[C38] Universal 5424 Charging problems

Sun Oct 9 19:50:05 EDT 2005

Rob,

I don't have the specs on the original alternator with me because my boat
is about 500 miles from me and my alternator notes are on the boat.

Before you give up on your original alternator, first check to see if the
electrical power is even getting to your battery.  The original wiring
called for the alternator to feed the cockpit engine control harness
through a couple of wiring plugs in the harness, through a direct feed amp
meter, and back through the same harness and plugs and finally to the
battery back.

With the original harness, any of the in-line harness plugs could corrode
and even the amp meter itself could corrode making an open or high
resistance circuit.  Because of the long harness length, the original
harness would lose alternator power even if all wiring plugs and amp meter
were perfect which is seldom the case.

An upgrade to the original system, if you have not done so yet, is to run
the alternator output feed directly to the battery bank and either convert
the amp meter on the engine control panel to a voltmeter or a shunt
operated amp meter which doesn't require the entire output of the
alternator to feed through it on the long distance to the control panel and
back.  I prefer the voltmeter because it tells the state of charge.  If a
battery shorts, an amp meter will give a false sense of security because it
may show a high rate of charge when all you are doing is cooking a shorted
battery which will not take a charge.  Neither the modern shunt type
ampmeter or voltmeter take any significant amperage back to the cockpit
panel making both a much safer and more reliable solution.

An easy way to check if the above original harness is your problem is to
remove the wire on the alternator output terminal and make a heavy 10 Ga or
larger wire to replace it.  With the new wire go directly from the output
terminal to the battery bank.  If your battery bank charges with the new
jumper cable, you are a prime candidate for the upgrade harness and meter
solution.

I'm sure I can find a copy of the upgrade information that was posted in
Mainsheet if you need to make the upgrade.

If this jumper feed cable doesn't correct your charging problems, you have
another charging system you can use.  You can charge your new alternator on
Vi$a, Ma$tercard, etc.

Your original 5424 alternator was probably a Motorola with the Japanese
mount dimensions and there are many alternators that will fit without
paying the ransom price of the Universal replacement as Mark and others
have correctly reported.   The only problem is that the new alternator
needs to have a tachometer pickup coil so it will have to be from a diesel
application.

Tom Troncalli
The Renata #95
St. Pete, Fla

> [Original Message]
> From: empty <empty1 at ntlworld.com>
> To: Catalina 38 Listserve <Listserve at catalina38.org>
> Date: 10/9/2005 3:58:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [C38] Universal 5424 Charging problems
>
> Rob,
> The Goose has the original universal deisel, and her alternator was in
need
> of replacement in October 2004 after being laid up in St Pete. The one the
> boat yard used to replace it is rated at 70amps and cost about $90. A
friend
> has a C&C 40 with a universal deisel. When his alternator failed in
Michigan
> he took it to the local NAPA auto part store. The found the equivalent
> compatible replacement in their catalogue and delivered it to the boat
next
> day. I seem to remember it cost about $100 or so. He then sent away the
> failed one for rebuilding, which he now keeps as a spare.
> If you have a NAPA or similar nearby, that might be a good starting point.
> I'm afraid adding the word 'maritime' to a piece of equipment is a
notorious
> way of hiking the price.Volvo in the UK are famous for this. I once had to
> replace my alternator- the 'genuine' volvo part was £140. The local auto
> parts supplier looked it up and found all the Volvo alternators were made
by
> Bosch and Seimens.He supplied it for £48. In other words I would have paid
> £92 for a blue cardboard box with Volvo in white letters written on it.
> Look forward to seeing you at end of April when we bring The Goose up to
> Solomon's Island.
> Mark.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Rob Cornelsen" <robcornelsen at yahoo.com>
> To: <Listserve at catalina38.org>
> Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 3:39 PM
> Subject: [C38] Universal 5424 Charging problems
>
>
> Last weekend we decided to use the autopilot to steer
> as we powered from the far side of the Bay back into
> Solomon's Island.  As we entered the Patuxent River,
> we switched on our running lights as it was getting
> dark.  By the time, we returned to our slip, the
> battery was completely drained.
>
> Our Catalina 38 has the original universal 5424
> engine.  I checked the ammeter on the engine panel and
> the alternator appears to be putting out zero to two
> amps.  This is well below the 51 amps that it is rated
> for.
>
> I checked on line at Torresen Marine and a new
> alternator is about $500.00 with freight.   This was
> quite a shock since auto parts stores sell alternators
> in the $50.00 price range.
>
> Does anyone know if an auto alternator is compatible
> with the Universal 5424?  In addition, is there
> anything else that I need to check before replacing
> the alternator?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rob Cornelsen
> Catalina 38 #223
> 301/717-8324
>
>
>
>
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