You could take the alternator to a starter/alternator shop for a bench test. If the regulator (built-in I assume) is faulty, the shop can remove it from the alternator and bring the leads outside. Then you can purchase an external, smart regulator to properly charge your new lead-acid batteries. If the problem continues, one of your new batteries may be defective.
The modern, external regulator is a wise move anyway as you want to protect your battery investment and built-in regulators are not suited to charging a house bank, for example. Different folks will recommend different regulators. You can spend a lot of money. Balmar and Ample Power make good regulators and you only have one kind of battery. I'd get the minimum intelligent one. Here is a 1997 article that I have found educational: < http://www.amplepower.com/ps_reports/v1-2/index.html > Oh, put the regulator in the coolest location possible and I recommend one that has temperature sensors for both the alternator and the batteries. Ron Rogers On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 7:43 PM, Harold D. Craft Jr <[email protected]>wrote: > Folks -- I'm seeking some advice on how to proceed with an electrical > problem on my boat, a 1982 Sabre 38, MK I. > > For some reason the alternator/regulator combination on my boat now > seems to want to put 16 +/- volts on the batteries. It seems to regulate > nicely, the voltage is pretty much rpm-independant (at rpms above a slow > idle) but is too high, in my opinion. The regulator has an adjustment that > has now been turned down to minimum voltage which now seems to be the 16V. > > The alternator is a 120 A, 12 V Kenyon alternator which, I suspect, is > original with the boat. As far as I can tell, Kenyon no longer is in > business, so finding a replacement part/regulator seems unlikely. > > This problem seemed to arise with the installation of new (lead-acid) > house batteries to which the Kenyon is dedicated. I suspect that this is > not coincidental, but am at a loss to understand why. > > So -- any advice? Do I really need to use a regulator that is specific > for this alternator, or can I get away with another brand, possibly a > smarter regulator? ( I should know the answer to this, but don't.) > > Many thanks for whatever advice you can provide. Obviously I'm trying > to avoid replacing both the alternator and regulator combination, if at all > possible. > > > Hal Craft > Talisman (Sabre 38, MK 1) > Ithaca, NY/Robinhood, ME > > > > >
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