The original alternator wasn't charging, so I replaced it with a new "spare" that came with the boat. Except for the word "Lucas", neither alternator had any significant markings to indicate model or connections, so I had to figure it out.
Alternators
The original alternator was connected by four wires as follows:
- To the batteries isolation diodes to charge the two battery banks. B+? (Brown)
- From the charge light on the control panel to energize the field coils (using the "start" battery). F?
- From the house battery through a relay controlled by the key switch. This is probably to sense the charge voltage. S?
- To the tachometer. W? (Blue/Black)
The new alternator had two connections, presumably B+ and F.
I'm unsure of that capacity of either alternator.
Modifications
- Using the original alternator as a guide, I soldered a short blue wire to one of the stater coils for a tachometer feed and then reinforced it with heat shrink tubing where it feeds through the cover. I crimped a female bullet connector to the other end.
- There is no place for a"sense" connection, so I taped up the existing wire and left it hanging for now. It leads to a relay. (Later I plan to remove the extra wiring and relay completely.)
- I painted the pulley with two coats of "Ford Blue" Rust-o-leum Engine paint. (It turns out that my engine has Chrysler blue paint. I like the Ford color better and the Chrysler paint job is crappy, so I decided to stick with the Ford color. It will also help show where I've repainted.)
Technique
Wrenches used:
Results
- Puts out 14.1 VDC charging voltage
- Tach still didn't work. It's probably the tach, but I need to check voltages. Not sure what to expect here
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