and he had 2 black wires both with plain old copper connectors for his two battery wires. Cost me about $140 if I remember correctly, it melted some part with a bunch of epoxy, actually started the epoxy on fire under the hood, thats when I realized something was awry.

[JohnMickish]

For $50 put in a battery diconnect switch and eliminate the possibility of that happening again. To see if the alternator is still good, bring the battery voltage readout up on your sonar, look at it before you start the motor and compare it while the motor is running. If there is no change you did something bad, if it goes up a volt or so then the alternator is till good.

[Ufatz]

I think you may have gotten lucky. Radio may very well have blown fuse but thats no big deal. If you are correct, and all else seems to be working as it should I'd say you are home free. Of course some more running will tell. Or do the checks guys suggest above first.

[JohnMickish]

I was thinking about this, if you use a marine battery and use the studs for your wire hookups, the studs are different sizes with the wire terminals sized to match so that this sort of thing won't happen.

[Kyhl]

I've found that not to be the case on all batteries. I was surprised to find my current battery has the same sized studs. First time I'd seen that.

[Gordie]

I've found that not to be the case on all batteries. I was surprised to find my current battery has the same sized studs. First time I'd seen that.

I 've also got batterrys like that.

[CAMAN]

I don't want to rain on the parade, but I can tell you from experience that if you hook a hand-held lowrance GPS into a 12 volt cigarette lighter socket, and then hook that socket up to the battery backward, you will fry your GPS. I've done it. It wasn't pleasant. There's no reverse polarity protection in those H20 GPSes.

Not saying you fried everything you own, by any means -- just mentioning that there's a chance you may have fried something. Have to just test it all out and you'll know.

I've done the same with a camcorder. Some things have reverse polarity protection, others do not. You'll figure out quick which ones DO NOT. It would be nice if manufacturers of these high dollar electronics added a couple $.10 diodes into their products that will protect from things like this.

[marine_man]

Put a multi meter on your battery. Measure the voltage before you start the engine. Your voltage should be around 12 Volts or so...

Start the motor and run the RPM up to mid throttle (while in the water). Your voltage should run up to around 14 volts. At an absolute minimum, it needs to be at least 13.

If not, you've got rectifier problems.

marine_man

[clKiekhafer]

My brother has a E-tec 130 and needed to have it service because it won't start sometimes. The mechanic asked him if he ever hooked the battery up backwards because that can take out the rectifier. So that might have happened to you, just saying.