I have a 91 3288 with a house (accessory) battery and starting battery and I have been having some issues with the starboard alternator. My system is configured as outlined below.
The port alternator charges the starting battery (no problem there) and the starting battery is not connected to the charger or the house battery, which is how I like it.
The starboard alternator is a different story, it charges the house battery which is also connected to the shore power battery charger. Recently the starboard alternator does not seem to work properly or seems to be charging at a low voltage.
Now usually my house battery is fully charged anyway because I have it charged on shore power. I forgot to unplug shore power before starting my starboard motor and I'm wondering if this is why the alternator is not working properly. It used to work fine but now, I noticed, if I bring the motors up to high RPM (around 2500 or more) the alternator starts working again but if I am running at slower speeds (which I usually am) it only sits at around 12 volts. I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem or can provide any helpful input before I start getting in there? Of course its on the side that is almost inaccessible. Is there some kind of voltage regulator or diode that I may have fried by forgetting to unplug shore power before starting starboard motor?
Thanks in advance for any input you can provide
The port alternator charges the starting battery (no problem there) and the starting battery is not connected to the charger or the house battery, which is how I like it.
The starboard alternator is a different story, it charges the house battery which is also connected to the shore power battery charger. Recently the starboard alternator does not seem to work properly or seems to be charging at a low voltage.
Now usually my house battery is fully charged anyway because I have it charged on shore power. I forgot to unplug shore power before starting my starboard motor and I'm wondering if this is why the alternator is not working properly. It used to work fine but now, I noticed, if I bring the motors up to high RPM (around 2500 or more) the alternator starts working again but if I am running at slower speeds (which I usually am) it only sits at around 12 volts. I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem or can provide any helpful input before I start getting in there? Of course its on the side that is almost inaccessible. Is there some kind of voltage regulator or diode that I may have fried by forgetting to unplug shore power before starting starboard motor?
Thanks in advance for any input you can provide
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