subject: Marine Alternator Problem Determination [print this page] Marine alternators have a resemblance to most others when you set them up; first you need to ensure you really want one. Or at best I'm guessing you'll have examined, be sure you try out your power supply and do all of the trouble shooting before putting in a new marine alternator. Youll feel awful silly when you're getting that brand new alternator in there, effectively after studying this, only to realize your fishing boat is still not starting because of a departed battery. I have authored this informative article while putting in a Delco marine alternator and marine starter (Mercruiser starter) in my boat, nevertheless it ought to work for any other.
First get to a respected boat dealer or distributor. Make sure you are getting the precise alternator for your boat as they all fit and act differently for each boat as well as every engine bay. The top big brands in marine boat alternators are: Delco, Craft, Mercury, O.M.C., Sierra, Crusader and PLSRCraft. These firms all make top quality alternators which should employ a model accessible for your boat. Their trustworthiness is high which means you will likely not end up looking to purchase another replacement unit.
Once you get home with your appropriate alternator be prepared initially: take off all loose fitting clothes and jewelry so that you don't get caught up or snagged whilst working. A great number of accidental injuries transpire. Now remove the power source to get started taking off the old alternator. This is done by disconnecting the battery and converting its switch to OFF. With this done undo the mounting and tension bolts and remove the alternator. With it out you are able to line the mounting gaps up on the old and new alternator for fit. As long as they fit totally you are all set on, if they really don't you need to purchase an adaptor from a local machinist. You should not modify the mounting holes within your engine bay or on the alternator.
With this fixed, attach the mounting foot to your engine mount. You need to have some shimming material handy to help make the mount secure. If your mount is a dual footed type don't tense up the bolts so much that the two mounting ears will compress. The rear bushing should have a design feature that will allow you to firm up the mount by sliding it.
Check the alternator pulley for alignment with the engine pulley. Here is your last possible opportunity to include shimming materials to alter their angles. Should you also have water pump within your configuration verify all 3 now to get them running smoothly.
Now obtain the output ground cable, field wire, stator wire and all other wiring associated with your assembly and fasten it. If this is correctly set up link up the alternator wire to the regulatory wiring harness. Consult with your manual for the size of your alternators positive and ground cables. If it's a part of your set up, put in the new regulator as well as its wiring. Now just go do your last checks of all your wiring and belts, and it is time for your marine alternators try out.
