I just ordered a new 55 Amp API alternator from Moyer Marine, I called to verify my order and had a chat with Don and he asked me to relate this to the forum, so here goes. Be gentle.
Part 1:
I put my boat on the ground for the summer in April. At that time everything was working fine. When I launched it a week ago this is what happened:
1) First I charged all batteries for a couple of days on my new 30 amp charger.
2 Once the boat was in the water I put the selector switch to 1 (my group 24 starting Battery) and all it did was click and make a slight effort to turn the motor and then stop-dead battery.
3) I then put the selector switch on "all" and the engine started right up.
4) As I puttered around checking for leaks, I switched the selector switch back to "1" to try to charge the battery again.
5) After a few minutes I noticed that there were no "Amps" showing on my Amp meter and that the voltage stayed at 12.4 instead of climbing to over 13 volts as is usual when the engine is running.
6) I once again switched the Selector switch to "all" but still no alternator amps and no extra voltage.
7) I then switched the selector switch to off and the engine instantly stalled.
8) I rechecked all electrical connections again, cleaned them and reconnected them. The engine started right up on "All" but instantly stalled on "Off" position. Battery "1" showed 8 volts dropping quickly to the bottom off the scale.
My conclusion was that battery "1" had died completely and that it had then fried my alternator because it showed the alternator no load. The Diodes fried.
I bought a new 1000 cca Group 24 battery and installed it, but still no Amps showing from the alternator in any position. I then ordered a new alternator from Moyer Marine. One final note, I tested this battery under load before putting the boat away and it was fine. It evidently died during storage.
Here is the part Don wanted me to relay:
My wiring setup is as follows:
From the alternator the wire goes to an Amp meter then directly to the positive post on Battery 1. I did this because I often have children aboard and wanted to be sure they would not fry my alternator with misuse of the selector switch ("off" position while engine is running). Battery 1 is then wired to the "1" post on the selector switch and Battery "2" is wired to the "2" post on the selector switch. The common post is wired to the starting solenoid and the house "+" bar.
I did it this way so that
a) I could not fry my alternator through misuse of the selector switch
b) The engine would instantly start replacing the amps it took from battery 1 to start the engine (negligible but important)[I would always have a fully charged starting battery
c) I could then place the selector switch on "all" and use the engine to charge the house battery or go back to battery 1 if I needed all my horsepower for something (lee shore?)
So here are the questions:
1) Is it possible to fry the alternator with a completely dead battery?
2) Did I do something wrong with my wiring configuration?
3) Was my diagnosis of the problem correct? (replace battery and alternator)
4) Is it just coincidence that my battery and alternator went bad at the exact same time?
What do the experts think?
Don
Part 1:
I put my boat on the ground for the summer in April. At that time everything was working fine. When I launched it a week ago this is what happened:
1) First I charged all batteries for a couple of days on my new 30 amp charger.
2 Once the boat was in the water I put the selector switch to 1 (my group 24 starting Battery) and all it did was click and make a slight effort to turn the motor and then stop-dead battery.
3) I then put the selector switch on "all" and the engine started right up.
4) As I puttered around checking for leaks, I switched the selector switch back to "1" to try to charge the battery again.
5) After a few minutes I noticed that there were no "Amps" showing on my Amp meter and that the voltage stayed at 12.4 instead of climbing to over 13 volts as is usual when the engine is running.
6) I once again switched the Selector switch to "all" but still no alternator amps and no extra voltage.
7) I then switched the selector switch to off and the engine instantly stalled.
8) I rechecked all electrical connections again, cleaned them and reconnected them. The engine started right up on "All" but instantly stalled on "Off" position. Battery "1" showed 8 volts dropping quickly to the bottom off the scale.
My conclusion was that battery "1" had died completely and that it had then fried my alternator because it showed the alternator no load. The Diodes fried.
I bought a new 1000 cca Group 24 battery and installed it, but still no Amps showing from the alternator in any position. I then ordered a new alternator from Moyer Marine. One final note, I tested this battery under load before putting the boat away and it was fine. It evidently died during storage.
Here is the part Don wanted me to relay:
My wiring setup is as follows:
From the alternator the wire goes to an Amp meter then directly to the positive post on Battery 1. I did this because I often have children aboard and wanted to be sure they would not fry my alternator with misuse of the selector switch ("off" position while engine is running). Battery 1 is then wired to the "1" post on the selector switch and Battery "2" is wired to the "2" post on the selector switch. The common post is wired to the starting solenoid and the house "+" bar.
I did it this way so that
a) I could not fry my alternator through misuse of the selector switch
b) The engine would instantly start replacing the amps it took from battery 1 to start the engine (negligible but important)[I would always have a fully charged starting battery
c) I could then place the selector switch on "all" and use the engine to charge the house battery or go back to battery 1 if I needed all my horsepower for something (lee shore?)
So here are the questions:
1) Is it possible to fry the alternator with a completely dead battery?
2) Did I do something wrong with my wiring configuration?
3) Was my diagnosis of the problem correct? (replace battery and alternator)
4) Is it just coincidence that my battery and alternator went bad at the exact same time?
What do the experts think?
Don
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