Hwere we go again: Low Voltage on Stb Engine

[Reefgeorge]

If its time to start swapping parts, there are probably over a dozen potential causes and educated guessing will probably keep your tries under half that but maybe not one. That said, Scotts suggestion is as good a first guess as any. If you have the time I would still want to know the real battery voltage because that rules out a lot.

 

[Boatsb]

George remember diodes and capacitors age and fail. Bob is not afraid to get his hands dirty but he said it's hard for him to do as he needs someone to be driving as it occurs. It's a traveling willbury. It's also not chemistry.

Alternators that have run as long as his could not be hurt by some testing and pm. Bob will be traveling 1000 plus miles this fall and having a failure is worse than the cost of the pm. Remember he puts 3k miles plus a year on. If he were local I'd pull the alternators and have them tested. Clean all the wires and replace any ageing connectors. Maybe Dave can chime in as he does a lot of detroit work.

 

[Reefgeorge]

Scott, I understand your point and true to form, you offer a jump right in and lets get on with it approach. I have offered a more analytical start. Ultimately Bob has to figure out whats best for his situation.

 

[Boatsb]

Scott, I understand your point and true to form, you offer a jump right in and lets get on with it approach. I have offered a more analytical start. Ultimately Bob has to figure out whats best for his situation.

Time is money and over analysis takes too much time. Having the alternators pulled and gone over is pm to many of us. Just like changing out a failing bilge pump instead of trying to rebuild it when it wasn't designed to be rebuilt.

My world has a reliability need and frowns on down time.

 

[Reefgeorge]

Time is money and over analysis takes too much time. Having the alternators pulled and gone over is pm to many of us. Just like changing out a failing bilge pump instead of trying to rebuild it when it wasn't designed to be rebuilt.

My world has a reliability need and frowns on down time.

You may have the last word on time, money, and analysis. Lets help Bob get his boat running right in the manner that suits him best. Perhaps it is your approach.

 

[bobk]

OK, I bought a clamp on meter. The synchronizer solenoid seems to be working fine. When the switch is pulled, there is a momentary 5+ amp draw that drops immediately to about 0.3 amp. That's as it should be. I tried this many times at the helm and at the synch. That doesn't say I don't have some goofy sporadic issue. . If it happens again, I'll switch off the synchronizer and see what happens.

We depart some time next week for Cape Charles, but the weather on the lower bay may be a deterrent. Meanwhile I spent the last couple of days trying to replace the fresh water pump after nine years. Somehow the suction hose came loose and the pump was running continuously for who knows how long. It was hot as was the pump head. What a job. I needed a midget to get to it. Gayle tried but isn't limber enough. The new pump (Shurflo) is in, but has a suction leak in the Shurflo inlet fitting. This 10 minute job has taken 6 hours already.


Thanks for all the advice. All ideas welcome.

Bobk
Lying Baltimore Yacht Club

 

[Reefgeorge]

OK, I bought a clamp on meter. The synchronizer solenoid seems to be working fine. When the switch is pulled, there is a momentary 5+ amp draw that drops immediately to about 0.3 amp. That's as it should be. I tried this many times at the helm and at the synch. That doesn't say I don't have some goofy sporadic issue. . If it happens again, I'll switch off the synchronizer and see what happens.

We depart some time next week for Cape Charles, but the weather on the lower bay may be a deterrent. Meanwhile I spent the last couple of days trying to replace the fresh water pump after nine years. Somehow the suction hose came loose and the pump was running continuously for who knows how long. It was hot as was the pump head. What a job. I needed a midget to get to it. Gayle tried but isn't limber enough. The new pump (Shurflo) is in, but has a suction leak in the Shurflo inlet fitting. This 10 minute job has taken 6 hours already.


Thanks for all the advice. All ideas welcome.

Bobk
Lying Baltimore Yacht Club

Suction leaks in plumbing can be a pain. If that fitting does not depend on a face seal or O ring but rather the tapered threads, consider this. Most people use white sealing tape on those fittings or tape and pipe dope or sealant in extreme cases. White tape is only intended to seal tapered threads up to 3/8". Above that there is a thicker pink tape. Once I discovered this over a decade ago, the instances of leaking pressure and suction fittings went down to low single digits for me. The number of wraps depends on the thread tolerances (usually 2-4) and the tightness is FM so you just have to get that feel, but try pink tape. And if you ever have threads where "goop" is the way to go then Leak Lock is a gift from the gods, except for the part where that sticky stuff jumps off of your fitting and sticks to anything that just passes by so use sparingly.

