Volvo 2030b battery alarm mystery ...

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gregcope

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Hi

So. Left berth for a weeks sailing and battery alarm goes off on volvo 2030 panel. Engineer duagnoses poorly alternator due to low volts (at tickover 13.2v).

Back on mooring. Anything above tickover (eg 2000rpm) and i get 14.2V at panel and 14.0v at batteries. Alternator volts slightly higher. Plus 38+ Amps into battery (80% SOC).

Yet still the panel bleats?

What am i missing?
 
gregcope said:
So. After an hour battery volts are 14.3v and still 30+ amps going into the batteries?!?!??’v
Click to expand...

I take it the generator warning light is illuminated ( flashing?)

Just a bog standard charging system ? no fancy alternator regulator.? no split charge system eg diodes or VSR

Then Id get the alternator to an auto electrician for full check . Id suspect a faulty regulator at least, .... but the figures you quote dont seem to hang together quite right

What did your "engineer" do? Anything?
 
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Sorry; yes VicS alarm stays in/flashing.

engineer was a gent from sea start who checked the alternator volts. Which were low (13.2?). But i think that might have been at tickover.

Also forgot to mention i have an old sterling marine 4 stage automatic regulator. Not showing any error leds.
 
gregcope said:
Sorry; yes VicS alarm stays in/flashing.

engineer was a gent from sea start who checked the alternator volts. Which were low (13.2?). But i think that might have been at tickover.

Also forgot to mention i have an old sterling marine 4 stage automatic regulator. Not showing any error leds.
Click to expand...

First check if this thing has a battery sensing connection which has become disconnected. Then, if that's not the problem, I would want to disconnect it completely. They usually "piggy back" and over ride the alternators own regulator so disconnecting completely should allow the basic alternator to operate in normal fashion. If it then does the Sterling is kaput,. If it doesn't then the alternators own regulator might be faulty.

I'd want to read the Sterling's manual first though!
 
Waiting for manuals to arrive from home...

I have a sterling manual for a different (newer) model. Different wire colours for some of the non-red/black and fewer wires (no temp or red sensing wires).

Guessing, but i think a diode or other internal gubbins on the alternator is borked as the D+ stud only registers a few volts and i would expect that to be identical to the B+ studd (ie 14.7V).
 
Fitted different alternator, Still alarms.

Disconnected sterling. Still alarms.

Starting to think its the panel...
 
Could be. But I dont think a panel fault would cause the high charge current you report

Was also wondering about a short to earth of the wiring to the warning light terminal, but that idea did not stand up to scrutiny.

Now the way to investigate depends on which version of the panel you have

If it is a panel with LED warning lights there should be two wires going to the alternator warning light terminal. If there are disconnect the brown one ( that is the connection to the warning light and alarm circuit) but leave the red/blue one as that is the alternator initial excitation supply via a resistor. The alternator should then perform normally but obviously with no warning light or alarm function.
 
Thanks VicS. The high charge current is probably because the batteries are lower than 80% SoC, and hence could absord that.

Thanks - will try that.

Found my instructions!

What should i be seeing voltage wise on the D+ stud.
 
gregcope said:
Thanks VicS. The high charge current is probably because the batteries are lower than 80% SoC, and hence could absord that.

Thanks - will try that.

Found my instructions!

What should i be seeing voltage wise on the D+ stud.
Click to expand...

D+ is the output from the field diodes so should be similar to B+
 
I had the opporunity to check more things with a friend on Sunday; Some factoids;

- On a new alternator
- Does not alarm when cold
- Takes around 20 mins to start alarming
- Then alarms consistently after about 10 secs of start
- The pannel sees lots of variation on the alarm brown wire that goes to D+ post - from second to second can vary between 8v and 13.7v (No alarm)
- The D+ post sees the same voltage variations
- The B+ post seems fine
- Disconnecting the Red wire from the Sterling Boost alertnator feild wire (the one soldered to the bushes) does not fix it

Any ideas?

My next (weekend) is to completely disconnect the sterling.
 
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