JJANDLARRY
Recruit
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2003
- Messages
- 1
We are trying to find out if our charging system is working or not. The ammeter doesn't move at all, charge or discharge. We have checked for continuity between the contacts on the ammeter and found them all to be discontinuous, both to each other and to ground. A VOM across the battery shows the correct voltage before the engine is started. After approximately an hour or so, a re-check across the battery terminals shows a slightly lower voltage. The rpm of the motor has no effect on the VOM across the battery terminals. The repair manual says that the charging circuit should be putting out the rated capacity of the alternator when over 4000 rpm, but as we said the ammeter doesn't move. What should my next check be to determine whether I need to replace wiring (and if so, which ones), the voltage regulator (or replace the diodes), or the alternator itself? The manual seems vague on this next step, and we don't want to just replace good parts with more good parts. The hardest part of working on the engine for us is we have to do it in the middle of the lake; the water depth is insufficient to run the motor at the seawall. Thank you for any assistance you can give us.
