Electriceddie
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2009
- Messages
- 6
Hello All,
Preface This Story :
2000, 2855 Ciera Sunbridge with 7.4L Mercruiser with Bravo III I/O.
Battery #1 and #2 are both brand new, strong batteries. Previuosly one battery was good and one was very weak and dragging the good one down. The Alternator was replaced 2-3 months ago. Don't know if it was a rebuilt or brand new. Voltmeter I believe is the original one.
=========================================================
* When I first got the boat the Voltmeter read 13 to 14 volts after I started her up. The first run about 1 hour all was OK.
* I started to have some issues a few days later.
* Come down to the boat and both batteries are dead. Charged them up overnight and they were now fully charged.
* Went out for the day and when I returned to port, I tried to start the boat again to check the batteries and they were both bareley able to crank the engine.
* Then both batteries were then replaced.
* I was told that when the batteries were replaced the alternator was checked again and all was good now with the batteries and the alternator.
* We went out for the weekend. On route, battery #1 was "ON."
* When I started the engine at the dock the Voltmeter read 12 Volts.
* The volt meter started to slowly dropwhile we were underway, starting at 12, 11-1/2, 11, 10-1/2, 10. All in Approx. 30 minutes to get down to 10 volts.
* Then the alarm went off. I slowed down at the 5MPH and the alarm stopped.
* I switched the battery over to #2.
* The #2 battery was starting to drop after about 20 minutes of cruising.
* After I tied up, about 30 minutes later. We smelled an electrical burning odor. I opened the hatch and there was smoke.
* After about 10 minutes the smoke cleared, I could see what looked like a stream of smoke rising from the vent opening in the alternator. But it could have been from underneath.
* Not sure what caused the smoke, but there was quite a bit.
* I charged the batteries over night. Just since I was connected to shore power.
* On the ride home the voltmeter read a hair under 12 volts, with no issues to report for the entire ride home, approx 40 minutes. No voltage drop on the voltmeter and no smoke.
* When we docked I checked the engine hatch and all seemed OK and no smoke.
* A few days later I went to the boat.
* I turned "ON" the ignition and the voltmeter read 12 volts.
* I turned on the blower motor and after 3-4 minutes the voltmewter was reading 10 volts.
* Then I started up the engine. It cranked real well as a strong battery would. Not like one reading only 10 volts.
* I have never seen again the 13 -14 volts I first saw after starting it up when I got the boat a few weeks ago.
* For the last week the new batteries seem to be working ok and staying strong, just the reading of the voltmeter seems to be a bit radical.
* I don't know if this will happen again but before I take a chance that the possibility of the new batteries running down because there is an issue with the alternator
* I would like to solve this issue with the alternator, batteries or the voltmeter. Not sure where the issue lies.
* Does this sound like a faulty or intermittent alternator? Is the the voltmeter flaky? The batteries are good. Any advice or suggestions as to what to test for or look for would be appreciated. I don't want to end up with 2 more dead batteries.
* Also what about the smoke? Someone suggested, I believe they said, it was oil vent blowback or possibly something like that.
* The manual says the alarm goes off for 3 things. Low oil pressure which was fine. Overheating which it was not, and the drive oil level which from what I can tell was OK also. Please Help!!!
Thanks in advance
Ed
Preface This Story :
2000, 2855 Ciera Sunbridge with 7.4L Mercruiser with Bravo III I/O.
Battery #1 and #2 are both brand new, strong batteries. Previuosly one battery was good and one was very weak and dragging the good one down. The Alternator was replaced 2-3 months ago. Don't know if it was a rebuilt or brand new. Voltmeter I believe is the original one.
=========================================================
* When I first got the boat the Voltmeter read 13 to 14 volts after I started her up. The first run about 1 hour all was OK.
* I started to have some issues a few days later.
* Come down to the boat and both batteries are dead. Charged them up overnight and they were now fully charged.
* Went out for the day and when I returned to port, I tried to start the boat again to check the batteries and they were both bareley able to crank the engine.
* Then both batteries were then replaced.
* I was told that when the batteries were replaced the alternator was checked again and all was good now with the batteries and the alternator.
* We went out for the weekend. On route, battery #1 was "ON."
* When I started the engine at the dock the Voltmeter read 12 Volts.
* The volt meter started to slowly dropwhile we were underway, starting at 12, 11-1/2, 11, 10-1/2, 10. All in Approx. 30 minutes to get down to 10 volts.
* Then the alarm went off. I slowed down at the 5MPH and the alarm stopped.
* I switched the battery over to #2.
* The #2 battery was starting to drop after about 20 minutes of cruising.
* After I tied up, about 30 minutes later. We smelled an electrical burning odor. I opened the hatch and there was smoke.
* After about 10 minutes the smoke cleared, I could see what looked like a stream of smoke rising from the vent opening in the alternator. But it could have been from underneath.
* Not sure what caused the smoke, but there was quite a bit.
* I charged the batteries over night. Just since I was connected to shore power.
* On the ride home the voltmeter read a hair under 12 volts, with no issues to report for the entire ride home, approx 40 minutes. No voltage drop on the voltmeter and no smoke.
* When we docked I checked the engine hatch and all seemed OK and no smoke.
* A few days later I went to the boat.
* I turned "ON" the ignition and the voltmeter read 12 volts.
* I turned on the blower motor and after 3-4 minutes the voltmewter was reading 10 volts.
* Then I started up the engine. It cranked real well as a strong battery would. Not like one reading only 10 volts.
* I have never seen again the 13 -14 volts I first saw after starting it up when I got the boat a few weeks ago.
* For the last week the new batteries seem to be working ok and staying strong, just the reading of the voltmeter seems to be a bit radical.
* I don't know if this will happen again but before I take a chance that the possibility of the new batteries running down because there is an issue with the alternator
* I would like to solve this issue with the alternator, batteries or the voltmeter. Not sure where the issue lies.
* Does this sound like a faulty or intermittent alternator? Is the the voltmeter flaky? The batteries are good. Any advice or suggestions as to what to test for or look for would be appreciated. I don't want to end up with 2 more dead batteries.
* Also what about the smoke? Someone suggested, I believe they said, it was oil vent blowback or possibly something like that.
* The manual says the alarm goes off for 3 things. Low oil pressure which was fine. Overheating which it was not, and the drive oil level which from what I can tell was OK also. Please Help!!!
Thanks in advance
Ed