David, It sounds like you got the "quick and dirty" answers you were looking for. If you are going to be using an external regulator then the quick and dirty method shouldn't be used. As Fred said, a dedicated large gauge wire from the alternator straight to the house battery bank. You'll program your regulator to match your house battery chemistry.
The solenoid I would use for the glow plugs looks like the one in the link below. They're cheap starter solenoids. $10 or $20 is a good ballpark cost. http://search.defender.com/?SI=ec6c8f2d-678f-4a95-87a1-354ee39a99a1&Action=14&AXD=http%3a%2f%2fwww.defender.com%2fProductDisplay%3fprodnum%3d202096%7e202096%7eCole+Hersee+Continuous+Duty+Solenoid+12+Volt+DC%7e24.99 Rewiring your panel and eliminating the orange wire will render your ammeter useless. If you'd like, the safe way to add an ammeter is by installing a shunt ON THE NEGATIVE BATTERY terminal. The shunt has a linear voltage drop (millivolts) to current ratio so with the shunt attached to the negative battery terminal and all of the ground paths attached to the shunt, a voltage reading (0-100mV) across the shunt will be proportional to the current (0-100amps). An inadvertent contact with the shunt or signal wire will represent only millivolts more than ground so a fault would not be hazardous. Since the signal voltage is so low a very long run of signal wire could be used to power your ammeter. A new ammeter would need to be selected such that it matches the shunt in order to read properly. Placing the shunt on the ground terminal also ensures that total charging and discharging currents can be measured. https://www.solar-electric.com/mka-100-100.html?gclid=CK2Uq_GKl9ICFd6KswodJYkPhw The original "orange" wire was designed for a low current alternator on a tractor or skid loader application. Once the engine was started the charge current would quickly drop as the engine charged the battery to its full capacity. A 30amp alternator might only see 30amps for a few seconds after start. The orange wire carried the full supply of alternator power from the engine to the control panel ammeter and then to the battery. 30 amps momentarily on a short run of 10 gauge wire isn't a big deal in a tractor but on a boat with the panel and batteries significantly further from the engine and often in opposite directions of one another its a more significant concern. Add to that the fact that owners regularly upgrade their alternator to 3 or 4 times the normal output and you have a recipe for disaster. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Feb 12, 2017 11:45 AM, "David Knecht via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: Siting here watching lots of snow come down makes my thoughts turn to boat maintenance and I have been reading the very useful Mainecruising site. First question- Engine panel, alternator wiring and charge control I have a Universal diesel on my boat and the infamous trailer connectors described here: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/universal_ wiring_harness_upgrade&page=1. I also have the panel pictured in this article with ammeter and tachometer. I have already replaced one of the trailer connectors (partially melted) by directly splicing all the wires to their mates with butt connectors and will do the other in the spring. I have read the article a number of times now and am reasonably sure I should also do the starter circuit upgrade as he recommends, but some of the details are fuzzy to me. I have a hard time understanding the whole thing if I can’t look at a wiring diagram. Has anyone created a wiring diagram for the starter/alternator/switches/glow plugs/panel on these Universals? More specifically- his first recommendation is the quick and dirty fix: *Simply jump the alternator output to the starter post and disconnect the orange wire. With this jumper the alternator output bypasses the 20+/- feet of teeny tiny 10GA wire and uses the large gauge starter wire to make its way back to the battery switch and then to the battery banks.* I presume this eliminates the ammeter completely (no big loss in my book as I never look at it). I am fuzzy on the reason this is important since the alternator does not drive the starter, so without a circuit diagram I am having trouble seeing what this accomplishes. Also- If I go for more than the quick and dirty- I think I have two options. First would be running the alternator to the house bank and an ACR to the starter battery. Second would be a charge controller (Balmar 614) between the alternator and the battery banks. Am I right that it is one or the other? What I read from the same site makes me think the charge controller is the much better option since I have AGM batteries and he discusses extensively the problems of Motorola alternators, temperature compensation and charge control http://www.pbase.com/ mainecruising/automotive_alternators_vs_deep_cycle_batteries. Also, If I add a glow plug solenoid as he discusses, is this the right solenoid to use: http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1% 7C2276108%7C2276149%7C2290057&id=2262949 Second unrelated question: In his section on winterizing water systems he says: *Water heaters are always drained and by-passed you do not run pink through them! * I have done this both ways, but I can’t see why it is so much better to bypass and drain. I found it a real PITA to bypass the water heater so have been doing it the easy way of emptying the water tanks and then running propylene glycol through until red comes out both hot and cold lines. Maybe if I plumbed it to make bypass easier, I might do it that way, but I can’t see why it matters other than using more antifreeze. Thanks- Dave Aries 1990 C&C 34+ New London, CT _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
_______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