 

[bobk]

Suction leaks in plumbing can be a pain. If that fitting does not depend on a face seal or O ring but rather the tapered threads, consider this. Most people use white sealing tape on those fittings or tape and pipe dope or sealant in extreme cases. White tape is only intended to seal tapered threads up to 3/8". Above that there is a thicker pink tape. Once I discovered this over a decade ago, the instances of leaking pressure and suction fittings went down to low single digits for me. The number of wraps depends on the thread tolerances (usually 2-4) and the tightness is FM so you just have to get that feel, but try pink tape. And if you ever have threads where "goop" is the way to go then Leak Lock is a gift from the gods, except for the part where that sticky stuff jumps off of your fitting and sticks to anything that just passes by so use sparingly.

In this case, the leak was between an inner sealing cone on the water strainer inlet and the hose barb that screws up to it. The one that came with the pump was for small ID hose, but the Hatteras system used a larger ID hose. A previous mech made the joint by adding an intermediate hose over the barb and then putting the larger hose on top and cranking down. This is the one that popped off earlier and led to the pump failure. I bought new larger ID barbs, but the plastic to plastic sealing surfaces were either too hard or not true enough to make up correctly. I contemplated some sort of goop, but then found an O-ring in my box that fit snugly and all is good now.

Scott, I can't get anyone to pull and PM the alternators before I depart. I'm hoping for the best since it has always been a self-correcting issue. I'll contact you when I can project arrival in your area and maybe you can have a go at it as well as adding a switch to boost low voltage.

My latest problem is a lap top that got drunk on red wine . It's almost working now, but I'm about to install a wireless keyboard to see if I can get it up to 100% before we depart.

Bobk

 

[Boatsb]

In this case, the leak was between an inner sealing cone on the water strainer inlet and the hose barb that screws up to it. The one that came with the pump was for small ID hose, but the Hatteras system used a larger ID hose. A previous mech made the joint by adding an intermediate hose over the barb and then putting the larger hose on top and cranking down. This is the one that popped off earlier and led to the pump failure. I bought new larger ID barbs, but the plastic to plastic sealing surfaces were either too hard or not true enough to make up correctly. I contemplated some sort of goop, but then found an O-ring in my box that fit snugly and all is good now.

Scott, I can't get anyone to pull and PM the alternators before I depart. I'm hoping for the best since it has always been a self-correcting issue. I'll contact you when I can project arrival in your area and maybe you can have a go at it as well as adding a switch to boost low voltage.

My latest problem is a lap top that got drunk on red wine . It's almost working now, but I'm about to install a wireless keyboard to see if I can get it up to 100% before we depart.

Bobk

Microsoft is white. Apple is red wine.

 

[bobk]

Microsoft is white. Apple is red wine.

Logitech came to the rescue. The problem was all in the key pad. A friend in Bond Creek has offered to open and clean the Toshiba key board when I stop on the way south.

Bob

 

[bobk]

AHA, GOT THE PROBLEM! We started out of the marina this AM on the first leg of our southbound trip, I switched on the synchronizer, and bam, 11 volts. Turned it off, 13+, switched on, 11 volts. After another try I heard the solenoid click in when I switched on and no voltage change. Seven hours later we were anchoring in my favorite hole in Solomons, MD and I played with it again. Same deal. Off,,,OK, ON, low volts, off, OK, ON low volts, OFF, low again then ON, I heard the click and 13+ volts. Hmmmmm.. I'm going to buy a new solenoid. Who was it said good things come to he who sits and waits?? Oh, that was my brother.

Bobk

 

[Boatsb]

Congrats to you and your brother. At least it's easy to turn off the syncronizer. Safe trip.

 

[Reefgeorge]

AHA, GOT THE PROBLEM! We started out of the marina this AM on the first leg of our southbound trip, I switched on the synchronizer, and bam, 11 volts. Turned it off, 13+, switched on, 11 volts. After another try I heard the solenoid click in when I switched on and no voltage change. Seven hours later we were anchoring in my favorite hole in Solomons, MD and I played with it again. Same deal. Off,,,OK, ON, low volts, off, OK, ON low volts, OFF, low again then ON, I heard the click and 13+ volts. Hmmmmm.. I'm going to buy a new solenoid. Who was it said good things come to he who sits and waits?? Oh, that was my brother.

Bobk

Nice work, analysis and your patience paid off! I hope that you get to the bottom of your synch problem easily.

George

 

[q240z]

Time to replace the alternator!!!