The electrical system on my 1997 Sea Ray with a 7.4L Merc engine does not seem to be charging properly. I noticed that the volt meter has been reading below 12 volts and the battery tends to discharge after an hour or so on the water. I checked the voltage coming off the back of the Mando alternator from the output post to the ground post and it reads about 12.2v. I replaced the voltage regulator, no luck, and then swapped alternators with an extra one a friend had. The voltage with the other alternator installed was about 11.9, or pretty much the same. Maybe both alternators are bad?
My question: am I correctly troubleshooting this low voltage situation? Also, is there any other troubleshooting I can do to find the cause? I'm not sure that the alternator is even putting out any voltage since it seems to be reading the battery voltage. Can I disconnect my battery switch while running and then read out the alternator without frying anything? I have a TB V ignition and a Mercathode. Thanks in advance!
My question: am I correctly troubleshooting this low voltage situation? Also, is there any other troubleshooting I can do to find the cause? I'm not sure that the alternator is even putting out any voltage since it seems to be reading the battery voltage. Can I disconnect my battery switch while running and then read out the alternator without frying anything? I have a TB V ignition and a Mercathode. Thanks in advance!
