Outboard charges battery real slow

[Twins 57 Fan]

I had my 1996 75hp Force Outboard in the shop last year. The guy told me that it is not charging the battery as strong as it should be.

I don't really have the money to bring it in this year but am pretty handy with a wrench. Any ideas on what I should be looking for? The boat runs fine, but sometimes it doesnt have the power to engage the starter up to the flywheel.

Would just like to get it running good before the open water sneaks up on me. Thanks in advance.

[boatfixer]

I would first make sure all connections are good and clean including all grounds. Verify the battery is in good condition. Make sure the starter is in good condition, pinion gear and shaft are clean. Once all the obvious things are checked, the only things left would be the rectifier and stator. Usually when the rectifier goes, you have a NO CHARGE situation and the tach quits working. That leaves the stator. You would need to check voltage output before and after the rectifier as well as some other tests to determine if the stator is the problem. You need to be confident in your findings though, because replacement parts for that system are not cheap.

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[marine_man]

The boat runs fine, but sometimes it doesnt have the power to engage the starter up to the flywheel.

You could be talking about two different things here... one being the charging system and one being the starter / battery cables.

Is the motor not charging, or is the starter not engaging.

boatfixer has pointed out some things to check, but you need to clarify or isolate what the problem is.

marine_man