Charging system taking holidays

[Warren S]

OK. On ut last trip, I noticed that upon starting the engine, the volt meter has begun to take it's sweet time before responding with a proper output volyage (> 12v). It rests at 0 or near-0 for as much as 5 minutes before springing into action.

Before I start problem isolation, has anyone seen this before and could it be a slam-dunk solution?

thanks

[Oswego John]

Warren,

Maybe you are charging but the ship's meter isn't showing it. Do you have a multimeter? If you haven't had any low battery trouble recently, it's a good chance that the battery is being charged.

Also:

Check belt for tightness. Look for black dust near belts

Check for loose or corroded terminals both at alternator and panel meter.

Check all grounds. You probably have a good engine ground if the engine cranks okay.

Check all wiring for poor connections at battery taps, feed to panel.

Check battery for clean, bright terminals with no corrosion.

Good luck,
O J

[Warren S]

I'll run down all those areas. I can't wait to go through the wire harness. in general. when we took possession I recall the battery check meter used to go off the scale while a multi-meter registered a normal 12v. Just moving some terminations around in the switch panel and disconnecting a shorted anchor light resulted in normal operation of the meter - now I trust it is accurate (this is the check meter in the switch panel, not the charge meter in the cockpit).