--- id: fourwinns-h190 session-date: 2026-04-28 kind: equipment --- # Verified configuration - **Hull:** 1989 Four Winns H190 Freedom, fiberglass, 19'0" open-bow. - **HIN:** `4WNTH065L889` (verified from Michigan Watercraft Registration document, photo 1). Decode: Dec 1988 cert / 1989 model year. - **Engine:** OMC Cobra 4.3L V6, GM-based 262 ci, ~190 hp (verified from engine cover decal + iboats forum cross-reference for exact model number). - **Engine MOD/SER:** `432APRMED` / `T1132957` (verified from OMC drive data plate, photo 3). Decode: 4.3L / major-change A / power steering / RH rotation / `MED` configuration suffix unverified. - **Drive:** OMC Cobra, MOD `985685`, SER partial `T064953` (data plate, photo 3). - **Stock alternator:** OMC P/N `0985465`/`0985466`, 51 A @ 12 V, Motorola/Prestolite, internal regulator. Confirmed via NLA Marine parts listing + iboats forum service-manual citations. - **Service manual:** OMC `0507759`. Parts catalog: `0985974`. Owner's manual: `0985996`. Confirmed via Crowley Marine parts lookup. - **Owner:** Samuel Foran (this entity has no customer prefix; it's Sam's own boat). - **Storage:** Trailer in driveway, boat cover on, last run fall 2025. - **Battery (failed unit, for record):** NAPA Legend No. 7575, BCI Group 75, 800 CA / 650 CCA, manufactured June 2018 (~7.8 years). Currently at 3.0 V; smart charger refuses to engage. - **Battery selector:** none installed (single-battery, no master disconnect). # Symptoms / scope Battery diagnosed at 3.0 V on terminal-voltage check, well below the ~10.5 V smart-charger detection floor. Visible wire-terminal corrosion at the battery posts, noted at end of last run season (fall 2025). User attempted charge with 1.5 A smart charger; charger refused to engage. Boat has been parked uncovered (in terms of master-disconnect) on the electrical side for ~6 months Michigan winter. Session scope was deliberately narrowed to cranking circuit only: battery selection, parasitic draw isolation, cable inspection, and charging-system verification. Out of scope: fuel, ignition, drive, lower unit, water pump, bellows. # Diagnoses / hypotheses considered (See `guides/fourwinns-h190/diagnostic-logs/DHL-001-battery-no-charge.md` for full DHL.) - **H1: Battery sulfated and unrecoverable** — CONVERGED. Three independent failure signals: 3.0 V discharge depth, 7.8-year age, wrong group for marine duty. Recommend scrap and replace. - **H2: Battery recoverable to limited capacity** — ABANDONED. Even successful recovery leaves a Group 75 in marine application. Wrong answer regardless of yield. - **H3: Parasitic draw via boat wiring is the root cause** — OPEN / BLOCKING. User asserted "no switch drained it" but lack of a battery selector means every always-hot circuit was permanently connected. Must quantify before commissioning the new battery; otherwise the new one dies the same way. - **H4: Charging system fault** — OPEN / downstream. Verifies once engine commissioned. - **H5: Cable corrosion progressing under insulation** — OPEN. Inspect copper conductor under boots; cut back to clean copper if contaminated. # Actions taken - Bootstrap fetch executed: methodology v1.1, prelude v1.0, equipment index for fourwinns-h190, equipment template (rendered text only; raw HTML source unreachable). - Photos processed: registration document, OMC Cobra 4.3L engine cover, OMC drive data plate, NAPA Legend battery label. - Verified configuration captured to entity index update. - DHL-001 opened tracking 5 hypotheses; H1 converged, H2 abandoned, H3/H4/H5 remain open. - Guide v0.1 rendered: scope = battery replacement + parasitic draw test + cable inspection + charging verification. 4 numbered parts + shopping list + references. - Style note: guide v0.1 is rendered with interim CSS because the canonical template HTML source was not retrievable (bash blocked from samesolutions-equipment-service.pages.dev domain; web_fetch returned rendered text only). Structure follows fetched template; styling pass for canonical CSS deferred to Claude Code. # Outstanding decisions / next steps **Sam, action items in priority order:** 1. **Measure the existing battery box** internal dimensions before buying replacement. Group 24M (10.25" × 6.81" × 8.88") will fit most factory boxes designed for Group 75. Group 27M (12.06" L) is borderline — measure before committing. 2. **Buy new battery** per Tier 1 of the parts list. Marine dual-purpose, BCI 24M or 27M, top-post, ≥650 CCA. Source: NAPA nearest store (auto trade-in for the dead Group 75). 3. **Run parasitic draw test (Part 02)** with the new battery installed on the boat — DMM in series on negative cable, all switches off, bilge selector to AUTO. Capture the reading. Send back here for interpretation if it's >80 mA. 4. **Pull cable boots and inspect copper (Part 03)** while you're working on the connections. Note findings — green/black wicking, brittle strands, or clean copper. 5. **Once engine runs: charging voltage check (Part 04)** at idle and 1500 RPM. Capture readings. If >14.7 V or <13.0 V, do not run for the season — alternator/regulator service required first. 6. **Consider Tier 2 battery disconnect switch** ($30 Blue Sea m-Series, 2-minute install) regardless of parasitic-draw outcome. Cheap insurance against this exact failure recurring. **Open verifications for next session:** - Charging voltage spec — confirm 13.0–14.7 V against 1989-issue OMC service manual `0507759` (currently cited from 1987-issue forum reading, same generation but year-not-exact). - `MED` suffix in engine model `432APRMED` — full decode against OMC documentation. - Alternator P/N `0985465`/`0985466` — verify against Crowley/NLA Marine parts catalog before any replacement order. **No DRs opened** this session. Nothing required cross-session architectural input. # Confidence assessment **High confidence** on diagnosis (H1) — three independent reasons the battery is done converge with no contradicting evidence. Replacement decision is solid. **High confidence** on H3 being a real risk — physics says a healthy battery shouldn't drop to 3 V over 6 months at typical self-discharge rates, even at 7+ years age. Something drew it down. The user's "no switch drained it" assertion is theoretical; the test in Part 02 is empirical and will close H3 either way. **Moderate confidence** on Part 04 charging spec value of 13.0–14.7 V. Source is the 1987-issue OMC service manual cited via iboats forum, same charging-system generation. UNVERIFIED flag retained in the guide. If the 1989 issue diverges, errata block gets surfaced in v0.2. **Lower confidence** on Group 27M physical fit — depends on the boat's existing battery box, which I haven't measured. Sam will confirm. # Pointers - DHL: `guides/fourwinns-h190/diagnostic-logs/DHL-001-battery-no-charge.md` - Guide: `guides/fourwinns-h190/fourwinns-h190-service-guide-v0.1.html` - Index: `index/equipment/fourwinns-h190.md` (updated this session) - Photos: not stored in repo (local to user / chat context only)