Huge spark at alternator positive terminal

[greeny]

I'm beginning to think this post is a "wind up".

 

[Sandy]

Well Balmar technical support and their web site says it has an internal regulator.

I use my multimeter daily on the boat but I'm not touching that positive terminal with a metal rod from a multimeter after seeing the marks it left on my adjustable wrench

I am more than happy to attend your boat, all expenses paid at my normal charge out rate, to demonstrate how to use a multi-meter.

 

[Rhylsailer99]

I turned off both battery switches before I did anything.

I'm pretty sure I didn't touch the engine or anything else with the adjustable wrench. The negative terminal is far away, so I definitely didn't touch that. It happens every time, not just once.

Alternator is wired direct to the +on the battery, and the Earth is never switched off.

 

[sailboatliving]

You joined the "field" (blue) wire and the "stator" (white) wire together and connect both to the positive output terminal ? Why on earth did you do that? It is NOT what is shown in the diagram!

You appear to have no understanding of what you are doing. Please stop messing with it before you do irreparable damage or worse.

That is the way it looks to me. The white disappear in the diagram after the bundle part. Which wire should be connected to the positive then, field or stator?

 

[PaulRainbow]

I was able to make the pictures small enough now.

The second positive cable is not visible on the picture.

I also tried to connect the stator and field into one cable with a butt crimp and then I installed it on the positive terminal as shown in the picture. It didn't not go well. The cable starter smoking as soon as I started the engine.

If you want t change from the external regulator to the internal regulator you leave all the wring as it is, with one exception, you disconnect the external regulator excite wire and connect the internal regulator excite wire. It's all in the instruction manual.

It's on page 9 of the manual, where you got the image you posted, you need to read the text as well as look at the picture.

https://balmar.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SUP-0207-2010-2018.pdf

Unfortunately, there is no knowing what damage you have done by messing around with the wiring as you have.

If you want to run the engine with no alternator charging just leave both excite wires disconnected, simple.

 

[PaulRainbow]

That is the way it looks to me. The white disappear in the diagram after the bundle part. Which wire should be connected to the positive then, field or stator?

Neither, stop randomly joining wires together, see post #25

 

[sailboatliving]

If you want t change from the external regulator to the internal regulator you leave all the wring as it is, with one exception, you disconnect the external regulator excite wire and connect the internal regulator excite wire. It's all in the instruction manual.

It's on page 9 of the manual, where you got the image you posted, you need to read the text as well as look at the picture.

https://balmar.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SUP-0207-2010-2018.pdf

Unfortunately, there is no knowing what damage you have done by messing around with the wiring as you have.

If you want to run the engine with no alternator charging just leave both excite wires disconnected, simple.

That what I did at first, but the alternator was not charging the batteries.

 

[PaulRainbow]

That what I did at first, but the alternator was not charging the batteries.

In that case, disconnect the two excite wires so there is no alternator charging. No need to do any more to stop it charging completely.

 

[chriscallender]

That is the way it looks to me. The white disappear in the diagram after the bundle part. Which wire should be connected to the positive then, field or stator?

The thing at the bottom left of the diagram says "regulator wiring harness", it isn't meant to represent a bundle but connections through a harness to the external regulator. To be fair, I don't think they have done the drawing in a very clear way, I can see how it looks that way at a quick glance. As said in the previous post, all that needs to happen to get it to use the internal regulator is that "internal regulator excite" needs to be powered and "external regulator excite" needs to be unpowered. As the note says, is very important that they are not both powered simultaneously, basically this is how you tell the thing which regulator to use, and you don't want to use both at once. The internal regulator will also need the "internal regulator voltage sense" wire as shown on the diagram, but that should already be there.

Since I think you already tried that (from above - "That what I did at first, but the alternator was not charging the batteries."), it seems like the internal regulator isn't working either. That's about the end of what you can try, if it doesn't work with external or internal

 

[sailboatliving]

The thing at the bottom left of the diagram says "regulator wiring harness", it isn't meant to represent a bundle but connections through a harness to the external regulator. To be fair, I don't think they have done the drawing in a very clear way, I can see how it looks that way at a quick glance. As said in the previous post, all that needs to happen to get it to use the internal regulator is that "internal regulator excite" needs to be powered and "external regulator excite" needs to be unpowered. As the note says, is very important that they are not both powered simultaneously, basically this is how you tell the thing which regulator to use, and you don't want to use both at once. The internal regulator will also need the "internal regulator voltage sense" wire as shown on the diagram, but that should already be there.

Since I think you already tried that (from above - "That what I did at first, but the alternator was not charging the batteries."), it seems like the internal regulator isn't working either. That's about the end of what you can try, if it doesn't work with external or internal

Thanks for a great reply. Yes, Sense was already installed.

Then I will just disconnect the brown excite wire and use the engine without charging from the alternator until I get find a new alternator.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Thanks for a great reply. Yes, Sense was already installed.

Then I will just disconnect the brown excite wire and use the engine without charging from the alternator until I get find a new alternator.

Just a word of caution, if you can get the alternator checked before you buy a replacement, may be an an idea as there is just the possibility that the fault lies elsewhere

 

[ghostlymoron2]

You should maybe get an electrician to sort it out for you. A couple of hours could well save wrecking you charging system.