Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

[simcole]

Hi,

This is my first post and my first boat I've ever owned. It's a 1996 Hurricane 24' deck boat with a 5.7L Volvo Penta DP. It's an awesome boat and well kept for it's age. My problem is the electrical of the boat. The radio didn't work when I bought it and I tore the dash apart to inspect. It looked like a 3 year old got ahold of some wire and electrical tape in there. I ended up re-doing a lot of the wiring in there, and there is more left to do. I believe there are still some grounding problems as well as hot wire problems. Anyway, when I trim the motor even at higher RPM (3000 ish), the volt meter shows a huge drop. Is my alternator bad? Is my volt meter bad? Is this part of the bad grounding? Here is a quick video.

Trim while running at about 2000 rpm and effect on volt meter. - YouTube

Thanks in advance for the comments.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

Hello and welcome. I would say totally normal.
The trim motor draws a lot of current.

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

Hello and welcome. I would say totally normal.
The trim motor draws a lot of current.

^^ Totaly agree. Mine has always done the same thing.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

normal. dropping lower than 10v would be a problem yours is hardly moving

 

[gm280]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

I totally concur, mine did the same thing. It takes a lot of current to run the trim/tilt pump and that lowers available current for that amount of time. Absolutely normal...

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

Hi,

This is my first post and my first boat I've ever owned. It's a 1996 Hurricane 24' deck boat with a 5.7L Volvo Penta DP. It's an awesome boat and well kept for it's age. My problem is the electrical of the boat. The radio didn't work when I bought it and I tore the dash apart to inspect. It looked like a 3 year old got ahold of some wire and electrical tape in there. I ended up re-doing a lot of the wiring in there, and there is more left to do. I believe there are still some grounding problems as well as hot wire problems. Anyway, when I trim the motor even at higher RPM (3000 ish), the volt meter shows a huge drop. Is my alternator bad? Is my volt meter bad? Is this part of the bad grounding? Here is a quick video.

Trim while running at about 2000 rpm and effect on volt meter. - YouTube

Thanks in advance for the comments.

Your voltmeter shows condition of battery not your alternator.

 

[Splat]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

Your volt meter shows the current voltage in the electrical system at that moment. Nothing more. Learning to interpret it may take a little practice.

 

[simcole]

Re: Voltmeter shows huge drop when I trim outdrive. Is this normal?

Well it looks like I came to the right place. Thank you everyone for the information. I'm definitely learning some things about boats along the way. I'm glad to see that my issues is a normal indication. Tomorrow is a dual battery perko switch install that should be easy. Later this week I rip out the circuit breaker panel and test all the leads. Then the major work is over and I'll be ready for spring!

Thanks.