Generator Renewal
Hand in hand
with a great bank of batteries are methods of charging the
batteries. Malua has a number. The alternator on the
Yanmar, the solar panels, the D400 wind generator and finally the
purpose built 13Hp Kubota diesel motor that is directly connected to a
150 Amp Leese Neville alternator. This puts out lots of power
that is controlled by a smart regulator.
It is housed aft of the main engine. It unfortunatly it is in the
same area as the aft cockpit locker and in heavy seas the salt water
comes into the area. This unfortunatly has caused some
superficial damage to the generator and the alternator and the
wiring. So when I returned to Australia I had to remove the
generator and work on rejuvenating this system. The challenge was
to remove the generator over the main engine. I had to remove the
water heater and then lift the generator over the main engine then man
handle it out the companion way and onto the dock. With the help
of same friends we achieved that. Back to Canberra workshop.
Why the system would not run conistently was a challenge and when I
sought advice from a diesel mechanic they could not come up with a
solution but to say the head was damaged. I took off the
head. All good as was the rings but then I deceided to change the
rings and the head gasket. This was done and the focus believe it
or not changed to the electrical set up to start the generator and to
keep the engine running under load. I needed to replace the
relatively long starter cables from the starter battery to the
generator with large welding wires suitably terminated. Next came
the Leese Neville alternator which is direct connected to the
Kubota. I was able to purchase a suitable Leese Neville
alternator but needed to modify the wireing so the smart regulator can
control the output. A snip and a crimp was all that is required.
After a coat of paint and a few hours running-in it was time to move
the generator back in to the boat. This was done and into the
space behind the main engine. After a few hours of work I pressed
the starter button and it fired up and we have 120 amps of energy going
into batteries. Great out come.
That upgrade did not last. The starter motor had difficulty
turning the engine over with the current length of battery leads.
This was rectifies by a new and heavier leads running directly from the
new starter battery. This unfortunatly provided too much current
to the starter motor and it overheated and burnt the coils. To
find a replacement was a challenge. The Kubota diesel engin is
used in a number of units from mowers to free standing pump engines
however to get a starter retail was a challenge at a reasonable
price. In the end I chose a much more powerful starter but as
with all things mechanical on boats it was not a simple step to but two
bolts in and tighten them. After much back and forth and a slight
modification the new starter was installed. Press the starter
buttem and the Kubota fires up first time and as usual ran as smooth as
silk putting amps into the battery banks.
Click a picture to see a larger view. Return to rejuvenation.
