Kraken

Morso 1410 Lime Kiln £690 Midland Freaky Friday £628 Midland display stove, almost always available £599

Thanks for that. I'm beginning to think you're right. But it's an old alternator that I don't think is available for a like for like replacement. I was hoping to repair the old one to avoid inevitable required modifications to the mechanical electrical installation.

Well thanks for trying anyway. I've taken the alternator back to the rebuilder, so he's got that close up but obviously the boat is still at a distance. He recons there should be battery voltage across b+ b- before excitation and no voltage at IND. What should it be? He thinks the regulator is at fault. If that's correct, where can I find a new one? I also have a cast rectangular CAV remote regulator with terminals - A WL F +Hi +MED and +LO if you recognise that description. Would that be a good replacement for the one on the back of the alternator or is it more like an Adverc type device?

By momentary, I meant when held against the spring for the starter. This seems to work normally but the on position seems to be dead, so it looks like this part of the switch is faulty.

As in the previous post, the first time I started the engine, voltage at IND was 17 volts and the second time 15 volts, so both times, similar to charge voltage. This was after exciting the alternator from the battery.

Hello Tony, I tried the tests you suggest. With the engine running the meter already showed battery voltage minus a couple of tenths. When I touched the lead from the battery to IND, it didn’t jump to battery voltage since it was already there, but did jump from battery voltage to charge voltage immediately. Charge voltage was 17.7 volts and 30 amps. This was starter battery only since the contactor was not activating. I switched the engine off and connected starter and leisure batteries together, because the leisure batteries were quit discharged as the contactor hadn’t been working and I needed some power. Over a few hours the voltage varied between 13.5 and 14.4 volts and current between 22 and 30 amps for the leisure batteries and between 5 and 8 amps for the starter depending on time and revs. So fairly normal I guess once the alternator is excited. So from your comments this would point to a fault in the boat wiring, but why nothing from the IND terminal. This points to some fault in the alternator. Regarding your other suggestion, disconnecting the contactor made no difference. Other things I have discovered. Testing the contactor independently, it doesn’t work. Also the ignition switch is faulty. There is power to the momentary on position for the starter but nothing to on position. So everything connected to it (alternator warning light, Adverc warning light, engine hours meter) doesn’t work, but of course the alternator warning light comes on when the alternator is excited and stays on. It also glows dimly when the IND terminal is disconnected. So what would cause all these components (alternator, ignition switch, and contactor) to fail? And why the initial 17.7 charge voltage?

Thanks for that, I'll check later today.

OK, thanks Tony, I'll try that.

I'll try that next time I'm at the boat, maybe Wednesday. The contactor (the one recommended on Gibbo's site) is a relatively recent change, in the last couple of years, and doesn't necessarily coincide with the current problems. It was a preventative measure to replace the tiny one that is supposed to be a potential problem, but hadn't been for the previous 14 years.

It's the small trapezoidal shaped one mounted on the end of the alternator, but it's turned off by an Adverc (I think that's the way it works)

The alternator is a Cav AC5. Notes from the previous owner said the warning light would remain on while the engine was running and flash when the batteries were fully charged. Why would this be? After many years the alternator stopped working, which turned out to be a burned out warning light. I replaced that and it burned out again after a couple of years. This time I couldn’t find a 2 watt bulb and used a 5 watt bulb instead. This burned out in about an hour melting the light lens. I carried on for a while by removing the bulb after the alternator was excited. Then the alternator started to self excite and there was an unexplained 3 amp current with all the electrics off. Eventually it stopped working all at all. I took the alternator in to be checked and they said it was burned out and needed a rebuild. They had to remake some of the internals due to lack of available parts. On reinstallation the starter battery was initially charging at 1 ½ amps and about 15 volts, the domestics not at all. There is a lead from the alternator IND terminal to the warning light and the split charge contactor. You can see that the contactor is not being activated. It’s like there is nothing coming from the IND terminal. Why would this be? After turning the engine on and off a couple of times to check things there was no output at all. Took it back to the rebuilder who says it’s fine on his test bench. Any ideas? Could it be that something in the rebuild (rewinding?) has caused a need for more current to excite?

1410 £628

I've experimented with several paints and found the very worst to be Midland's own brand. Second worst is Craftmaster . The black was never really black, but very dark grey. It went chalky after a year and looked much worse than the 15 year old paint. It was difficult to apply and hard to avoid brush marks. It never went fully hard and would just tend to rub off. On a multi coloured item like a pole, the colours would smear over thr top of each other with use.

Regarding references to Sherbourne Wharf, remember that the facilities have moved to the Fiddle and Bone. And Walsall Basin, why the little yellow barrier across the entrance?