I took the boat out Saturday afternoon planning on a night on the lake. We cruised the lake with the system up with the battery switch on both batteries. When we stopped for 15 minutes I put the switch to A and drained that battery with the radio up half way if that. It started with the B battery and we cruised for another 30 minutes with the switch on both and the system barely up. Stopped again and had the radio off and both batteries were dead. Its a 04' 21i with a 6.0 L GM fuel injected motor. Its a 70 amp alternater and I assume its shot. Do I need to upgrade the alternater and if so how big? Would it b a good idea to get an on board charger for the battery bank? They wanted $250 for a new 70 amp alt at auto zone and my buddy thinks I can get it online for a $100? Any help and input would b great so i can get this fixed correctly.
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Ain't no 1/2 steppin' -
1st thing you need to do is CONFIRM whether or not the alternator is charging. You need to make sure that everything is wired correctly and all the needed battery cables are hooked up and to the right posts. Next, recharge and test the batteries. Bad batteries will not charge, will not hold a charge, and can draw down an alternator giving the impression that its not charging.
Having a shore charger of some kine to rely on to replenish the battery(s) is always a good idea, but is unrelated to your current situation. Get the charging/battery issue diagnosed and repaired first. Then revisit the charger.Mikes Liquid Audio: Knowledge Experience Customer Service you can trust-KICKER WetSounds ACME props FlyHigh Custom Ballast Clarion LiquidLumens LEDs Roswell Wave Deflector And More -
Does AutoZone sell a marine grade altenator? I thought all of their parts were car/truck only.Comment
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Autozone cross referenced it so it probably isn't marine. Both batteries were brand new 3 weeks ago and all cable are hooked correctly and my switch is working properly. Autozone couldn't test the alternater for some reason.Ain't no 1/2 steppin'Comment
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Bench testing the alt is ok, but it doesnt determine that the alt is receiving its field voltage which actually begins the charge process. It doesnt determine the integrity of the cables. The issue needs to be diagnosed with the boat whole, other wise, good parts may get replaced.Originally posted by bryce2320 View PostMikes Liquid Audio: Knowledge Experience Customer Service you can trust-KICKER WetSounds ACME props FlyHigh Custom Ballast Clarion LiquidLumens LEDs Roswell Wave Deflector And MoreComment
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The first thing I did 2 weeks ago was clean all terminals and check all wires and grounds. The batteries were at 12 volts and the alternator was putting out 12 volts when I checked it with the volt meter. That seems low to me and I thought it should be putting out closer to 13.9-14? The alternate is coroded externally and internally and we getting hotter than heck! I thought all the signs were leading to a faulty alt but I could be wrong? Any other steps or test before I replace it?Ain't no 1/2 steppin'Comment
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A fully charged bettery will be 12.8+, especially if new. If the batteries where showing 12 and the alt was not charging, the gauge would show the static charge of the battery....12V. Sounds like the alternator is not charging, but you need a volt meter to be sure.Originally posted by bryce2320 View PostMikes Liquid Audio: Knowledge Experience Customer Service you can trust-KICKER WetSounds ACME props FlyHigh Custom Ballast Clarion LiquidLumens LEDs Roswell Wave Deflector And MoreComment
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I agree,
You need to test the alternator to see if it is charging correctly. It is a simple test with a volt meter (you can get a cheap one most anywhere these days). Simply put the positive lead on the battery + and the negative lead on the batt -. The alternator should be putting out 12.8 Volts or higher with the engine running (most will put out 13+ volts). If the alternator is in fact bad then I would recommend getting it rebuilt (or rebuilding it yourself) as it is about half the cost of a new replacement. You will need to get a marine replacement if you are going to swap the alternator out (marine alternators and starters have spark arrestors on them so your boat does not go boom when you fire it up). A shore power or battery tender will help keep you batteries charged at the dock or on the trailer but to be honest, if you are using the boat regularly, you should never need them if you have a properly functioning charging system.
just my 2 centsComment
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I did put the volt meter on the alternater last week and it was showing 12.0 which I thought was pretty low. I'll start trying to find a place to rebuild itAin't no 1/2 steppin'Comment
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Here is an old thread about an alternator upgrade.
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...ght=alternator
Here is the ebay store they are talking about.
http://stores.ebay.com/dbelectricalstartersalternatorsLast edited by TeamAllen; 06-12-2012, 01:58 PM.Mike Allen, Tigé owner since 1997Comment
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Thanks for all the help and info. I found a place here in town that will rebuild my 70 amp alt and make it a 130 amp. I'm dropping it off this afternoon and will let you know on the pricing, hopefully less than a brand new one. I will probably b adding one more battery so ill have a battery bank for the stereo. Im guessing just wire in series and still use the switch the same way? Hopefully the upgraded alt will keep them charged!Ain't no 1/2 steppin'Comment
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