Regulator and Tach Problems

My motor is older with an unregulated charging system. I installed a tach shortly after buying it, and never had any trouble with the tach, but it would routinely charge at 16-17 volts.

I installed a CDI 193-5114 regulated rectifier to remedy the issues. It worked well for months but began overheating and overcharging (hot enough to actually start melting the potting). I have since moved it off of the engine and mounted it to a heat sink, which solved that problem.

The main issue is that this regulated rectifier really screws with my tach. It will only read up to 4k RPM, and when the battery is fully charged, it nosedives to zero, and generally acts screwy while the regulator is doing it's thing.

The dilemma that I have now, is that I have been playing with props, and it is impossible to judge what size I need without an RPM reading.

The regulator has 5 wires, 2 yellows (stator), battery positive and ground, and a grey tach wire. How could I bypass the regulator to make the tach work? Unhook the stator wires and run the tach wire right to one of them?

We could start guessing and end up messing a bunch of stuff up. If it was me I’d call CDI, get a tech person on the phone and explain the problem. Bet they can walk you through it with no problem. Maybe save you a bunch of money an aggravation in the process.

I sent them an email a long time ago and never got a reply.

I tapped the tach wire in with one of the stator legs (like how it is on the factory rectifier), and it works perfectly now. Not sure why CDI didn't include that in the instructions.

Call them, you may have a faulty rectifier.
I just replaced my stator and rectifier with CDI units, all is lovely along with my tach.
Call and ask for tech assistance.
In their instructions and troubleshooting paper included with the units, they explain in detail how to check your units with a known good meter and how to ohm it out. Are you finding any shorts or anything out of range with those tests?
On the sheets, CDI highly recommends a qualified mechanic install the units. If you do not feel confident with your install, maybe you should consult one. Good luck with your issue.
Troubleshoot your old unit, too. With mine, the blue circuit from the stator was open indicating the first phase (Low RPM) had went out. I compared meter readings between the old units and the new units and I felt confident the new units were fine - before the install.

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Originally Posted by TheGrandPoohBah

Call them, you may have a faulty rectifier.
I just replaced my stator and rectifier with CDI units, all is lovely along with my tach.
Call and ask for tech assistance.
In their instructions and troubleshooting paper included with the units, they explain in detail how to check your units with a known good meter and how to ohm it out. Are you finding any shorts or anything out of range with those tests?
On the sheets, CDI highly recommends a qualified mechanic install the units. If you do not feel confident with your install, maybe you should consult one. Good luck with your issue.
Troubleshoot your old unit, too. With mine, the blue circuit from the stator was open indicating the first phase (Low RPM) had went out. I compared meter readings between the old units and the new units and I felt confident the new units were fine - before the install.

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I had to replace the stator a couple weeks ago, along with the switch box and trigger. That's all fine.

I believe the rectifier is fine, it's just not really a direct fit for my motor. I have moved it off of the engine, it is now next to the battery with it's own aluminum heat sink. Everything is working perfectly now, steady voltage at 13.8, and the tach is doing what it's supposed to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Atimm693

I had to replace the stator a couple weeks ago, along with the switch box and trigger. That's all fine.

I believe the rectifier is fine, it's just not really a direct fit for my motor. I have moved it off of the engine, it is now next to the battery with it's own aluminum heat sink. Everything is working perfectly now, steady voltage at 13.8, and the tach is doing what it's supposed to.

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Glad to hear all is well now.
Making the rectifier work for you reminds me of something I learned about installing "Universal" parts: They don't really fit anything, but you can make them work on anything! :pray