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  1. 09-07-2019, 05:08 PM #1
    Fishingfarmer
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    Low power, not enough rpm's?

    90 merc on a pontoon, roughly a 1996 model year. Was out on the river and it was overcharging, running around 18 volts. Came about the same time it lost power. It sounds like it is running good, as in it runs smooth. It will only go 13 mph vs 20 before. Heres what i replaced: fuel filter, spark plugs (all looked good and show spark), and the voltage regulor (5 wire version on upper left). It now shows 14ish volts, but still low on power. My tach doesnt work now, before it was either at 0 or 5000, no in between. It will occasionally run full power for a second, then cut back. I have a coil pack i was going to try but they all seemed to test the same. 0 ohms from + to -, roughly .9-1k from plug wire to neg. Ia there a better test or what else can i check out?

    Also it blew the 20 amp inline fuse a couple times, the one that sends power to the instrument panel etc.
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  2. EuropeanAM
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    #2 09-08-2019, 04:55 PM
    Check SPARK. Make sure you are running ONLY the recommended spark plugs, too.

    Fuse blowing could be related to your regulator problem- have you blown any fuses since the regulator was replaced?

    OEM Mercury Part (Regulator) Used?


    Dual Mercury Master Technician- for Mercury Outboards, Mercruiser and Mercury Racing at European Marine in Greenville, SC.
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  3. Fishingfarmer
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    #3 09-08-2019, 07:53 PM
    Plugs are the same, should be correct. Regulator is not OEM, and I only ran it for a quick lap to see if it was working correct. Left my daughter in the truck in the ramp. Ran for 3-4 minutes and reloaded. (Low use ramp, only ever seen 1 other boat here). Regulator was bad as the connectors were burned and it was definitely not regulating the volts.
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  4. EuropeanAM
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    #4 09-09-2019, 05:31 PM
    And have you blown a fuse since the "aftermarket" regulator was installed?

    Not to beat a dead horse... but I will again stress the importance of the OEM regulator.


    Dual Mercury Master Technician- for Mercury Outboards, Mercruiser and Mercury Racing at European Marine in Greenville, SC.
    Still consider myself a "Marine Apprentice" after 47 years (learn something new every day).
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  5. Fishingfarmer
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    #5 09-09-2019, 07:00 PM
    No I haven't, I only drove it for maybe 4-5 min max. I think the fuse blows when I trim the motor up too much at once. At least I think that's what happened the 2nd time it blew. The first time I dont know what happened. When I trim up it seems to drop the volt guage quite a bit. Boat is somewhat new to me, I've only been able to take it out a half dozen times. Thanks for your help so far. This is my first pontoon. I'm afraid to stick a ton of money into it if it's not the right boat for our needs.
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