[Alberg30] Battery draining - Check voltages first

[Daniel Sternglass]

Various good suggestions have been given, but I'd suggest that you start
by making some simple measurements to see if you can figure out what is
actually happening before attempting any repars...

The first thing I'd suggest that you use a multi-meter on a DC volts
scale to note the voltage on the starting battery with the engine off.
Then start the engine. The voltage should be seen to be rising, up past
13 Volts, depending on the state of the battery. If no increase in
battery voltage (e.g. charging) is seen, then you know you have an
alternator, regulator or wiring problem.

If the voltage does increase to over 13 volts, you can run the engine a
while to charge the battery, or use a charger. With the engine running,
switch to the other battery and see if the voltage increases, in case
the first battery had a shorted cell. Make sure that the water is topped
up to cover the plates, use distilled water. Also make sure there is
adequate tension in the alternator belt, and that it is not too "glazed"
and that all wires are secure and connections not corroded. HAving the
batteries load tested, as previsouly suggested, is a good idea too. I
usually only get 4-5 years out of a battery.

If the alternator is charging the battery (e.g. you see a voltage
increase), but it won't hold the charge, it's new battery time. If the
battery is seen to not be charging, I'd suggest that that you go to a
shop, or get some help from someone familiar with charging systems (it's
the same as a car, so maybe you know someone). Most troubleshooting can
be done with a simple multi-meter, e.g. checking that the alternator
"field" winding is powered, the alternator diodes are OK, etc. If the
alternator turns out to be dead, usually it it cheaper to get it rewound
and rebuilt by an auto-electric shop than to buy a new or rebuilt one.
They will often want to replace the regulator at that time.

Good luck...

--Dan S.
dans at stmktg.com
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
 |  Boatowners Mechanical And Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder  |
 | http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/007009618X/alberg30-20 |
 +---------------------------------------------------------------+

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