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Jump the Starter -- Wreck the Regulator

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2008-09-16          156717

Replies to another query here indicates that there considerable electrical smarts on this group, so let me ask this.

I've heard of (and I think I've experienced) the failure of a Yanmar voltage regulator following jumping the starter. Anybody else? And would it help to disconnect one or more wires on the regulator during jumping if it had to be done?


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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2008-09-17          156718

I'm assuming your Yanmar voltage regulator is the old mechanical relay type (as opposed to the newer electronic relays). As such, it's possible to inadvertently reverse the polarity as a result of a jump start. With the polarity reversed, a VR can give you the impression that it's failed. In most cases, this can be corrected.

Assuming your VR is not electronic, see the TIP below

//greg// ....


Link:   TIP

 
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auerbach
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2008-09-17          156719

Thanks Greg. My dealer replaced it almost a decade ago. How do I tell if it's the old or new type? ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
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2008-09-17          156720

We used to have to polarize something when we replaced it, was that the regulaor? And also it used to be said that when you jump started another car that the surge from both alternators would burn out somebodys regulator. Is that or was that ever true? I never had it happenh, maybe just lucky. Frank. ....

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greg_g
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2008-09-17          156721

Quote:
Originally Posted by auerbach | view 156719
How do I tell if it's the old or new type?
I don't know, but - since that machine was made between 1981 and 1991 - I'm going to guess it's mechanical. Don't take this as gospel, but one of the ways to tell SOME mechanicals, is the click from relays inside. The electronic types typically use electric switches, logic gates, stuff that doesn't make noise.

That said, maybe the part number is still readable. A Google search may turn up some specs on the current regulator.

//greg// ....

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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2008-09-17          156728

I've had a few times where I have had to jump a starter directly albeit unsucessfully; can't seem to get enough amps through the jumper cables.

Like Frank, I was raised that as soon as you get the jumped car started you immediately remove the cables to prevent blowing the regulator. My grandpa owned some car repair shops and that was largely who told us that. Was grandpa misled... dunno. I do recall having a 1971 GM car taht I gave a jump to on sub-zero day. His car strated right up and he didn't remove the cables right away. The next day my altenator wasn't cahrging. Coincidence? Not sure.

Here's another thing I was raised with and have seen touted in owner and service manuals and even on TV "Ask the Shell Answer Man"---never allow to cars when jump starting to touch metal-to-metal (metal bumper-to-metal bumper) otherwise both cars' batteries will blow up. Frank will tell you I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but can anyone explain this? ....

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greg_g
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2008-09-17          156731

Musta been in the OLD old days, and then only when one of the cars had a positive ground and the other had a negative. Because on two cars with negative ground (like today's cars), the hot (positive) posts are electrically isolated from each other. Touching metal bumper to metal bumper is just the same as touching negative battery post to negative battery post.

But in the old days - if one car was positive ground and the other car was negative ground - touching bumpers would likely have the same effect as crossed jumper cables. This could be especially hard on the positively grounded car, because its gas tank was grounded by default.

//greg// ....

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earthwrks
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2008-09-18          156732

Greg I'm 45 so...

I did some quick searches on the Net about "bumper-to-bumper" and they still say don't touch bumpers (even though most cars have plastic bumper covers). One site for trucks said the reason could bhe that is freates an unexpected path when connecting the cables and could cause an explosion from sparks (if this were true I'd be dead along time ago).

You might be right in that about pos/neg ground---when I was a technical writer I was amazed at the non-applicable garbage that got copied from year to year without anyone questioning it. This may be one of those. ....

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greg_g
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2008-09-18          156733

I got ~15 years on ya, but barely remember positive grounds myself. Never actually owned one, but learned about them back in my shade tree mechanic developmental years. And I seem to recall it was more of a European car thing, especially those with a Lucas system. Everybody sorta migrated to negative grounds by the mid-60s.

//greg//
....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
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2008-09-18          156734

If you ran a single conductor wire from one building to another right next door and ground both ends there will likely be current flowing through the wire. This is caused by different ground potentials and is likely happen even if the buildings are right next to each other.

We burned a lot of electronics in a situation like this before installing optical isolators between buildings.

Even with tires I'd guess two cars with metal bumpers touching would likely have different ground potentials. Now I don't see how that would cause batteries to explode, but it seems possible it might do some damage to electronics. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
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2008-09-18          156738

Don't forget the different voltage that were used years ago. You had six volts and some eights and then twelve. That is probably where the damage to voltage requlators really happened.

The exploding battery could have been caused by a bad battery or not here but in EW world a frozen one I think. We had a FORD (EW) that blew one day when my wife hit the key to crank. kt
....

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hardwood
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2008-09-18          156741

The Farmall tractors from the 1940's and early 50's were six volt positive ground. ....

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kthompson
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2008-09-18          156747

Quote:
Originally Posted by hardwood | view 156741
The Farmall tractors from the 1940's and early 50's were six volt positive ground.


It has been a few years but I think the 1962 Ford Workmasters were also. ....

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